When Lesley Stahl Met Taylor Swift | A Second Look Podcast

Taylor Swift's Early Career and Music

• Taylor Swift, at age 18, achieved country music stardom despite not fitting the typical mold of big stars in the genre. (6m48s)
• In 2011, 60 Minutes decided to profile Swift after the successful release of her third multi-platinum album. (8m9s)
• Initially hesitant to feature a young country artist, 60 Minutes producers agreed to meet with Taylor Swift after her publicist, Paula Erickson, insisted. (5m31s)
• Taylor Swift met with record label executive Scott Borchetta in 2004 and he asked her to play him song after song. Borchetta told Swift he needed another year to set up his record company and asked her to wait for him. (25m36s)
• Swift left Borchetta's record label, Big Machine Records, in 2018 after Borchetta sold the label to Scooter Braun, who gained ownership of the master recordings of Swift's first six albums. (27m0s)
• Swift has re-recorded and re-released four of her first six albums and encouraged her fans to buy and stream only the re-recordings. (27m56s)
• Taylor Swift's mother, Andrea Swift, worked as a mutual fund wholesaler, and her father was a stockbroker, contributing to a family-oriented approach to her music career, including strategic investments like purchasing a fleet of tour buses that can be leased to other artists. (23m12s)
• Although Swift's mother, Andrea, acknowledged that Taylor was ostracized by her peers, she also highlighted Taylor's difference and desire to pursue a different path. (12m6s)
• Taylor Swift still experiences insecurity, which is evident in her music. (13m23s)
• Swift established her own management company and manages herself. (14m13s)
• Taylor Swift did not explicitly state that her music was transitioning to pop, but nine months after her 60 Minutes interview, she began releasing pop singles. (19m14s)
• Puja Patel, editor-in-chief of Pitchfork and Spin, believes that Taylor Swift has reinvented herself with each album, evolving as a person and displaying different types of womanhood while maintaining common themes in her music. (19m33s)

Taylor Swift's Political Views

• In a 2011 60 Minutes interview, a 21-year-old Taylor Swift told Lesley Stahl that she didn't engage with political themes in her music. (30s)
• In 2011, at age 21 (39m23s), Taylor Swift chose not to publicly share her political views because she did not feel inspired to write music about politics. (38m54s)
• Beginning in 2018, at age 28 (39m50s), Swift became more politically vocal, endorsing Democratic candidates, supporting the Equality Act, and encouraging her fans to vote. (40m2s)
• Taylor Swift's influence extends beyond music and sports, as she made global political headlines by encouraging her fans to vote, leading to a surge in traffic on vote.gov. (11s)
• Swift's endorsements tend to occur close to elections and often coincide with other events in her career. (41m47s)

Taylor Swift's Personal Life and Relationships

• Taylor Swift explained to Lesley Stahl that her 2010 song “Dear John” was inspired by a manipulative relationship with an older man. (34m33s)
• Swift believes that a romantic relationship with someone who is uncomfortable with her level of fame would not work. (37m1s)

Taylor Swift's 60 Minutes Interview

• In 2011, Swift allowed Lesley Stahl and the 60 Minutes team several hours of interviews, of which only 12 minutes were aired on television. (18m32s)
• This episode of 60 Minutes a Second Look was co-produced by Julie Holstein and Mora Waltz. (45m5s)

Taylor Swift's Future

• It would be interesting to see Taylor Swift start a record label and help develop new musical artists. (44m31s)
• Taylor Swift does not need to do interviews, especially for publicity. (44m53s)
• Sloan Garcia visited the Taylor Swift exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Designs in New York City. (32m3s)