Inside Taylor Swift's 'Unstoppable' Era as She Wraps Historic Tour: She 'Completely Transformed Pop Music' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Taylor Swift on the cover of the Dec. 16, 2024 issue of PEOPLE; Taylor Swift performing on her Eras Tour.

Swift, 34, will play the last of her 152 tour dates in Vancouver on Dec. 8, and the impact of her tour has been nothing short of global phenomenon. From reintroducing the world to thejoys of friendship braceletsto inspiring thehighest-grossing concert filmof all time, the Eras Tour certainly made its mark.

It also evolved with its star; since kicking things off in March 2023, Swift healed from heartbreak and settled into a new love with NFL starTravis Kelce, and even became a billionaire in August, the first musician ever to do so based solely on performing and songwriting, according toForbes.

Journalist Rob Sheffield, whosebookHeartbreak Is the National Anthemexplores her massive influence, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story that the “Fortnight” singer’s magic lies in the fact that her songs are “so personal” to her, yet relatable to those consuming her art.

Taylor Swift performing on the Eras Tour in New Orleans on Oct. 25, 2024.Erika Goldring/TAS24/Getty

Erika Goldring/TAS24/Getty

“The Beatles are the closest thing to a Taylor Swift that we have in history,” says Sheffield. “She’s so completely transformed pop music.”

Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto has seen some of that magic up close, working with Swift on four of her music videos, including the recent “Fortnight.”

“I remember very well all the visual references she had put together for that meeting. You might think that someone with that level of success might be jaded or may just rely on others to feed her ideas, but she puts in the work,” recalls Prieto. “She does her research and thinks deeply about the concepts and ideas she comes up with. She seemed to be a much more experienced director, the way she spoke about the cinematic language of her ideas. It did not seem to be a musician pretending to be a director. It felt like I was talking to someone who had deep experience in that role.

Taylor Swift performing on the Eras Tour in Indianapolis on Nov. 1, 2024.Kevin Mazur/TAS24/Getty

Kevin Mazur/TAS24/Getty

Though Swift has certainly earned all of her accolades — which included arecord-setting fourth album of the yearwin at the Grammy Awards in February, forMidnights— she hasn’t done it alone. The star’s family and A-list friends have been fixtures at her Eras Tour shows since the beginning, withmom Andrea, dad Scottand brotherAustinmingling with fans and holding down the fort in the VIP tent. Kansas City Chiefs star Kelce also attended 14 shows, and his family members have shown up to cheer on Swift, too.

One Tree Hillstar Tyler Hilton, who starred in Swift’s “Teardrops on My Guitar” music video in 2007, is alongtime family friend of the Swifts, and joined the star’s parents in 2018 to catch a show from the VIP tent. He says the family’s tireless support of the Grammy winner is the real deal.

“They still treat her like she’s just killing it at a talent show,” he says. “They’re so excited for her still. Their earnestness as a family is so real.”

“She has so much energy and love for creativity, I am certain there is much more where that came from,” says Prieto. “She is unstoppable, and her enthusiasm for her craft is contagious. I know she will keep giving us wonderful music, but surely she will continue branching out into other areas of creative output.”

For more on Taylor Swift, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

source: people.com