Many new stars who have entered the music industry over the last few years have been dubbed Taylor Swift Taydaughters. The designation is flattering: Swift set a new standard in the industry with her rise from a country music singing teenager to the biggest star on the planet.

There's now a lot of pressure for singers to write their own songs and play instruments. With Swift's massive impact, it's hard not to compare all the up-and-coming singers to her. The influence Swift had on the generation has become a social media phenomenon called Taydaughters.

"Taydaughter" Originates From The "Pop Daughter" Phrase

Pop Daughters Can Refer To Other Artists Too Like Lady Gaga

The phrase "Taydaughter" originated from the idea of a "pop daughter." This phrase means that one of the new generation's pop stars has a lot in common with a pop star that came before her. For example, Chappell Roan has gotten a lot of comparisons to Lady Gaga, as they're both heavily inspired by drag culture and the LGBTQ+ community.

However, Taylor Swift is currently one of the biggest pop stars in music, and with her massive fanbase of young girls, many of today's new stars were inspired by her. Back in 2006, Swift stepped on the scene as a female songwriter, writing confessional songs about relationships and not fitting in at school. Swift was not the first female songwriter of her generation; the early 2000s saw stars like Avril Lavigne and Michelle Branch rise on the charts too.

However, Swift was able to resonate with a vast audience and build a fanbase that would stick by her side for almost two decades. She's arguably one of the most influential artists of her time, meaning stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Gracie Abrams have all taken inspiration from her while building their own careers.

Olivia Rodrigo Is Considered The Original "Taydaughter"

Rodrigo Shares A Lot Of Similar Qualities With Swift

When Olivia Rodrigo hit the scene, she was still on the Disney Plus series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. This differs from Swift's start as she wasn't backed by Disney while rising in Hollywood. However, her impact on Rodrigo's career is undeniable. The singer spoke highly of Swift all throughout the promotion of her first single, "driver's license." Rodrigo even itted in a 2021 interview on The Travis Mills Show that Swift is her biggest idol and songwriting inspiration.

Unsurprisingly, the media spent a lot of time comparing the two, and Rodrigo set out to distinguish herself as a unique artist, heavily leaning into rock influences. While there is a lot of obvious inspiration from artists like Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morisette, and Gwen Stefani, Rodrigo can't escape her childhood Swiftie days. From her deeply personal and specific lyrics that resemble the way Swift has written in her career to her stage presence, Rodrigo is undeniably the biggest Taydaughter of all.

"You look like Taylor Swift

In this light, we're loving it

You've got edge, she never did

The future's bright, dazzling."

There are countless TikTok videos comparing the way Rodrigo poses on stage or looks out into the audience to videos of Swift doing the same thing throughout her career. There's also a specific The Tortured Poets Department track fans have used in their TikTok edits. The song highlights how Hollywood compares its stars and switches them out for the next big thing and how they've been doing this since the beginning of Hollywood.

Swift seemingly compares Stevie Nicks to Clara Bow, herself to Nicks, and then finally a new singer with "edge" to herself. Rodrigo certainly has edge, from her tour costumes to her electric guitar-heavy songs, so it's likely she was the inspiration behind the lyric.

Sabrina Carpenter & Gracie Abrams Are Also "Taydaughters"

Carpenter & Abrams Were Inspired By Swift, Too

However, Olivia Rodrigo is not the only Gen Z singer to take inspiration from Taylor Swift. Both Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams look to Swift as a musical influence as well. Before Carpenter was a pop star or even a Disney darling, she was posting videos of herself covering Swift's songs on YouTube. One of her most popular is a cover of Swift's debut album track "Picture To Burn." Carpenter continued to express her love for Swift, and the two hung out together at the MTV Video Music Awards and the American Music Awards in 2022.

A year later, Carpenter ed the Eras Tour as an opening act and even appeared with Swift a few times for the surprise song portion of the show. Carpenter even itted to Short n' Sweet Tour. Carpenter also writes her own songs and plays the guitar​​​​​, just like her idol Swift, but seems especially inspired by the pop star side of her. Abrams, on the other hand, resembles Swift's early career and her folklore era. While she has a few pop-inspired songs, most of her music is melancholy and deeply emotional.

Two of her most popular songs, "I Love You I'm Sorry" and "That's So True" are about breakups, and Abrams is known to pull out her acoustic guitar at her shows. Like Carpenter, Abrams was also one of the openers for the Eras Tour and appeared during the surprise song slot. However, Abrams and Swift also wrote and performed a Grammy-nominated song together for Abrams' sophomore album The Secret Of Us.

What Being A "Taydaughter" Means For These Artists

How Does The Phrase Impact The New Generation?

But what does being a Taydaughter actually mean for the women following in Swift's footsteps? For starters, it means countless comparisons all over the internet. However, they shouldn't stress too much as there are many positive aspects to being a Taydaughter. It means they learned from the best, and they can continue to take these lessons and make them their own. Swift is the daughter of all the female singer-songwriters that came before her.

From Stevie Nicks to Joni Mitchell and even Shania Twain, Swift has always been honest about those who inspired her. However, she was also able to build her own career that's unique to her. Rodrigo, Carpenter, and Abrams have all seen a lot of success with their own fanbases, and if they continue to work as hard as Taylor Swift did, they might have their own record-breaking world tour someday, too.

Taylor Swift

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