A city is harnessing the pulling power of
the world’s biggest pop star - Taylor Swift - to host a conference on the
cultural phenomenon.
The University of Liverpool is hosting Tay
Day: a symposium for fans, students and academics, exploring the star’s
enormous popularity.
Tickets for the event, at the Yoko Ono
Lennon Centre, part of the university’s Institute of Popular Music, have already been
snapped up.
The symposium is being held on June 12th
– the day before Swift’s three-day run of sold-out shows at Anfield Stadium, home of Liverpool FC.
According to a university news release, scholars and students will share their work
on Swift, including a workshop about the process of writing a Taylor Swift
musical.
There
will be a series of interactive talks from academics from across Europe on
subjects including the Taylor Swift millipede, her vinyl records and her place
in feminism and the LGBTQ+ community.
The
day will culminate in a session of ‘Critical Karaoke,’ where researchers
perform one-song essays to their chosen Taylor Swift track.
The Institute of Popular Music was founded
in 1988, making the University of Liverpool’s Department of Music the first in
the UK to introduce a dedicated, specialist Institute for popular music studies
and research.
Dr Sam Murray and Dr Amy Skjerseth from
the Institute of
Popular Music, who are organising Tay Day said: “We’re delighted to
be hosting an event to bring together academics, students and fans to debate
and deconstruct the work of one of the world’s biggest musical sensations on
the eve of her performances in Liverpool.
“The
musical, social and economic impact of Taylor Swift is undeniable and that’s
why we’re really looking forward to starting a conversation about how Taylor is
both Miss Americana and an anti-hero, to understand her style and her wildest
dreams and to discuss her reputation.
“While
there will be academics from a wide range of universities talking about their
research, this isn’t your average academic conference: There’ll also be the
chance for everyone to take part in interactive discussions including about
their favourite Taylor Swift Era, and instead of a keynote speaker we’re
closing the conference with critical karaoke!”
Following last year’s successful hosting of Eurovision,
Tay Day forms part of the city-wide Liverpool Loves campaign, which is promoting
Liverpool as the ‘UK’s best major event city’.
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
