“We are too busy dancing to get knocked off our feet,” Taylor Swift sings in her single “New Romantics.” These lyrics come to life when the members of the Taylor Swift Society meet up to let loose. We may know them as passionate “Swifties” but behind the curtain, it’s clear that a common interest is only a fraction of what this club stands for.
Whether it’s karaoke night or a study session, the Taylor Swift Society acts as a portal where students are welcome to wear their hearts on their sleeves. It turns out singing at the top of your lungs, dancing stress away, crying at listening parties and gossiping about the latest celebrity lore with a group of people creates a strong sense of community and ever-lasting friendships.
In the fall of 2021, Ryan Kovatch and Jess Simpson co-founded the Taylor Swift Society. During the summer before their freshman year, Patio, a social media application connecting students who attend the same school, was very popular. It was through a “Swifties group chat” on Patio that Kovatch and Simpson crossed paths. As the chat buzzed with messages, someone jokingly wrote, “There should be a club at the UO for Swifties.” That message led to the creation of a community with over a hundred members today.
“I’m the kind of person that if someone tells me to do something as a joke, I’ll be like ‘Yeah okay’ and fully ride with it,” Simpson said. “Everyone thought we were joking, but fall term came around and we got together to figure out how the hell we were going to start a club.”
There wasn’t much guidance on how to develop a university club so the duo had to start from the ground up, which Simpson said was the hardest barrier to overcome. Two and a half years later, they know who to go to for any problem or question that arises. More importantly, their vision of the club became a reality which led them to winning the New Student Organization of the Year award in 2022.
“We love creating spaces for people who are excited to find a community and companionship in music. One of my favorite things about running the club is doing karaoke,” Kovatch said. “Oh my God. Everyone is singing along and the energy in the room is incredible. No one is judging you for how you’re singing and we’re all just singing the songs with you and having fun.”
According to Billboard, Swift is the top-seller in album sales for 2023. Kovatch and Simpson credit her success to her raw and poetic lyrics as well as the fact that Swift’s music has been a “staple” for Gen Z. Since being signed by Sony/ATV at just 14 years old, in a sense, Swift has grown up alongside many of her fans. Simpson remembers her sister introducing her to Swift and Kovatch recalls saving up his iTunes gift cards to purchase her songs.
“You’ll hear it from anybody, she’s just a powerhouse. She’s an incredibly talented songwriter, poet, and author. I’m pursuing a creative writing minor and she is the reason for that,” Kovatch said. “I love seeing how she uses words to command emotions and people. Her songs set themselves apart from a lot of other pop music because they focus so much on meaning. Watching people in the club react and be affected by that element of her music is magical and one of the biggest reasons we run this club.”
With lyrics echoing themes of nostalgia, love, heartbreak, friendship and defying society’s expectations, Swift’s music makes hands go up in the air as well as hearts ache in vulnerability. So, it’s no wonder the bond linking the Swifties at the UO extends outside their meeting times and leads to unexpected encounters with familiar faces throughout campus. Kovatch and Simpson’s friendship serves as a great example. They went from being strangers in the same group chat to exploring Simpson’s hometown in England together this past summer.
If you’re interested in joining the Taylor Swift society, know that you don’t have to be a die-hard fan or know all of her songs; all you need is to be ready for a good time. For more information on events hosted by the Taylor Swift Society, check out their Instagram (@uotaylorswiftsociety) or become a member by signing up through the UO’s Engage site.
“It’s a really positive place to be and everyone in the club works really hard to make sure that’s the case,” Simpson said. “The biggest thing that someone could get out of joining us is a community and a place to de-stress and not have to think about serious things. The most intense thing that ever happens is people choosing their favorite songs from a new album. I think the club all boils down to a place where people can exist without having to be too much of anything.”
