Taylor Swift's Reign Continues: A Deep Dive into Her 2025 Domination

Explore the highlights of Taylor Swift's monumental 2025, as dissected by Billboard's editorial staff and Denise Warner in the Greatest Pop Stars podcast.

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Taylor Swift's Reign Continues: A Deep Dive into Her 2025 Domination

This podcast episode is part of the Billboard editorial staff’s Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 list. Find our accompanying Taylor Swift essay here, and all the rest of our essays and podcasts related to the list here.

In 2025, Taylor Swift reaffirmed her status as a cultural titan, achieving unparalleled commercial success and dominating global conversations. Despite a period of relative quiet following her monumental Eras Tour, her return was nothing short of explosive.

From reclaiming her masters and revisiting early recordings to a memorable appearance on then-boyfriend Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast, and the record-shattering release of her 12th album The Life of a Showgirl, Swift consistently commanded attention in 2025.

This episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast explores Taylor Swift's No. 2 ranking on our list, a testament to her ability to overshadow the entire pop landscape for months. Billboard‘s Denise Warner joins host Andrew Unterberger to dissect Swift’s historic 2025, a year marked by new iconic moments and unprecedented numbers. (Read Denise’s essay on Swift’s year here.)

The discussion tackles key questions surrounding Taylor Swift’s 2025: Was it as impactful as her 2023? Which Taylor’s Versions remain essential? Was her hinted Super Bowl halftime performance plausible? Was the backlash to Showgirl justified? And, crucially, does her dominance warrant the No. 1 spot on the list?

Check out the podcast above, along with a YouTube playlist of key moments from Taylor Swift’s 2025. Subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify for comprehensive coverage of the Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 list!

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