‘Speak Now’: How Taylor Swift is a Whistleblower and Stays ‘Fearless’ in Every Era

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team

Reputation? She built her own. Although Taylor Swift does not traditionally fit the whistleblower definition in the legal or political sense, she has used her platform to take fierce stances on various topics.

From speaking out about artists’ rights in the music industry to championing women’s empowerment, rallying for change, and political activism, she has evolved from a country star into a cultural force and beacon for advocacy.

Earlier this year, we included Swift in our roundup of female whistleblowers to applaud artists during Women’s History Month. To celebrate the recent conclusion of her catalogue debacle, we’ve selected the top moments Swift channeled her inner whistleblower and turned personal experiences into public activism, exuding fearless character traits that are often highlighted by whistleblowers. In every era, she proves that using your voice to speak out, even in the face of backlash, is one of the most powerful things you can do.

Here are just some of the many moments Swift showcased her whistleblower spirit:

Swift Bought Her Masters Back

Last week, Swifties rejoiced as news broke that she purchased her music catalogue after a lengthy battle over the ownership of her master recordings. This means she is now the proud owner of all the music she has ever made, which is a huge win.

In 2019, Swift’s original label, Big Machine Records, sold the rights of her six album masters to music manager, Scooter Braun.

Swift criticized the deal and claimed it was done without providing her the opportunity to purchase her master recordings, which she tried to do many times, or without consulting her first. She also alleged that Braun bullied her (we discuss this later in this article). In 2020, Braun sold the music catalogue to the private equity firm, Shamrock Capital.

Since 2019, Swift clapped back by re-recording her albums to own the new masters and take control of how the music is used (syncs in movies, commercials, etc.) and devalue the originals, encouraging fans and media to stream and purchase her new versions instead. She already re-recorded four albums, labeled (Taylor’s Version). Her plan worked as the re-recorded streaming numbers of Fearless and Red surpassed the originals.

Swift has generated industry-wide discussions. In an open letter on her site, Swift explained: “I am extremely heartened by the conversations this saga has reignited within my industry among artists and fans. Every time an artist tells me they negotiated to own their master recordings in their record contract because of this fight, I’m reminded of how important it was for all of this to happen. Thank you for being curious about something that used to be thought of as too industry-centric for broad discussion…”¹

Swift’s Sexual Assault Trial

Swift has publicly supported victims before and after her sexual assault trial in 2017. In 2013, Swift was groped by radio DJ David Mueller during a meet and greet. When she reported it, he was fired. Mueller sued her for defamation and Swift countersued for $1 to stand up for survivors. She won the case in 2017 and was praised for her courage. Swift hoped her case would inspire other victims to come forward: “My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard.” Since then, she also donated funds to victim charities.²

Swift Initiates Legal Action Against Ye (fka Kanye West)

This is the latest development in the years-long feud between Swift and West. Recently, Swift has taken legal action against Ye/Kanye West in response to the rapper’s recent defamatory and graphic social media posts about Swift. Swift’s camp sent him a cease-and-desist letter calling on him to stop making false and sexually explicit statements about her.

It appears that Swift has been publicly targeted by West for years, starting with him interrupting her 2009 Best Female Video win at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Among other situations, Swift claimed that she did not know about the inappropriate content of West’s “Famous” lyrics prior to its release and says she did not approve. West then released a NSFW music video featuring sculptures of famous people including Swift and Trump.³

In addition to several interviews and social media postings throughout the years, songs on Swift’s album Reputation were viewed as responses to West’s persistent behavior.

How West is Connected to Scooter Braun

West was one of Braun’s former clients. When Swift learned he had purchased her catalogue, she wrote about it on Tumblr: “All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years… Like when Kim Kardashian orchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it.” The other client she is referring to is Justin Bieber, who also appeared to engage in this conversation on the internet.⁴

Swift Started Discussing Politics in 2018

Swift started becoming more vocal about politics in 2018, as she encouraged fans to vote early on. That same year, she also criticized Tennessee Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn and announced her support for Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives.⁵

Swift’s Support of the Equality Act in 2019

In 2019, President Donald Trump announced his opposition to the Equality Act, legislation to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Swift criticized Trump and posted a letter online asking Tennessee’s Republican Senator Lamar Alexander to support and defend LGBTQ+ rights. She called upon her fans to write to Senators and sign a Change.org petition she created.⁶ That same year, Swift released “You Need to Calm Down,” a playful pop anthem that champions the LGBT+ community and calls out online hate. The music video ends with a direct call to action to sign the Equality Act petition.

Presidential Endorsements

In 2019, Swift spoke with The Guardian and shared that she would have endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the 2016 election.⁷ Swift called Trump’s presidency “an autocracy” and pledged to do everything she could to advocate for her preferred candidates during the next election cycle. In 2020, Swift publicly endorsed President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris.⁸

Reaction to Overturning Roe v. Wade

In 2022, Swift reacted to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and retweeted a letter by Michelle Obama. Swift commented: “After so many decades of people fighting for women’s rights to their own bodies, today’s decision has stripped us of that.”⁹

Encouraging Fans to Vote

In 2023, Swift celebrated National Voting Day by posting on Instagram and directing fans to the voter registration site, Vote.org.

Trump Shared AI Generated Images of Swift

In August 2024, Trump shared AI generated images of Swift on the Truth Social media platform reading, “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.” She explained that these images sparked her desire be more vocal with her political endorsements. Following this event, Swift officially announced her support for Kamala Harris.¹⁰

Swift Endorsed Kamala Harris

In October 2024, Swift shared an Instagram letter concerning Trump’s use of fake images and false narratives: “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”¹¹

These are just some of many examples where Swift channeled her whistleblower spirit. We will update this post with more news as it unfolds.

Read ‘Speak Now’: How Taylor Swift is a Whistleblower and Stays ‘Fearless’ in Every Era at constantinecannon.com