Taylor Swift's name may have been single-handedly running a music critic page afloat.
Swift's fan accounts on X posted how Pitchfork repeatedly uses the singer's name to boost engagement, even after tweeting that her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, was 'so bad', they wouldn't discuss it.
‼️ | @Walden_Green_ of @Pitchfork reveals that he needs to mention @TaylorSwift13's name to every tweet to gain traction for their paycheck.
— Taylor Swift News (@blessedswifty) December 5, 2025
— “Taylor Swift's dominance in recent years is sublime. You can put her name to a tweet and it will reach our goal or monthly quota.” pic.twitter.com/f7JCVegoGH
Tagging Walden Green of Pitchfork, fan accounts called out the music critic page for referencing the artist in articles that do not concern her for views.
Pitchfork's History of Mentioning Taylor Swift to Gain Views
Critics pointed out that Pitchfork has a long, complicated relationship with Swift's music.
Some noted that the publication rarely acknowledged her work until a male artist released a cover of 1989, resurfacing years-old grievances about the outlet's inconsistency and alleged bias. Others argued that Pitchfork's current tone feels like a deliberate attempt to 'humble' Swift following her recent accolades, including major award wins.
The observation came after a now-viral comparison: Pitchfork's original tweet, posted without using Swift's name, garnered only a few hundred likes. But once they reposted the same promo for their '30 Best Pop Albums of 2025' list with Swift's name included, the engagement jumped to thousands.
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This contradiction was even more glaring because the original Pitchfork headline claimed Swift had released an album 'so bad we won't even talk about it', yet the publication still relied on her name to drive traffic.
Swift fans and neutral users alike mocked the approach, calling it 'transparent clickbait' and proof that online music criticism is increasingly dependent on rage-baiting Swift's massive fanbase to boost metrics.
"Taylor Swift released an album so bad we won’t even talk about it"
— Folk ⸆⸉ Swift Charts (@SwiftyRuza) December 5, 2025
Them for the past 2 months 🤡: https://t.co/5IpEcopQkE pic.twitter.com/c9raIJTnBh
Multiple commenters accused Pitchfork of using Swift's name for views, with one user noting that engagement reportedly skyrockets when she's mentioned, especially in a negative context. 'We won't talk about Taylor Swift... in a sentence that talks about Taylor Swift', one user mocked.
Pitchfork Reviews: Why Artists Will Always Be in Swift's Shadow
Beyond the Swift discourse, some fans felt the artists featured in Pitchfork's 'Best Pop Albums' list were being overshadowed by a headline designed to stir outrage rather than uplift new music. One commenter wrote. 'Imagine being one of the 30 artists and realizing your work is being marketed as 'not Taylor Swift.''
Others criticized the state of music journalism overall, calling the tweet 'unprofessional', embarrassing' and 'ragebait' masquerading as a critique.
With Swift as the standard for other artists, it proves that it's not Swift's music or even her fans themselves that keep her a multi-billionaire musician; it's her being constantly mentioned by music publications to gain views.
In the end, it's Swift who will only get bigger. Curious fans of other artists will likely check out her music catalogue, seeing that she's the standard. The worst that could come is converting them into a hater, but the other possibility is them becoming a full-time Swiftie, adding to the millions of fans she already has worldwide.
Is Life of a Showgirl That Bad?
Despite the backlash, Swift's newest album continues to perform well globally, with fans noting that the music's reception speaks louder. Not only did it break Adele's historic debut album sales, but it also broke Spotify's record, which was held by Swift as well.
Commercially, the album is a success. However, that doesn't mean everyone who listened loved it as there's a chance that most bought or streamed it over curiosity. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad album. Music is still subjective; if only one Swiftie loves it, it means it's good enough for them.
Besides, it's time to acknowledge that people can collectively stop discussing an album they dislike, as they do with other artists, that is not Taylor Swift.
