Every fairytale needs a happy ending, and after 11 albums of love, heartbreak, and shattered dreams, Taylor Swift has found her Prince Charming. But after she announced her engagement to Travis Kelce, what will Swift's newfound happiness mean for her music?
Swift's greatest gift as a lyricist is the way she weaves her own story into her songs, balancing intricate, specific detail with universal themes of love, hope, heartbreak, and betrayal.
And from the very beginning, the musician's love life has been the connective tissue of her writing.
Her debut single, Tim McGraw, written during a school maths class, was all about her then-boyfriend, Drew Dunlap.
Believing they'd break up before he left for college (a premonition that came true), she wrote a song to commemorate the times they'd slow-danced in the moonlight to the car radio: When you think Tim McGraw/I hope you think of me.
It's a timeless story - one that's destined to be repeated at fresher's weeks across the country this autumn - and set in motion a career-long narrative about Swift's romantic tribulations.
Throughout it all, she's been aware of the obsessive level of debate around her relationships. In Shake It Off, she poked fun at the media's discourse: I go on too many dates / But I can't make them stay / At least, that's what people say.
Now, it’s reductive to cast Swift's back catalogue (274 songs and counting) to a soap opera about her love life. She's tackled relationships, but also expressed thoughtful insights in songs about media scrutiny, friendship, and more.
What remains to be seen is whether her marriage will prompt another shift in her musical narrative. As Swift's friend and collaborator Florence Welch noted, Contentment is a creativity killer.
Female artists have often drawn on personal life changes for inspiration. For instance, Madonna's Ray Of Light saw her transform after becoming a mother. Similarly, Beyoncé's career developed with her personal evolution, sparking fresh themes in her music.
Swift has already hinted that her forthcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl, recorded during her early days with Kelce, will reflect a more joyous tone, contrasting with her previous more tumultuous albums.
As fans await what she's crafting next, one thing is clear: regardless of her marital status, Swift's ability to narrate her life through music will continue to resonate.
