Friendship bracelets glisten on wrists, catchy melodies echo off the walls and lyrical discussions fill the air. Students from diverse backgrounds are all here together to share their love for pop music and singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.
The Texas A&M Swiftie Society connects students through shared experience, social activities and lyric discussions. What started as a small group of fans has grown into a large community of A&M and Blinn College students.
Behind Swift stands a dedicated group of fans known as Swifties. Environmental engineering senior and Swiftie Society President Kennedy Orzechowski founded the organization in 2023 with a group of friends to build a safe space for Swifties on campus.
“I wanted people to find a place where they feel that it’s okay to listen to the same type of music,” Orzechowski said. “One artist that has been big in our generation, and since she started the re-recordings, has been Taylor Swift. I had a passion for it and wanted to connect people.”
The society focuses on Swift’s international and local impact on pop culture and how her leadership as a businesswoman influences young adults. Visualization senior and Swiftie Society Vice President Chloe Crane highlighted how she notices music bridging the gap between the global pop icon and members of the organization.
“I think a quality that they admire is her relatability to still connect with fans,” Crane said. “Even when her fan base is hundreds of millions of people, she still finds ways to one-on-one touch each person. With her music, they find different aspects that they can relate to most … that gives them moments to resonate with her.”
With hundreds of awards for her lyricism, Swift has transformed her autobiographical songwriting into a record-breaking career spanning multiple genres for almost two decades. Psychology senior and Swiftie Society Treasurer Kelsey Contreras explained how relating her personal experiences to Swift’s brings hope.
“Every single one of her albums has at least one song of her really going through it and not knowing if it’s going to get better, but then you see life always gets better,” Contreras said. “There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Whether you know it or not, things will change.”
From falling in love to heartbreak and betrayal, Swift’s discography showcases a range of complex emotions that accompany growing up. Crane reflected on how analyzing her metaphorical lyrics can guide listeners through different periods of their lives.
“I don’t necessarily write, but when you think back about moments and reflect on them, you can kind of get through it,” Crane said. “That’s what she does through her words; even listening to her can help you as she writes about a similar emotion.”
Orzechowski said that being able to respectfully listen to members’ opinions has been the most important lesson she has learned from being a Swiftie. She relates this lesson to the Core Values of A&M.
“I think something that goes along with our Aggie Core Values is knowing that having differing opinions is okay,” Orzechowski said. “When we talk about lyrics, we want to treat everyone’s ideas as their own, even if we disagree on some things.”
The culture that Orzechowski described also extends to how members of the Swiftie Society connect her music to their identity as Aggies. The organization identified a particular song that they associate with A&M.
“We can all agree on one song, and it is ‘Maroon,’” Orzechowski said. “It actually inspired me to get in contact with other Taylor Swift societies.”
The shared appreciation for Swift’s music among Aggies has extended across the Southeastern Conference through the exchange of friendship bracelets with mascots and the formation of relationships with sister Swiftie groups at the University of South Carolina and the University of Florida.
“In the past, we did a bracelet exchange with the Auburn Tiger,” Orzechowski said. “It’s a fun rivalry on the field, but off the field, at least we all connect on Taylor.”
To build fellowship, the Swiftie Society hosts listening parties and fundraisers. In 2024, the organization collaborated with the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts to host its “Tortured Poets Department” listening party, drawing a crowd of 150 attendees, Crane said.
“We made Easter egg posters that we hid around campus,” Crane said. “They didn’t verbatim say “Taylor Swift,” it was all vaguely adjacent that if you know, you know.”
Recently, the organization gathered to celebrate the release of Swift’s new album and movie “The Life of a Showgirl.”
“Anyone is welcome,” Contreras said. “Whichever albums you like, if you only like one album or just a few songs, every spectrum of Swifties is welcome.”
As the organization continues to grow, inclusivity remains central to unite members on topics that define both Swifties and Aggies. Orzechowski emphasizes that music, fun and community come first in the society.
“We’re Aggies, we’re Swifties, music brings people together, and that’s what we are about,” Orzechowski said. “I want people to find each other in some way, see the Swiftie Society continue to put on listening parties and make it known to have a safe place for any fan to say they like Taylor and all different pop music artists.”
