The transformation of podcasts from a niche audio format to a linchpin of celebrity press tours is complete. Taylor Swift has finally appeared on one.
Her guest spot on “New Heights,” a video podcast about football and pop culture co-hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, amassed nearly nine million views in about 12 hours on YouTube, setting a record for the show and cementing its place among modern media properties. About 1.3 million people tuned in simultaneously to a livestream of the episode before it was felled by a technical glitch.
By comparison, an October episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” with President Trump reached about 11 million views in its first 12 hours on YouTube.
Released on Wednesday night, the “New Heights” episode served as a long-form album announcement for Ms. Swift, who has never taken a particularly traditional approach to delivering such news. When not dropping surprise albums, she has opted for announcing albums on tour stops, on Yahoo livestreams or in the middle of awards shows.
Rarely does Ms. Swift sit for an interview. (Exceptions include in-depth conversations about songwriting for Apple in 2020, and about directing for Variety in 2022.) That her first proper podcast interview was conducted beside her romantic partner speaks to both her personal reluctance to engage with mainstream media and a larger truth about podcasting: For prominent figures, it has become a friendly space, where unchecked conversation can flow freely.
Silicon Valley founders and White House officials have embraced two- or three-hour conversations with Mr. Rogan. Athletes and musicians talk about their mental health on “Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard.” The actor Jason Momoa just made his podcast debut on “SmartLess,” disclosing a near-drowning, while Dakota Johnson chose to make her debut on “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” holding her new puppy in her lap.
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The post Even Taylor Swift Can’t Resist Podcasts, the Celebrity Safe Space appeared first on New York Times.
