Taylor Takes a Tumble

Published on August 29, 2016, at 4:31 p.m.
by Kenzie Winn.

After watching Taylor Swift fall on a treadmill in a recent Apple Music advertisement, I could not help but cringe. Don’t get me wrong — Swift is great, but I can confidently say that I’ve never seen a more awkward warm up.

Here is the scenario: Following a few slow neck rolls, Swift suddenly (and aggressively) yells “Yo!” Then, she begins her slow jog, while rapping Drake and Future’s “Jumpman” along the way. As the camera pans out, Swift seems to be getting dangerously confident in her dance moves, leading her to promptly face-plant on the conveyor belt. Undeterred, Swift continues to rap from the ground. I respect that.

Anyway, according to iTunes, Drake’s music sales shot up 431 percent following the release of the video. The video’s been viewed over 37 million times, and Swift’s tweet with the video has racked up 74K retweets. I guess the joke’s on me.

However, something seemed fishy. My memory traveled back to June 2015, when Swift’s well-publicized letter to Apple surfaced. Swift ranted about Apple’s decision to not pay artists as part of its launch strategy for Apple Music. Swift did not hold back.

Thanks to the power of the search bar, I am now informed that Apple eventually changed its plans regarding paying artists.

Whatever the circumstances may be, this is the world we live in. Pair a celebrity with a big business name and products will sell. Once again, Apple is breaking barriers and leading the industry.

While I will be left here scratching my head, Swift and Apple must have settled their differences for the sake of making some cheese. I guess “the grind really don’t stop.”