As we all know, Taylor Swift is a great performer who makes lots of money. Everybody loves her and she’s on the cover of every magazine. Why? Is it because of her looks? Her singing technique? Her guitar playing? Her piano playing? All the people she’s connected to? No. But, if you want to be like Taylor Swift… (your version of it, whatever it is…you’re not going to be Taylor Swift, of course…) …you’ve got to understand what she’s doing. Her music has a message and she’s determined to spread that message. Those things I listed are just tools. She uses the tools to spread the message. You can do that too. Use tools to spread a message. This isn’t just a matter of communication. This goes deep into the core of your being, into the center-point of your soul, and propagates out from there. Because Taylor Swift’s message is, at the core, a pure message she believes in, this is what happens: * Her body language onstage conveys the message, * Her singing and playing technique falls into place around the body language, * She looks good when she’s singing, * People watching and listening get excited, * They tell their friends, * Taylor Swift makes lots of money. But, without that message at the core, that little point she can organize everything around, she has nothing. (Watch her carefully. Her eyes, her feet. Do you see anything awkward happening? I don’t.) I’m not saying you need to be just like Taylor Swift. Obviously, she’s a phenomenon and you’re not. But, you could be a phenomenon too. (Not like that, of course. Don’t get your hopes up. Come on.) But, you could be a phenomenon for the people in the room. And, if you want to get there, it would be a mistake to think you’re going to improve anything without improving what’s at the core. When you have that unity, your body language will reflect it. Unless you’re OK with your eyes darting around, with your feet shuffling. In that case, by all means, keep doing it. But, it’s not what a phenomenon does, even among 20 people. If you take an hour of your time and spend it on * improving your singing * guitar technique * your makeup * your outfit, you’re just going to get a tiny change in the overall thing. But, if you spend an hour improving what’s at the core, having a message and making sure every stupid little thing you do reflects that message (for the duration of the song), THEN you’re going to make a huge change in the overall thing. And people will notice. —Michael This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nomichaelhere.substack.com
