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Yes. She's a talented songwriter. Maybe you're under the false impression that her music is ghostwritten like other pop artists. 🤷
I think Rammstein and Stromae are good and listen to them. It's not that good European music doesn't exist, it's just that there's less of it.
Acts like Tiesto and Purple Disco Machine are also good. But they are a fundamentally a different category of music that doesn't reflect on society, but exists outside of it.
You haven't really answered the question; in what way does Taylor Swift exist as an art form that EDM cannot? Whether she writes her songs herself or they're ghost-written has no bearing on their quality.
Earlier in this thread you said:
I'd argue that Taylor Swift is similarly sterile, whether ghost written or not, and I think most people who aren't part of her rabid fanbase would agree with that assessment. Yes, most EDM doesn't even attempt to have a message, but to me there really isn't much of a difference between a vapid and a non-existent message.
I'd also argue that any piece of music inherently reflects the society in it. EDM, as hedonistic as you may perceive it as, still has its rhythms and undercurrents.
I also think you are straight up wrong when it comes to how you describe EDM. You assume that EDM is different or lesser than other genres due it not saying anything about or reflecting on society or humanity, and that as a consequence people don't care about what EDM artists say or do. I think your just wrong about this. I know, personally, an individual who did a memorial post for Avicii when they died. Daft Punk was huge, and was sampled extensively by the 2010's biggest musician, Kanye. I can't see how you can say people don't care about EDM artists; clearly, America's biggest artists do care about them.
Obviously there's less European music, but I think you are engaging in a motte-and-bailey. The motte being that there is less good European music (true by definition). But the bailey you argued was that "As an art form, American music is vastly superior to European music". Is American music inherently better than European music, or is there still comparable music, just not as much?
My daughters have been giving me Spotify playlists of recent music. Swift stands out as one of the most idiosyncratic and emotionally complex lyricists working today. She captures a cognitive dissonance between introspection and compulsive habit that most pop songwriters would never consider. And yet is also so recognizably "normal" that she avoids the edgelordy bullshit of more progressive artists and easily appeals to a wider audience. I've become a huge fan.
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