From a young age, many of us look up to people who we see to be our role models. For me, it wasn’t my mom or my dad or my grandparents. It was Taylor Swift.

I’ve listened to Swift ever since I was a little. I can still vividly recall back to the day “Red” came out. It was 2012 and I was in second grade. I had just gotten home from school, and I immediately went over to my parent’s big desktop computer to search for the album on YouTube. Nowadays, I am still obsessed with her music and will stay up until midnight for her newest releases.

Admit it, Taylor Swift is the music industry. Her music is more than just ‘stupid little love songs.’ All 229 of her songs tell a story, from “Tim McGraw” on her debut album (that she released at just 16) to her latest song, “Mastermind” on her newest album. And yes, she writes every single one of her songs. From growing up to friendship to revenge, there is something for everyone. My personal favorite though would have to be “Mirrorball;” the song includes several metaphors that tie back to never being good enough for anyone.

Now you may argue that her music is bad, but the number of awards she has won says otherwise. Swift has received a whopping total of 556 awards in her career: 12 Grammys, 29 Billboard Music Awards, the list goes on. Just with her most recent album “Midnights,” Swift broke three Spotify records within 24 hours.

Not only is her music good, but (although some might disagree) I personally think Swift is genuinely a good person in the heart, unlike many artists in the industry. She often does charity work, as well as speaks out on issues like women’s rights, LQBTQ rights, eating disorders and much more. This isn’t something you see often; a lot of artists hide their perspectives on issues, as they fear they’ll become the center of controversy, but Swift has nothing to fear and is loud and proud of what she believes in.

But I always feel like she’s getting some kind of hate. For instance, some people only know of her from the Kanye West drama that happened at the 2009 VMA awards. Now personally, I think West is in the wrong; I mean who interrupts someone in the middle of their speech and then proceeds to go on about how the person didn’t deserve the award? Others also judge her for the number of relationships she has been in, but at the end of the day, she’s still human and that is her choice. How would you feel if you had to face negative comments about who you are with from people all around the world?

No matter what people say, one thing will stay the same: Taylor Swift will always be someone I aspire to be. She can sing, act, dance, and write, I mean what can this lady not do? At just 33, she has been named TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” not once, but three times. Just by doing something as simple as songwriting and singing, Swift’s music has allowed people to connect with each other on a different level. Taylor Swift is truly an unstoppable force.