Kicking it off with Taylor Swift

You can't launch a new music podcast in 2024 without addressing Taylor Swift. So veteran music journalist Wayne Bledsoe leads off the premiere episode of "How We Heard It" summarizing his early interviews with Swift, including their first conversation when she was just a teenager and had laser focus on her career with her first album. Fellow veteran music journalist Chuck Campbell, Wayne's longtime friend, joins in as they talk about Swift's vision and how she has distinguished herself from singers in the past as well as her current peers ranging from Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey to Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande.  Looking ahead, Chuck and Wayne contemplate what could slow Swift's career momentum moving forward and how some women performers have been set back by their relationships with men and by becoming mothers. Chuck also looks at some Gen Z singers who are positioning themselves to eventually rival millennial Swift's accomplishments. (It won't be easy.) Also, Wayne and Chuck talk about how Swift's path is similar to the remarkable career of Dolly Parton (and they share some of their conversations with Parton) and how Beyonce also has been making groundbreaking strides. In addition, the guys look back at the role of women in music over the decades and how lately there's been a fundamental change for the better. They close out the episode with music and movie recommendations.