With 283 million followers on Instagram and 95.2 million on X, Taylor Swift is one of the most popular celebrities of this generation. Her popularity skyrocketed even further after the start of her Eras Tour. The record-breaking tour has become the highest-grossing concert tour in history.
Back in 2017, gaming company Glu Mobile tried to capitalize on her popularity by making a mobile application called The Swift Life.
However, The Swift Life app was disbanded and entirely discontinued a year later. The official statement from the company claimed that it was a promotional feature for Taylor Swift’s Reputation album. Therefore, it was scheduled to be taken off after the album’s release.
The Swift Life: Taylor Swift’s social networking platform explored
In 2017, Taylor Swift partnered with mobile gaming developer Glu Mobile to launch The Swift Life. The app was released on December 15, 2017, and sparked the interest of fans from the very first day. Glue Mobile had experience making celebrity-centric apps and had already created hits like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.
However, The Swift Life didn’t have a gaming-centric interface like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and was more like a social media app for Swifties to stay connected with Taylor’s life. It had quizzes, message boards, and other interactive features.
It also had a feed similar to Facebook or Instagram to show Taylor-exclusive content and a music player that played only her songs. Users got free access to exclusive photos, videos, and other content.
Moreover, the app had its own carousel of emojis called the ‘Taymojis’.
Back then, in the trailer video of the app, Swift was seen saying:
“I’ve got something pretty awesome that we’ve been working on for a while that I wanted to share with you.”
The video featured special features of the app, including new emojis like the burning heart, guitar picks as in-app currency, and digital versions of Taylor’s cats, Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson.
“I think you guys are really gonna like this. I mean, I hope. It would be … it would be preferable if you did,” Taylor joked before the video came to an end.
Why did The Swift Life come to an end?
Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour – Sydney (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
The Swift Life was officially disbanded on January 2, 2019, before being permanently taken off the internet on February 1, 2019. There were a host of reasons why the app never took off.
Firstly, the app was buggy and there were glitches in the message board. Complaints regarding this issue became rampant. The app lost a lot of money as people started uninstalling it.
Furthermore, the launch came with some legal ramifications. According to TMZ, a company called SwiftLife filed a lawsuit against Taylor Swift for allegedly using a trademarked name.
Finally, the concept of The Swift Life was ambiguous and didn’t follow a tried-and-tested recipe for success. Viral apps like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood had a cohesive and gamified concept that kept the user hooked. However, The Swift Life was essentially a social media app for the fans that had certain new emojis and some ‘exclusive’ Taylor Swift content.
Glu Mobiles also listed another reason in their official statement:
“Over a year ago, we launched The Swift Life alongside Taylor’s critically acclaimed, 6th studio album, Reputation, ” said their official statement on X.
The app was deemed to be a marketing gimmick before the release of Taylor’s Reputation album and the company claimed that it was scheduled to be disbanded after Reputation‘s release:
“It provided a creative and inclusive place for Taylor and her fans to connect with each other while expressing themselves in a uniquely interactive community. As the Reputation era comes to an end, our time on The Swift Life will be ending too,” concluded Glu Mobiles in their X post.
The Swift Life was the last app made by Glu Mobiles that featured a musician. After a string of disappointing releases featuring Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj, the company moved on to new avenues.
