Sabrina has a charisma to life that appeals to a broad audience. I personally like her catchy songs with relatable themes of love, heartbreak and female empowerment. Her lyrics are clever, funny, sharp and truthful. She’s also got a lovely and angelic voice. She’s able to confidently present her skills in singing, songwriting and performing in a way that emphasizes her strengths. Her album Short n’ Sweet, hints of her petite stature, just like me. Although her stature isn’t the main focus of the album but the powerful lessons learned from the brief but intense romantic experiences. I too have personal struggles of my own. Everyday for me is a step into the unknown. The real world is not as easy and as accepting as I thought it would be. I find solace in her songs. I find strength in her resilience. I find positivity in her advocacy and lifestyle habits. Knowing that there are people like her, who embrace individuality and self-acceptance, makes me at least try to do something better for me and for the people around me. She makes me smile and makes me feel good. I hope to get to meet her one day. To thank her for all that she has done for me.

Even she can’t name her top 5, just yet! How do you expect me to provide only ONE most moving performance? Do you know how this is such an impossible task? She rarely, if not, never performs Ronan, Soon You’ll Get Better and Epiphany, live on stage. Why not? (Deep sigh), let me explain. In Ronan, I get the ache of a mother yearning for a son she held for only 4 years. I feel the uncertainty in her promise and the desperation in her voice as she cries to God Almighty in Soon You’ll Get Better. I remember the chaos of a world just in the peak of a world war, as well as during the initial days of the Covid pandemic in Epiphany. In each of these songs you can hear the heartbreak in her voice, as the melodies fill the space around you and her words pierce through you. They stay in your head and haunt every living cell of you. These songs touch your being, your innermost humanity. Besides those soulful renditions, I believe it’s Marjorie that gives her meaning. No back-ups, no dancers, no props. Just her, those words of wisdom and the thousands of Swifties who light up the stadium with their phones as she gracefully moves around the stage. Her dress flowing ever so lightly and that voice in the background that reminds us of what’s flowing in those veins inside her. What a fitting tribute to the one who first noticed her talent! A performance like no other. That’s how I describe this one. How the hairs in my body rise when I hear the choir begin the cold, hymnal-like tones of a solemn poem written from silent grief. There’s a quiet strength in her restraint as she asks, if “even on my worst days, did I deserve babe, all the hell you gave me?” Contrast that with the powerful beat of the drums as she unravels the betrayal, and how it rebounds to the one causing her unresolved pain. The haunting funeral procession of My Tears Ricochet, is an image of grief. Mourning of a loss so deep, it’s way beneath the dark ocean waves. Seriously, it’s impossible to name one performance that’s most moving. Most especially in the acoustic set. This Is Me Trying, Bigger Than The Whole Sky, The Lakes, Death By A Thousand Cuts. The list goes on. Her music perfectly builds up to emotional crescendos enhancing the lyrical impact. The imagery in these lonely poetry turned music, seal her as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. But how can I forget the dark background and that raw hurtful stare into nowhere? How can I miss the powerful strumming of her guitar when maybe, “she asked for too much”, during an All Too Well performance? It meant more to her than it did to him. She tells of an emotional memory of moments and details of love lost, and how she’s unable to forget, which makes moving on especially harder. Those vivid descriptions of hard truths is a healing reflection of her personal story turned into a universal experience of heartbreak, survival and how she owns her story now. Just like in the song, I strive everyday to make a step forward, to be better than I was yesterday. This song reminds me that I will graduate. And I’ll go to college. And I’m gonna be alright. This song is definitely Taylor’s “masterpiece”. Her magnum opus. It was real. I was there. And if you ask me, I will always have 10 minutes to spare.