FFew artists in the history of pop music have had a year like Taylor Swift. The singer, who turns 35 today, began 2024 as the most prominent spectator at the Super Bowl, where Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs delivered a romantic ending. Their blockbuster Eras Tour, which showcased over 18 years of music in a breathtaking 3.5 hours, continued 2023’s run as pop’s main story abroad and became the best-selling music tour in history. Their 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, may have been a failure with critics (myself included), but it still broke streaming records and dominated the charts; She was the most streamed Spotify artist worldwide this year. The Eras Tour concluded last weekend in Vancouver with more than $2 billion in ticket sales from more than 10 million visitors – more than double the next highest tour ever with just 149 shows.

In short, Swift operates in extremely rare company, on a scale unimaginable to most artists. Her closest pop colleague is probably Beyoncé, whose only benchmark and point of comparison is herself. (Notably, both also rarely grant interviews.) Which begs the question: What comes after a remarkable run of ubiquity and good press, after the truly stunning and commercially transformative success of the Eras Tour?

First and foremost, at least according to an “exclusive” source at People, is rest and enjoying the holidays with boyfriend/Eras Tour star Travis Kelce. And beyond that, there’s the question of where to go when you’re already at the top, especially since Swift’s golden era was also a banner year for a new, younger wave of female artists who grew up with her music, including Chappell Roan and Eras Tour openers Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams.

Ahead of the all-expenses-paid Eras Tour, Swift hinted that she was turning to film after selling an original screenplay to Searchlight Pictures in 2022, which she is also expected to direct. Details of the film have been kept top secret, other than it being an “exciting and new creative journey,” according to Searchlight bosses David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield.

Swift previously directed or co-directed 13 music videos and “All Too Well: The Short Film,” a 15-minute extended music video starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien. The short received some recognition during awards season, with Swift expressing interest in expanding her repertoire as a director. “I think I’m at a point now where the next small step is no longer a small step. “It would be a commitment to make a film,” she said during a panel at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival, where she also said she wanted to tell “human stories about human emotions” and go to a “more comedic, irreverent place.”

Swift followed a long line of pop stars who transitioned into films after success in the music business – particularly in their 30s. Lady Gaga was nominated for an Oscar in 2019 for “A Star Is Born.” Both Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande are in contention for awards this year for their performances in “Emilia Pérez” and “Wicked,” respectively. Charli with several roles on the calendar. (“It’s a knife when you finally get to the top, ’cause logically the next step is they want to see you fall to the ground,” she and Grande sing in the remix of “Sympathy Is a Knife,” a track that originally was intended for this via Swift, which was renewed after Brat’s success; the industry is small and worried.)

It’s too early to say whether Swift, who has always considered storytelling to be the focus of her career, will also attempt to appear in front of the camera. Typically – as much as there is “typical” in the exclusive world of pop – artists looking for a next step away from music or the hustle and bustle of touring move on to residencies (think Adele’s Vegas stint) as a mentor behind the scenes backdrops or for a longer break. But Swift is famously prolific — she’s released five studio albums in as many years — so there’s also the possibility for more new music. Swifties have made it their home business to read the “clues” for fan-coveted re-recordings of Reputation and Swift’s 2006 debut album, dates for which have yet to be announced.

Swift has kept her plans secret, part of her long-standing effort to surprise fans. None of them would allow her any free time. But she loves to work, as she admits. “I’m happier when I do things more often,” she told Martin McDonagh during a Directors-on-Directors chat two years ago. Even if their next move is unclear, it’s best to bet on something.