Taylor Swift closed her Eras tour on top of the world. Now what?

The nearly two-year-long, $2 billion Eras tour shattered records, made history, and quite literally triggered earthquakes -- so what could Taylor Swift, the planet's biggest star, possibly do next?

"Taylor Swift just needs to rest, frankly," said Andrew Mall, an ethnomusicologist at Northeastern University.

It's a reasonable sentiment when you consider what the megastar, who turns 35 on Friday, has accomplished, including releasing nine albums in five years and a concert feature film.

The career-spanning global odyssey of the tour she just staged was unlike anything before it: 149 shows worldwide, each typically lasting more than three hours.

Taylor Swift performs as her record-breaking The Eras Tour comes to an end with the first of her three concerts in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

Eras tour tickets sold for sometimes exorbitant prices and drew in millions of fans and many more who didn't get in and were willing to sing along from the parking lot simply.

"I think she can't top it right away," Mall told AFP. "There's just no possible way she can turn around and launch something else that has as large an impact, cultural and economic."

For Kristin Lieb, an expert at Emerson College on pop, gender, and branding, the question of what's next isn't even particularly fair.

"The minute you finish a marathon, or the minute you win the World Series, or the minute somebody gets tenure, you know, the first question is, what are you going to do next?" she told AFP.

"I'm starting to make sense of that as a real cultural sickness."

US singer Taylor Swift performs on stage during "The Eras Tour" at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, October 18, 2024.AFP

'Up to her'

However, in an industry constantly seeking the latest and greatest, "what's next" is nevertheless always at the forefront of mind.

The Swifties are still waiting for more "Taylor's Version" albums. Since 2021, Swift has been making good on her vow to re-record her first six studio records in a bid to own the rights to them.

She's got two left, "Reputation" and "Taylor Swift."

Swift also has the Grammys to look forward to in early February, with six nominations, including three in the most prestigious categories for her latest studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," her fifth since 2019.

At this year's gala, she used her award acceptance speeches to announce her new album, which was another surprise that would surely delight fans.

Taylor Swift performs as her record-breaking The Eras Tour comes to an end with the first of her three concerts in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

But looking past "what's next" is perhaps a larger question: how does an artist define success when they're already a cultural phenomenon, awash in riches and fame?

"The good news for her is, like, she's literally the biggest star in the world, and so that is entirely up to her at this point," said Lieb.

Are live albums and a Vegas residency further extending Swift's recognizable brand into products? At the House of Swift, anything is possible.

Years ago, it was announced that she had penned an original screenplay and would be making her feature directorial debut with Searchlight Pictures, so maybe she now has her sights set on the Oscars.

Swiftie loyalty

In any case, at this point, Swift doesn't necessarily need to feed her fans to keep them loyal constantly.

She's fostered a somewhat self-sustaining community —a contemporary, primarily online version of the fan engagement the Grateful Dead pioneered, in which Deadheads communed in their reverence for the band.

Lieb said Swifties might honor a request from their beloved to give her time and space. I think she's cultivated a relationship with them so they could hear that and respect it."

US singer Taylor Swift performs on stage during "The Eras Tour" at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, October 18, 2024.AFP

Mall pointed out that the Eras tour also bloomed from years of prolific music-making and audience-building, so she might need time to develop more material before accomplishing another feat of that magnitude if that's her goal. That the Eras tour also blossomed, so if she wants to achieve another feat of that magnitude,

Amid everyone else's expectations, Lieb said Swift might want to take a moment to consider what she wants herself: "What would be challenging and fulfilling for her?"

Swift does, of course, have a personal life, famously so: for more than a year, she's been very publicly dating NFL star Travis Kelce and might want to enjoy herself and the fruits of her labor.

In the grand scheme of things, a key question remains: "Do we need Taylor Swift, or does she need us?" said Mall. I think she doesn't need us, right?"

"And maybe we do her."