Taylor Swift: Back and Better Than Ever

By Stefanie Sadocha

Wikipedia

​     Goody two shoes? Not anymore. Taylor Swift isn’t the bubbly pop sweetheart she used to be. With more than 400,000 pre-orders and over one million copies sold within the first four days of Swift’s album release, Reputation is the most drastic and unexpected change Swift has made to date.
     Taylor Swift has been on the top of the music charts since she dropped her first song, “Tim McGraw,” in 2006. Originally known for making slow country songs, Swift, a ten-time Grammy winner, is now a pop sensation famous all around the world.

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​     On November 10, 2017, Swift released her new album, Reputation. Three of Taylor’s songs from the new album were released before the rest, all of them making it onto the pop charts immediately after being released. The single “Look What You Made Me Do” has left all Swift fans shocked, as the song gives Taylor a brand new, edgier “Reputation.” Taylor's new song is darker than her previous singles.
     Swift's debut album, Taylor Swift, which was entirely country, embodied the sappy breakup songs that she is known for. Her next album, Speak Now, had the same feel as her debut. Taylor Swift's album Red dropped in 2012 and contained some of her biggest hits including, “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” This album was considered by many to be the start of her pop career. The songs on Red drifted away from Swift’s country vibe and displayed more upbeat tempos.
     Swift’s juggernaut album, 1989, was released in 2014 and contained the songs “Blank Space” and “Welcome to New York,” which made Taylor a sensation all around the world. Categorized under Electropop and Dance Pop, this album started to deconstruct Taylor’s good girl image. The song “Bad Blood” gave Taylor the edgier image she strives for today. The song was influenced by her feud with fellow pop star Katy Perry. In the music video, Swift is dressed in all black, surrounded by fire. This video left fans shocked by the drastic change from her previous songs.
     Finally, Reputation. The album received more purchases on the day it was released than any other Swift album has in a week. The album can be described as edgier and darker than any of her previous work. “Look What You Made Me Do” makes it very clear that Swift is not the same Taylor from 1989 and Red. In the bridge of “Look What You Made Me Do,” Swift says, “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, cause she’s dead.” This line from the song symbolizes the start of a new Taylor Swift era.
     Although the sound is completely different than what fans are used to, they are loving it. Shawn Mendes, a pop artist, tells Access Hollywood, “She really went off the grid to make this album which was really kind of cool.”
     Ninth grader Caitlin Fuschetto says, “Taylor really went out of her comfort zone to make this album, and I am really enjoying it.”
     Alisha Marie, YouTube sensation, made a whole video on the release of “Look What You Made Me Do,” and had nothing but good things to say about the song.
     Swift’s image started to change before she even released the first songs on the album. Previously, Taylor was very open about the content she would be releasing and did a lot of advertising and self-promotion. For this album, Swift deleted all the content on her social media accounts and put a teaser up for the album a few days later. Swift was not seen for a long period of time, causing people to talk about her and the album.
​     Everyone can agree that Taylor Swift has changed from when she first started making music, but change is not always a bad thing. Taylor Swift wanted to distance herself from her perfect celebrity image, and she is now reconstructing that image into something much more bold.