Unless you live under a rock, you know what happened this past April 9th. Arguably one of the best artists of our generation, Taylor Alison Swift, re-released her album Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Swift basically is the music industry, and this move of hers has completely changed it.
Okay, okay. So as you can tell, I am a huge swiftie (what Taylor Swift’s fans call themselves). But rightfully so. I think anyone who really gets into her music and her career would have to agree with me. And even if you are not a fan of her music per se, understanding the importance of this album and what it means for her career and the music industry as a whole would make you admire her. Taylor has re-recorded her entire discography and will slowly release it, which started with her album Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Fearless was originally released back in 2008 and was Swift’s second studio album. The album originally included classic hits like “Love Story”, “You Belong with Me”, and “Fifteen”. Almost thirteen years later (weird coincidence? @ fellow swifties), Swift has re-recorded these songs. And let me tell you, hearing them side by side gave me MAJOR chills. The songs are almost identical, maintaining the essence of these country-inspired hits. However, you can hear the maturity of Taylor’s voice and the production, showing how much she has grown as an artist. Along with these re-recordings, she will be releasing songs “from the vault”, which were recorded a long time ago but were never released. Among the already released ones, “Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version)” stands out. Rumored to be about her past relationship with Joe Jonas, this song was released as a single before the album came out. If you are anything like me, this has jumped up to be perhaps one of my top ten Taylor Swift songs.
So, you might wonder, why are these re-recordings so important? why is it even happening at all?. Long story short (hi TSwift reference), it is so that she can own these albums again. Her first six albums were released by her former discography, Big Machine. The label was sold to Ithaca Productions, owned by Scooter Braun, and with it, Taylor’s rights to her own music. In an era in which a lot of artists are opting to sell the rights to their music because of economic gains after the pandemic has put a stop to shows and tours. However, because Taylor could not get back the rights to her music because of contracts with both labels, she decided to just record them all again. Major #GIRLBOSS move if you ask me.
What Taylor is doing is simply ICONIC in every way possible. So, go out to Apple Music or Spotify or whatever platform you use and GET ON LISTENING TO FEARLESS. In case you wanted any recommendations from an avid Swiftie, my favorites are “You All Over Me (feat. Maren Morris) (Taylor’s Version)”, “The Way I Loved You (Taylor’s Version), and “Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version)”. There are also the classics, like “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)”, which was released early as a single. And remember, we got over that point in time in which not liking Taylor Swift was cool a long time ago.