Ever since Taylor Swift’s first album – 2006’s self-titled Taylor Swift – Swift has released an album every two years. She debuted Fearless in 2008, Speak Now in 2010, Red in 2012 and 1989 in 2014. Swift has always made her albums available in the fall – usually October or November – after hyping their distribution with the premiere of a single during the summer. By this logic, August 2016 should mean a new Swift song dominating radio waves.
Yet as of today – August 22, 2016 – Taylor has neglected to produce a new song or even announce an upcoming release. Since her previous albums all followed the same distribution structure – a single in late summer followed by an album debut in the fall every other year – Swift’s lack of new music as of now deserves further investigation. Below are some of my guesses ranging from educated to speculative to absurd as to why 1989 remains Taylor Swift’s most current release.
1. 1989 is still making money
According to Billboard, 1989 ranks as number 78 on the Billboard Top 200 album sales chart. 1989 debuted in the top spot of the Billboard rankings in 2014 and continued to sell nearly 6,000,000 copies in 2015. Swift’s singles from the album have also performed astoundingly well: “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood” all attained the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, while “Wildest Dreams” made number five, “Style” peaked at six, and “Out of the Woods” topped out at 18.
1989 was by far Swift’s most successful album and proved to have staying power since “Bad Blood” and “Wildest Dreams” dominated charts in 2015 and “Out of the Woods” cracked the top 20 in 2016 – two years after the album debuted. Perhaps Swift wants to fully capitalize on 1989’s success before she releases new music.
2. Taylor wants to pull a Beyonce and drop a surprise album (maybe with a video component)
In the recent years, A-list musicians like Beyonce and Drake have eschewed the traditional promotional process in favor of releasing an album with no prior publicity. This strategy spares the star from a taxing and expensive series of advertisements, talk show appearances, and performances for various media outlets while also proclaiming her talent and fame as too great to necessitate prior announcements of the album. Perhaps Swift wants to announce her standing as above the press by merely uploading her album to iTunes and allowing the 24-hour news cycle to do the work for her.
Swift could also be working on a visual album in the vein of Beyonce’s Lemonade. Tabloids have speculated her latest romances were part of a meta music video of sorts, which might take more time to complete than a traditional studio album.
3. Swift’s vision for the album changed following her split from Calvin Harris (and her new relationship with Tom Hiddleston)
Taylor recently ended her longest relationship on record (reportedly over a year) with British DJ Calvin Harris. Swift may have initially crafted the album as a love letter, which means their break-up would have altered Swift’s conception of the relationship and thus changed the message of her album.
Break-ups have often allowed Swift to write her best work, so Taylor could have delayed the album so she has more time to process her emotions through song. Coupled with Swift’s blossoming romance with Thor (2011) actor Tom Hiddleston, Swift is likely experiencing a surplus of song-worthy emotions that could have resulted in her postponing her album.
4. Taylor needs more time to revolutionize her sound – again.
Taylor upended the pop status quo by reintroducing 80s pop with 1989. Since Swift sets trends instead of following them, she could just need more time to change the face of popular music. It’s not exactly an easy task, and her astronomical level of success means she essentially has an indefinite amount of time to create another album.
5. She doesn’t want the Olympics to overshadow her newest song
The Olympics have been dominating the news cycle since they began in the first week of August, meaning a new Swift single would likely play second-fiddle to gold medalists and hometown heroes. Swift would want her latest release to become instantly ubiquitous, meaning she would not want to share the media spotlight with anyone, especially if she goes the surprise album route. Closing Ceremonies were on Saturday, though, so look out for a new Swift tune in the following week or two.
6. Taylor plans to release the album next spring after the busy baking season is done
It’s no secret that Taylor loves baking, especially in the fall and throughout the holidays. Releasing an album in October or November would limit the time she can spend at home baking all sorts of pumpkin desserts, so maybe Swift decided to wait a few months for this album release in order to indulge her love of autumn flavors.
7. Crop tops aren’t in season for fall
It’s also no secret that Taylor favors crop top ensembles as of late, but promoting an album in October would prohibit her from donning her favorite style – which is likely too breezy for fall in Manhattan. Releasing the album in the spring or summer would mean Swift could bare her stomach in as many outfits as she pleases while also obeying seasonal clothing conventions.
8. She’s recording a single featuring her cats, who are difficult to keep on schedule
Taylor’s love of her cats knows no bounds, so it’s not out of the question to speculate that Swift would include the talents of Dr. Meredith Grey and Detective Olivia Benson on her next album. Cats, however, are not renowned for their work ethic, so Meredith and Olivia’s slow creative process could be delaying the album’s production schedule.
9. I’m just being impatient
Summer lasts until Labor Day, so maybe Swift’s new single is mere weeks away and she just wants to increase fan anticipation. So Taylor, if you’re reading this, I’m ready and waiting (also let’s bake cookies together and be best friends)!
