I am an IMMENSE fan of Taylor Swift. There hasn't been a song that she has released in the past years that I haven't liked and played on repeat for way longer than necessary. For example, I am listening to her "Speak Now" album now while writing this article. To be honest, I love how she stands up for what she believes and creates music that she wants to make.
When Swift released "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" in 2012, it was completely different than anything that I had ever heard from her before. There was this carefree feeling that I heard a lot of in the "Red" album. It was a new style that she was introducing to us, her fans, before she released her album and to be honest, it gave me a chance to get used to her new style before she hit us with tracks such as "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "22".
Then came "Shake It Off", which introduced us to the 1989 era, which I personally loved. There was no song off of 1989 that I can actually say that I disliked. I love how she took the theme of 80s synth pop and incorporated those unique sounds into her music but in such a modern way. I heard so many infusions of different artists from the 1980s that I adore in 1989. There was something so fresh and new about what she was doing. It is no lie though, that when "Shake It Off" was released, everyone couldn't believe the direction Swift had taken her music.
Now, Taylor Swift has released a new song called "Look What You Made Me Do". There has been lots of opinions and backlash from the song because of the rumored meaning and who the song is aimed at. Personally, I think the drama surrounding the song is masking that Taylor is doing what she does best: she is breaking down any expectations of what we thought she was going to do. Now with the release of "...Ready For It?", it seems that Swift is heading down a dark path. She's no longer the sweet country singer we all knew, now she is developing a dark side of her music that I, personally, can't wait to see where it leads.
I remember at the end of the "Red" era, I thought to myself that she has to do something big to compete with the success of Red. Then she released "1989", which is jam packed with singles and hits that completely blew Red out of the water. Now, with the success of "1989", she has to do something that no one has seen before.
That being said, Taylor Swift has always taken her music to new heights with every album. She has a new a fresh perspective every time she releases new music, so it is no wonder why she has decided to create something new with "Reputation". Especially since her name was still being talked about even when she wasn't creating music for the past three years, so her reputation is constantly being criticized.
With the track record that Swift has, and her ability to see musical trends before they happen, I know that reputation is hopefully going to be monumental because it seems that Swift has a lot to say. Taylor Swift took three years off and now she is back, and she's smashing any and all expectations. Are you... Ready For It?
