The Evolution Of Taylor Swift

On June 30th, 2019, tragedy struck the Swiftie community when Scooter Braun purchased Big Machine Records, the record label that Taylor Swift was signed with from fifteen to twenty-eight years old before leaving for Republic Records after her 6th album was released. This purchase meant Scooter Braun would own every album that Taylor released under Big Machine Records. This sparked a lot of discourse surrounding artists’ rights to own their art.

Because Taylor Swift is the determined, driven businesswoman that she is, she was not backing down. Later in 2019, Taylor announced she would be re-recording all of her albums and re-releasing them. This way, she would own all the rights to the art that she created instead of letting somebody else profit from it.

“I think it’s important that you know that I will never change but I’ll never stay the same either.”

Taylor Swift, Website Bio, 2010

It’s no secret that Taylor Swift never does the same thing twice. Throughout her career, she has evolved and reinvented herself for every album era. Taylor Swift is ever-changing from her curly hair and cowgirl boots of her debut album to her cottage core braids and cardigans of her most recent albums. As she prepares to rerelease the very albums that built her career, let’s look back at how far she has come.

“Taylor Swift”

Back in 2006, Taylor Swift came onto the country scene as a young, relatable sixteen-year-old girl. She had curly blonde hair, wore cowgirl boots, and wielded an acoustic guitar, which she used to express her feelings on love, heartbreak, and finding her place in this world. She was sweet, likable, and hadn’t yet dealt with all the public scrutiny she would later face. She was as innocent as any young star just starting on their journey to stardom.

Taylor’s early work was heavily inspired by artists like Shania Twain, The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks), and LeAnn Rimes. Her self-titled debut album was filled with high-school-era songs. “Teardrops on My Guitar” chronicled her crush on a boy who would come to class and talk to her about his girlfriend. “The Outside” expressed the feeling of being different and never feeling like you’ll ever fit in with the people around you. With her relatable lyrics, exceptional songwriting skills, and ability to transform her life experiences into catchy songs, she quickly gained a mass following of devoted young girls who would grow up with Taylor and never leave her side.

“I’m just a girl tryna find a place in this world.”

Taylor Swift, “A Place In This World”

Taylor’s early success in country music was impressive, considering most country stars are a lot older than she was. With her debut album release, she toured with country sensations like Brad Paisley, Rascall Flatts, and George Strait. This was a smart move for Taylor. Touring with such big country acts would get her music heard by country fans all across the country and certainly earned her a huge following. Her first single, titled “Tim Mcgraw,” also earned her a lot of attention, as Tim Mcgraw is one of country music’s biggest stars. At just sixteen, Taylor Swift was already making the smart business moves she would continue to make throughout her career.

“Fearless”

The next chapter in Taylor Swift’s career came two years after her debut album. In 2008, Taylor Swift released her sophomore album, “Fearless.” “Fearless” launched Taylor into a pop-country superstar. She went on her first headlining tour, a mystical show that felt more like a theater production than a concert. Her tour was a huge success, with most dates selling out instantly, including Madison Square Garden, which she sold out in less than one minute. It was clear that she was on track to become the biggest pop star of her generation.

Similar to her first album, “Fearless'” tracks were all about heartbreak and young love. However, “Fearless” had a more mature perspective. The second track on the album, “Fifteen,” featured Taylor looking back on her younger self and all the things she knew at eighteen that she didn’t know at fifteen. This album also contained the now well-known track, “Love Story,” which gave “Fearless” a very fairytale-esque feel.

“Fearless is getting back up and fighting for what you want all over again even though every time you’ve tried before you’ve lost.”

Taylor Swift, “Fearless” Album Booklet

“Fearless” not only earned Taylor a sold-out headlining tour but also her first four Grammys, including one for Album of The Year. She was also named Entertainer of The Year at both The Academy of Country Music Awards and The Country Music Association Awards. At this time, all the dreams Taylor Swift once had, were coming to fruition. However, her rise to success came with some disadvantages.

During her “Fearless” era, she became the first country artist ever to win a VMA. As she accepted her award for Best Female Video, Kanye West infamously stole her microphone, stating that Beyonce deserved the award instead of her. This would launch an ongoing feud between the two stars that exists to this day. Taylor quickly recovered from the incident and continued to achieve greatness. She even joked about the event when she hosted SNL later that year. At just nineteen years old, she was proving herself to be unstoppable.

“Speak Now”

During Taylor’s “Fearless” era, she began to face criticism on whether she was actually writing her own songs. Some music critics found it hard to believe a young girl was writing such strong lyrics. Taylor started being accused of not being productive in her songwriting sessions. And since she wasn’t going to allow anyone to discredit her hard work, Taylor wrote her third studio album entirely on her own. “Speak Now” is a powerful album that feels like a first-person narrative novel. It possesses a magical aura and contains some of her strongest lyrics to date — like the power ballad “Dear John” or the heartbreaking “Last Kiss.”

This era was all about speaking your mind and telling others how you feel unapologetically. Each song felt like a letter to the person or situation which inspired it. Surely she proved to her critics that she was, in fact, a songwriter. It also was wildly successful, debuting at #1 on Billboard 200 and selling over one million copies in its first week — something Taylor would continue to do with her next three albums until the streaming era overtook music sales.

“If you know how you feel and you so clearly know what you need to say, you’ll know it. I don’t think you should wait, I think you should Speak Now.”

Taylor Swift, “Fearless” Album Booklet

“Speak Now” also included Taylor’s clap back at a music critic who claimed she ruined her career overnight by singing off-key with Stevie Nicks at the 2010 Grammy Awards. The song, titled “Mean,” contains the lyric, “drunk and grumbling on about how I can’t sing, but all you are is mean.” “Mean” went on to win two Grammy awards.

Another stand-out song from the album is “Innocent,” a song about forgiveness. Specifically, the song was about forgiving Kanye West for how he humiliated her on live television. “Speak Now” had a less country sound, and most of the songs seemed like a transition into her pop era. It was the mystical, magical, calm before the storm and gave us insight into what was to come next in her career.

“Red”

On December 2nd, 2011, Taylor Swift posted a picture of her new hairstyle on Instagram. Gone were her golden curls, and in their place were straight chest-length hair and bangs. Taylor’s new era was here, and it was clear she was ready to reinvent herself by leaving her Amerca’s Sweetheart image behind and stepping into something more mature. For her fourth album, “Red,” Taylor was preparing to step out of country music and into a full-blown pop star.

“Red” contained barely any country-sounding songs and instead upbeat pop songs like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and “22. “As she rose to pop-stardom, the media scrutiny began. It was around the time of “Red” where Taylor Swift’s dating life became a headline for almost every magazine and online publication. She was no longer the girl next door, her success was becoming a threat, and the media backlash was proof.

“Red” was a huge transition in Taylor’s career. It was proof that women are constantly dissected, torn apart, and criticized in ways men never are; and that the media loves to build women up just to tear them down. In her September 2019 issue with Vogue Taylor said:

“I would hear people talk about sexism in the music industry, and I’d be like, I don’t see it. I don’t understand, Then I realized that was because I was a kid. Men in the industry saw me as a kid. I was a lanky, scrawny, overexcited young girl who reminded them more of their little niece or their daughter than a successful woman in business or a colleague. It’s fine to infantilize a girl’s success and say, ‘How cute that she’s having some hit songs.’ But the second it becomes formidable? As soon as I started playing stadiums — when I started to look like a woman — that wasn’t as cool anymore.”

Taylor Swift, Vogue 2019

Aside from her public image, “Red” was a huge success. It was a far more mature album than her last three. She had experienced the end of her first real relationship and penned the infamous “All Too Well,” declared a lyrical masterpiece by Swifties all over the world. The genre of the album was all over the place. From rock, to pop, to country, the album’s genre represented the tumultuous and messy relationship she had been through. “Red” played out like a tragic love story from start to finish.

It began with the track “State of Grace,” a story of two lovers in which one gives the warning, “love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right.” The album proved all the ways in which their love game was not played correctly, ultimately ending in heartbreak. As a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, Taylor wouldn’t give up on love so easily. The album concluded with the track “Begin Again” and ended with the lyric, “I’ve been spending the last eight months, thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end, but on Wednesday in a cafe, I watched it begin again.”

“1989”

By the time “1989” came out, Taylor was approaching peak success. “1989” was her first album in the pop genre; she had officially left country music in the past. “1989” was inspired by 80’s pop and became the most awarded pop album of all time. At the 2016 Grammy Awards, “1989” won Album of The Year, making Taylor Swift the first woman to win Album of The Year twice and the only artist to win the award for a country album and a pop album.

“1989” was an era of change and freedom. Taylor cut her hair, moved to New York, and garnered a large crew of Victoria Secret model BFFs, named The Squad, making her the most popular girl in the industry. During her “1989” tour, she would bring her friends out during the performance of her song, “Style.” She also brought out a series of other guests to perform with her, including Justin Timberlake, Mick Jagger, and Alanis Morisette.

She even patched things up with Kanye West, and for a short period of time, the two were friends and were even seen hanging out at award shows and going to dinner together. Taylor Swift was on top of the world. She was finally the cool, popular girl that she never was in school, and everything seemed to go her way. She made several clapbacks to the media with songs like “Shake it Off” and “Blank Space” and even spoke out against large streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music about their lack of compensation for artists. With “1989”, Taylor marked herself as the biggest pop star in the world.

“reputation”

When you’ve reached peak success and had the biggest album of your career, there’s typically only one way to go: down. After “1989,” Taylor fell from her pedestal and once again had to reinvent herself in a way that would keep her career-relevant and her fans interested. She was no longer the popular “it girl.” Instead, she was the Regina George of pop music.

In 2016, Kanye West released his song, “Famous.” The song included the lyric, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex, why? I made that b*tch famous.” Taylor publicly disapproved of the lyric, but Kanye claimed he had gotten her permission. Later that year, Kim Kardashian released a heavily manipulated series of Snapchat clips of the phonecall between Taylor and Kanye, which painted Kanye as innocent and Taylor as the villain. The full footage that proved Taylor’s innocence wasn’t leaked to the public until March 2020.

“There will be no further explanation, there will just be reputation.”

Taylor Swift, “reputation” Album Booklet

This event launched the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty hashtag on Twitter, and in another tweet, Kim Kardashian referred to Taylor as a snake, unknowingly creating Taylor’s new persona. With her next album, “reputation,” Taylor played up her villain character. Her new album was dark and filled with rage. She referenced guns, knife fights, and the death of her old self.

“I’m sorry the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now, why? Oh, cause she’s dead.”

Taylor Swift, “Look What You Made Me Do”

The public could try all they wanted, but there was no stopping Taylor Swift. After the release of “reputation,” Taylor embarked on a sold-out stadium tour. The Reputation Stadium Tour became the highest-grossing concert tour in the United States and North American history. The tour was later released on Netflix, where fans could relive the experience forevermore.

Though the lyric declaring the old Taylor dead was a joke and meant to mark the start of her “reputation” era, there was some truth to it. Taylor Swift would never again be the same. She avoided being seen in public, stopped doing interviews, and spent most of her time in London with her boyfriend in her first private relationship. She also spoke up about politics for the first time, something she once avoided after being warned several times about the consequences faced by The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks).

In another song off the album, she compared the public takedown to a witch hunt. Taylor had reached a level of success most people can only dream of. Since society has a nasty habit of building women up just to tear them down (i.e., Britney Spears, Madonna), as soon as Taylor reached her peak, the public was waiting for a reason to dislike her.

“They’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one, so light me up.”

Taylor Swift, “I Did Something Bad”

After the chaos of post-“1989,” Taylor could never regain her picture-perfect image or be seen as the young, innocent all-American girl she once was. A new version of Taylor had evolved from all the chaos. Though she eventually stepped out of the darkness and started doing interviews again, she still lives a far more private life than she once did. As she mentioned herself in her Netflix documentary, she had to reconstruct her entire belief system and build a new one. She would no longer live to please other people. She couldn’t base her happiness on whether or not the public liked her. The old Taylor had to die, but a much stronger and wiser Taylor was born.

“Lover”

“Lover” marked a new start for Taylor Swift. Not only was she quite literally stepping out of the darkness and into a pastel wonderland, but her seventh album would be under her new label, Republic Records. “Lover” would be the first album that she owned herself. It was a bubble gum pop album with songs like “ME!,” “You Need To Calm Down,” and the title track, “Lover.”

It looked like an easter egg exploded and felt like pure bliss. Gone was the bitterness of “reputation,” and the only breakup song on the album was one inspired by the Netflix original movie, Someone Great. Taylor Swift finally found the love she sang about in her earlier albums. Someone who accepts her despite her fame and whatever headlines are floating around the web. Someone she could run away with who would hide out from the public eye with her.

“Lover” was sadly a short era due to the coronavirus pandemic causing the cancellation of “Lover Fest,” the album’s tour. Still, Taylor Swift managed to succeed while it lasted. In November 2019, Taylor Swift was named the American Music Awards’ Artist of The Decade and was presented the award in person by Carol King. She was also named Billboard’s Woman of The Decade.

“Step into the daylight and let it go.”

Taylor Swift, “Daylight”

In May 2020, ABC aired the City of Lover special, which consisted of her 2019 concert in Paris, where she performed several songs from her “Lover” album. In January 2020, pre-pandemic, she released her Netflix documentary Miss Americana which gave fans an inside look at her career. The documentary highlighted her struggles with eating disorders, her sexual assault trial, and all her decade-long career ups and downs.

“Folklore” + “Evermore”

When the coronavirus pandemic took over the world, forcing all of us into quarantine, most of us spent our days scrolling TikTok, making whipped coffee, and trying to keep our sanity alive. Taylor Swift, on the other hand, did what she does best, she started songwriting. In July of 2020, she released her album “Folklore.” Later in December, she released its sister album, “Evermore.”

Both albums have the same feel and the same sound. They are cottage-core, indie-folk albums and are a return to Taylor’s singer-songwriter roots. For years Taylor strayed from the singer-songwriter category, instead of putting out pop anthems with fun beats and sometimes repetitive lyrics. At times it seemed as if she was undermining her own talent and selling herself short. “Folklore” and “Evermore” felt like Taylor was coming home and doing what she was born to do: tell stories.

Though she hasn’t been able to do much as we are still in a pandemic, “Folklore” is up for five nominations at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Both albums debuted at #1 along with their lead singles “Cardigan” from “Folklore” and “Willow” from “Evermore.” This made Taylor the first artist to debut atop both the U.S. singles and album charts simultaneously. Taylor also released a special with Disney plus called Longpond Sessions, where she played every song from “Folklore” with her co-writers.

What’s Next For Taylor?

Nearly fifteen years into her career and a very public fall from grace later, Taylor Swift is still going strong. What keeps her career so interesting is her constant evolution. We live in a society where things change so quickly; we’re onto the next thing before the thing that came before it has come to an end.

Taylor has stayed on top of her game for her entire career and is always one step ahead of everyone else. She’s also built a rare, unique, and lasting relationship with her fans that is untouchable. She’s invited them into her home, sends them presents, and interacts with them on social media. Taylor Swift will certainly go down in history alongside stars like The Beatles, Madonna, and Michael Jackson.

Taylor has six albums to rerelease, and according to her recent Good Morning America appearance, she’s already done re-recording all of “Fearless” and plans to release it on April 9th. She’s already thrilled fans with her nostalgic rerecorded “Love Story,” going number one on the country charts and tying Dolly Parton as the only artist to go number one on the country charts with the original rerecorded version of the same song. Though the rerecordings aren’t out yet, and it’s unclear when they will all be released, with Taylor’s track record, we can be sure that whatever happens for her in the future, it will be a huge success.