Most musical artists wait a few years between albums as a time to recharge. Taylor Swift, however, seems to be the exception. Out of nowhere, less than a year after the release of “Lover,” she had a surprise announcement of her new album “Folklore” on July 23rd, just a day before its release date. Given the surprise announcement and the title of the album, it was clear to her fans that this was no ordinary pop album. For instance, Swift almost always drops clues or teasers of her albums months in advance. Instead, she broke this pattern revealing hints over the course of 10 minutes on her instagram page. Swift uploaded 9 separate photos to create a mosaic image of herself isolated in the woods. Is the world-famous star abandoning her pop persona?
Amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the isolating quarantine, Swift’s 16-song album came to life under these pressured circumstances. This is definitely Swift’s most independent and heartfelt album. On set for the music video “Cardigan,” heavy restrictions were imposed on set, putting Swift’s hair, makeup, and look into her own hands. Considering the immense independence Swift took on for this album, the pandemic has brought light to who Swift really is as an artist without the expectations and turmoil of working with big record labels. Swift is definitely transitioning into a more relaxed, zen era of her Hollywood life.
Swift’s second song on the list, “Cardigan,” which has been animated in a music video, made way as the number-one spot of the Billboard Hot 100. Moreover, her album “Folklore” made a debut at number-one on the Billboard 200. Taylor Swift is now the first artist to accomplish these two rankings within just one week. “Cardigan,” is a wistful folk song that is accompanied by an ambiguous atmosphere. The dynamic of this song and album is significantly different from upbeat pop songs such as “Bad Blood” or “Shake it off.”
The pop star, Taylor Swift, is experiencing a huge shift in genre and image. If Swift makes a habit of this new style and dynamic, it seems to indicate that the pop star side of Taylor Swift we’ve grown to know and love has come to an end.
Wow very cool!