Taylor Swift, the acclaimed musician and cultural icon, has provided an update on her highly anticipated re-recording of her sixth studio album, “Reputation.” The album was released on November 10, 2017. It later went on to earn the album a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Swift’s speaking out comes on the heels of her hard-fought victory to regain control over her music catalog. This has involved, among other things, winning back the master recordings of her first six albums.
In a rare interview, Swift discussed all things “Reputation.” She’s called it an album that “picks up the pieces from the rubble” of a beautiful, messy period of her life. She stated, “The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it.”
In August 2017, the artist previewed “Reputation” with a cryptic social media message. They announced, “We will not be issuing any more public comment or clarification. This declaration was the perfect accompaniment to the excitement and mystique that album’s drop would become. More than anything, with its sweeping themes and radical sound, “Reputation” represented a powerful and terrifying pivot point in Swift’s career.
Swift has since negotiated the return of her masters from Shamrock Capital. Now, as many of you know, she is re-recording her earlier works and claiming her music as hers. For example, in 2021, she released the re-recorded versions of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Red (Taylor’s Version).” Then, in 2023, she released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version). She even successfully re-recorded her debut album, “Taylor Swift,” which came out in 2006.
While discussing the re-recording process for “Reputation,” Swift admitted, “Full transparency: I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of it.” This recognition invites speculation about the struggle she is clearly undergoing in her pursuit to balance artistry with commercial viability.
Swift’s ongoing endeavors have proven highly lucrative. Her documentary garnered over $261 million at the global box office, and her concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” achieved record-breaking status as the highest-grossing concert film of all time, according to Guinness World Records. Her Eras Tour grossed more than $2 billion in ticket sales and brought over 10 million people to 145 shows during this time.
As she reflects on the legacy of “Reputation,” Swift has admitted to some mixed feelings on its upcoming re-recording. “To be perfectly honest, it’s the one album in those first six that I thought couldn’t be improved upon by redoing it,” she remarked. She hinted that there were still ways for these songs to kick back up again and if they do, she wants them to be in a better situation.
“Those two albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about.” – Taylor Swift
Regardless of what happens with all of these “Reputation” doubts, Swift has no regrets about her current sonic aesthetic. She couldn’t contain her excitement, shouting out, “That’s what … I just love how this sounds!” That’s indicative of her artistic vision being in permanent flux, even as she reflects on her formative works.
