By Pridha Kumar and Stacy Moses, staff writers
Taylor Swift is recreating her reputation with her sixth album, Reputation, released on November 10, 2017. Her highly anticipated album was leaked 12 hours earlier than its release time in the US. Despite this setback, Swift’s album hit a total of 700,000 sales in the US on the first day, and she is set to break her own previous records of sales during debut week.
Following the release of her new album, Swift performed “…Ready for it?” and “Call it What You Want” for the first time on national television on Saturday Night Live.
With songs including “I Did Something Bad,” “King of my Heart, “ and “This is why we can’t have nice things,” the album’s most known single “Look What You Made Me Do,” released on August 24th, has since spurred interest amongst fans and critics alike. It portrayed Taylor Swift with a persona never before seen and gave insight as to what the album would be like. Critics claim Taylor Swift abandoned her iconic good-girl image and adopted one of revenge and intends to call out the people that have wronged her.
It was interesting to see Taylor Swift develop into a never before seen character with her new album. She showed off her most carefree side, without worrying what others would have to say about her. She included outspoken lyrics on “edgier” topics that were considered forbidden in her previous albums. Additionally, most of her previous albums gave off much more peppy and upbeat vibes, whether the album had been composed of a series of love songs, post-breakup songs, or a mix of both. However, Swift’s recent releases have showed that she can convey her ideas in a variety of ways. Whether you prefer the old Taylor or the new Taylor, one thing that all Swifties tend to agree on is that Swift has remained true to herself as an artist who writes music about her own personal feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Swift’s new album has helped her escape her perfectionist image and become a more relatable person for her audience to showcase not everyone can be perfect.
To add on to the excitement, Taylor Swift announced she is taking Reputation on tour in 2018 and has already scheduled 27 dates for North America, including California, Florida and her home-state, Pennsylvania. Not only limiting herself to Swifties in North America, she promises to visit the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland to please her international fans.
