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The Eras Era

2021-2025

Taylor kicked off the 2020s decade with one of the most ambitious artistic undertakings of her career: re-recording the six studio albums she had originally released under her former label, Big Machine Records. Though she had just written her two most acclaimed projects with folklore and evermore, beneath those dreamy soundscapes was an artist fighting a very real battle for control over her art, her legacy, and the means by which her work would be shared with the world. In the midst of this deeply personal mission, Taylor launched the record-breaking “Eras Tour” in 2023. By the time the final show wrapped in December 2024, it had become the highest-grossing tour in history, generating over $2 billion in revenue. But more than just a commercial triumph, it solidified Taylor’s status as a cultural icon. Like the Beatles in the 1960s or Michael Jackson at his ’80s peak, she wasn’t just performing music — she was defining an era.
But let’s start at the beginning: In 2021, Taylor was a long-established veteran of the industry. Armed with everything she had learned over the years — as both an artist and a brand — she was navigating an ever-evolving musical landscape with remarkable precision. She was also one of the few artists with the power and profile to create real change in the music world. And as ever, when she moved, the industry listened. Her decision to reclaim her master recordings and to speak so openly and strategically about the injustice behind their sale became a turning point not just in her own career, but in the wider conversation around artist rights. Sure, she was a multi-millionaire (and by fall 2023, officially a billionaire) but her fight wasn’t just for herself. It was for every aspiring artist who might one day face the same impossible choice between exposure and ownership. “Hopefully […] kids with musical dreams will read this and learn about how to better protect themselves in a negotiation,” she tweeted. “You deserve to own the art you make.”
Table of Contents

Taylor's Worst Nightmare

It all began in June 2019, when the master recordings of Taylor’s first six studio albums were sold to music executive Scooter Braun and his company, Ithaca Holdings. The move sent shockwaves through Taylor and the music world—and ignited one of the most public artist-label battles in recent memory.

Taylor had signed with Big Machine Records in 2005, when she was just 15 years old; a teenage singer-songwriter with a guitar, big dreams, and long blond curls. Over the next 13 years, she skyrocketed to acclaim and stardom, first as a country darling and then as a global pop powerhouse, delivering chart-topping singles like “I Knew You Were Trouble.” and selling out stadiums around the world. Her contract with Big Machine expired in 2018, and Taylor made the pivotal decision to sign with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group—but this time, with a crucial difference: she would now own the masters to all her future work. At the time, she issued a gracious statement, thanking Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta “for guiding me through over a decade of work that I will always be so proud of,” while celebrating her newfound independence: “It’s also incredibly exciting to know that I’ll own all of my master recordings that I make from now on.”

In the music industry, changing labels and renegotiating contracts are expected steps for a successful artist. But what seemed like a standard transition quickly became front-page news when Big Machine was sold to Braun’s private equity-backed Ithaca Holdings—and with it, Taylor’s catalog, valued then at a reported $140 million— effectively handing him ownership of the original recordings of every song Taylor had made between 2006 and 2017. Suddenly, whenever someone wanted to license one of those songs, Scooter Braun would be the one to profit. He was obviously very pleased with himself, publicly celebrating on Instagram that he had just “bought Taylor Swift.”

From a business standpoint, the acquisition made sense: Taylor’s early catalog was massively profitable. But on a personal level, it was explosive. Taylor publicly denounced the deal, saying she had not been given the opportunity to purchase her masters herself and accusing Braun, whom she described as a manipulative industry player, of years of bullying. In an August 2019 interview with CBS This Morning, she said:

«I found out when it was online, when it hit the news. Nobody knew. I knew he [Scott Borchetta] would sell my music, I knew he would do that. I couldn't believe who he'd sold it to. Because we've had endless conversations about Scooter Braun. And he has 300 million reasons to conveniently forget those conversations.»

In an explosive Tumblr post, Taylor described Braun’s acquisition as her “worst-case scenario,” accusing him of “incessant, manipulative bullying” and Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta of a deep betrayal of trust. “Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy,” she wrote, calling out the injustice of the deal in no uncertain terms. “Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it.” Taylor felt powerless. In an interview with Time in 2023, she recalled, “I was so knocked on my ass by the sale of my music, and to whom it was sold. I was like, ‘Oh, they got me beat now. This is it. I don’t know what to do.’”

Making Her Intent Known

It didn’t take long for Taylor to begin crafting her response. She outlined bold plans to re-record her first six studio albums in a bid to wrest back control of her narrative and her legacy. As she told Time in 2023, “I’d run into Kelly Clarkson and she would go, ‘Just redo it.’ My dad kept saying it to me too. I’d look at them and go, ‘How can I possibly do that?’ Nobody wants to redo their homework if, on the way to school, the wind blows your book report away.”

And yet, unlike many artists in her position, Taylor had one key advantage: she wrote her own songs. That meant she retained the copyright to the compositions themselves—which gave her the legal right to re-record them. Eventually, she made the decision that would become one of the most defining of her career: As soon as her re-recording restriction expired in November 2020, she would begin. It was a creative act of defiance, not just a business move. To Taylor, re-recording wasn’t just about ownership; it was about dignity. “It’s all in how you deal with loss,” she later explained. “I respond to extreme pain with defiance.” She decided to make the best out of the situation, announcing on Good Morning America in August 2019:

«It's something that I'm very excited about doing because my contract says that, starting November 2020, so next year, I can record albums one through five all over again. So, I'm very excited about it. Because I think that artists deserve to own their work. I just feel very passionately about that. So, it's right around the corner, I'm gonna be busy. I'm really excited!»

The saga escalated in November 2019, when Taylor revealed that Big Machine and Scooter Braun were allegedly blocking her from performing her early hits at the televised American Music Awards—where she was being honored with the prestigious “Artist of the Decade” award. According to Taylor, they claimed that performing the songs would count as an illegal “re-recording” before she was contractually allowed to do so. The story sparked massive public backlash and a #IStandWithTaylor movement among fans and fellow artists alike. In the end, an agreement was reached, and during her iconic AMAs performance, Taylor made a subtle but powerful statement: she wore a plain white shirt emblazoned with the names of the six albums she had released under Big Machine.

Then, in November 2020, yet another twist emerged. Scooter Braun sold Taylor’s masters to Los Angeles-based investment firm Shamrock Capital in a deal reportedly worth $300 million. At first, Taylor admitted she had been “hopeful and open to the possibility of a partnership” with Shamrock—until she discovered that under the terms of the deal, Braun would continue to profit from her catalog for years to come. With that, she declined to work with them, reaffirming her commitment to reclaim her music on her own terms.
Fearless (Taylor's Version) [Republic Records, 2021]
Fearless (Taylor's Version)

Headfirst, Fearless

Further information: Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor officially launched this bold new chapter of her career in February 2021, announcing the re-recording of her 2008 breakthrough album Fearless, now reimagined as Fearless (Taylor’s Version). What could have remained a niche industry footnote, a dispute over masters and music rights, instead became a triumphant reclamation of artistry, memory, and identity. On April 9, 2021, fans were welcomed back into the golden glow of Taylor’s teenage years, with enduring hits like “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story.” But the project didn’t stop at nostalgia. With the release came a trove of previously unreleased tracks from the original Fearless sessions—newly dubbed “From The Vault” treasures—which gave fans a deeper glimpse into Taylor’s early songwriting voice.

Although Fearless was Taylor’s second studio album, it felt like the natural place to begin this musical revival. Its songs about first love, heartbreak, growing pains, and girlhood were the emotional building blocks of her career. And, for many fans, of their own adolescence. In an audio clip released alongside the announcement, Taylor explained her decision:

«Deciding on what album to re-record first was pretty easy for me. I always gravitated towards Fearless because I think that, as an album, it was a real coming of age, and I look back on that album and I just—it fills me with such pride. It was an album about hope and lessons learned and the effervescence of teenage youth and all that, so what more fun than to go back and explore that?”»

The care and detail Taylor poured into Fearless (Taylor’s Version) transformed it from a simple remake into a 26-track celebration of a formative era—and fans embraced it wholeheartedly. To the surprise of many in the industry, the record made history: it became the first re-recorded version of a previous No. 1 album to return to the top of the Billboard 200, debuting with 291,000 equivalent album units, the biggest opening week of 2021 at that point, according to MRC Data.

Taylor, for her part, was stunned by the response. She admitted that she wasn’t sure how the re-recordings would be received, since the project was rooted in such personal stakes for her. In fact, she didn’t treat the release with the same marketing muscle as a traditional studio album. For example, there was no new photoshoot; instead, the visuals were mostly composed of outtakes from the evermore sessions, captured around the same time she began re-recording. And yet, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) didn’t need a big rollout. It had something far more powerful: the loyalty of fans who believed in what it stood for.

Proving Her Legend Status

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) wasn’t the only way Taylor’s towering legacy loomed large over the first half of 2021. After the album’s April release, she proved not just influential but actively present in shaping the year’s pop landscape — particularly through her impact on rising star Olivia Rodrigo. The singer-songwriter, then still a teenager, had been open about her admiration for Taylor since the release of her breakout hit “drivers license” in January. She called Taylor a guiding force both sonically and spiritually, and Taylor responded with an enthusiastic Instagram shoutout as the single shot to No. 1.

When Olivia’s debut album SOUR dropped in May, the connection became even more tangible. The piano ballad “1 step forward, 3 steps back” interpolated the piano motif from Taylor’s “New Year’s Day,” resulting in Taylor and Jack Antonoff being credited as co-writers. Just weeks later, Taylor, Antonoff and St. Vincent (Annie Clark) were also added as co-writers to Olivia’s hit “deja vu” due to its melodic similarities to “Cruel Summer.” Olivia may have been pop’s rookie of the year, but Taylor’s influence, both literal and figurative, was woven into every corner of her success. Meanwhile, Taylor was earning major accolades of her own. In May, she became the first woman to receive the prestigious “Global Icon Award” at the BRIT Awards, and not long after, she was honored with the “Songwriter Icon Award” at the 2021 NMPA Awards—a fitting tribute to her status as one of the most influential lyricists of her generation.

She didn’t slow down creatively either. That summer, Taylor lent her voice to two tracks on How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, the second album by Big Red Machine, a collaboration between her folklore/evermore co-writer Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. The songs “Renegade” and “Birch” felt like graceful extensions of that dreamy, woodsy era. And just when fans least expected it, Taylor dropped the re-recorded version of her 1989 hit “Wildest Dreams.” Not as part of a formal album rollout, but simply to join in on the TikTok trend that had brought the song back into the zeitgeist. It was a lighthearted move that reminded everyone: even in a year of career-defining statements, Taylor still knew how to have fun with her music.
Fearless (Taylor's Version) [Republic Records, 2021]

Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) April 9, 2021 This article is about the 2021 re-recording. For the original album, see Fearless (2008).Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the reissue of Taylor’s second album, Fearless (2008). It was released on April 9, 2021, and features all tracks of Fearless re-recorded with fresh vocals from Taylor, including six bonus tracks that were scrapped from the 2008 version.

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Painting the World RED – Again

Further information: RED (Taylor’s Version)
Following the overwhelming success of Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Taylor realized that her fears about the re-recordings being “an embarrassing project” were unfounded. Her fans didn’t just support the endeavor, they embraced it wholeheartedly. Buoyed by that enthusiasm, she decided to invest even more time, resources, and creative energy into the releases to come.

«One of the things about the whole discussion over music ownership is that this was something that started out as a really hard thing I went through. The fans are the ones who turned it into something very empowering. They were just saying to me over and over again, 'We wanna listen to your versions. If you redo it, that's what we'll listen to.' If they hadn't done that, I don't think I'd be having this amazing, exciting experience.»

Of all the albums in her discography, RED had long held a special place in the hearts of fans. It marked the beginning of Taylor’s transition into pop, boasted a blend of blockbuster hits and beloved deep cuts, and had been widely praised as one of her most emotionally resonant and lyrically sophisticated works. When it came time to reintroduce RED (Taylor’s Version) in November 2021, Taylor pulled out all the stops. What could have been a nostalgic exercise instead became a full-blown pop culture event.

Even if it had merely matched the success of Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the re-release would have been a triumph. But RED (Taylor’s Version) soared past expectations, thanks in large part to the explosive impact of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” What was once a fan-favorite secret became the centerpiece of a phenomenon, accompanied by a short film, a powerful SNL performance, and endless internet discourse about a three-month relationship from more than a decade ago. Taylor had turned personal heartbreak into collective catharsis and in doing so, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” which made history as the longest No. 1 song ever. Naturally, Taylor was more than happy about this turn of events. Compared to the original’s release in 2012, this time around she got to enjoy the warm reception without still working through the breakup the album was written about. She told Seth Meyers in an interview:

«At the time I was honestly really sad. Cause I'd actually gone through the stuff that I had sung about. But this time, I've got sunglasses on and a mojito and just, like, it's chill this time. It's really nice to be able to put this album out and not be sad. And not be, like, taking breaks in between interviews to cry. I'm telling you, it's much better this way.»

In the end, RED (Taylor’s Version) drove as much conversation as any of Taylor’s recent all-new studio albums. It scored a blockbuster debut, with 605,000 first-week equivalent album units moved in the US, more than double the amount of Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Additionally, the album also launched 26 of its tracks onto the Billboard Hot 100. A record among female artists at the time, which she would go on to break multiple times.

The Greatest Pop Star of 2021

In December 2021, Billboard named Taylor the “Greatest Pop Star of 2021,” marking the second time she earned the title following her first win in 2015. No other artist matched her ability to channel fan devotion with such creativity, precision, and emotional resonance that year. Across albums and platforms, Taylor defied conventional industry norms—reclaiming ownership of her work while still dominating within the very system she was challenging.

Remarkably, she achieved all of this without releasing a traditional new studio album. In a historic feat, she became the first female artist in the 65-year history of the Billboard 200 to send three separate projects to No. 1 within a single calendar year. And in November, a major milestone for her re-recordings project arrived: iHeartRadio announced it would exclusively play Taylor’s Versions of her earlier hits as each album rolled out. Streaming services had already elevated the re-recordings with prime placement on front pages and major playlists. But now, radio had joined the movement too.

The numbers spoke volumes, but the bigger story was cultural: the world had embraced Taylor’s Versions as the new definitive editions, replacing the beloved originals in the public consciousness. Taylor was actively reshaping the music industry in her image. These were the kinds of bold, high-stakes moves that elevate an artist from icon to legend. And though they were difficult to pull off, anyone who had been paying attention knew she’d stick every landing. Wind in her hair, she was there—making it look effortless.
Taylor Swift for RED (Taylor's Version) [Beth Garrabrant, 2021]
Taylor Swift for RED (Taylor's Version) [Beth Garrabrant, 2021]

Honorary Doctorate and The Launch of Midnights

Further information: Midnights Era
In January 2022, New York University’s Clive Davis Institute launched its first-ever course dedicated to Taylor and her career. Topics ranged from the legacy of pop and country music, to representations of youth and girlhood, to the politics of race in contemporary pop. Demand for the course was so high it quickly amassed a long waitlist and inspired other prestigous universities around the globe to follow suit. Just two months later, NYU announced that Taylor would be awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in recognition of her impact as “one of the most prolific and celebrated artists of her generation.” She was also invited to deliver the commencement address for the Class of 2022 at Yankee Stadium that May—an appearance that received widespread acclaim for its wisdom, humor, and humility.

For much of the first half of 2022, however, Taylor kept a low profile. She was largely out of the public eye, reportedly spending time in London with then-partner Joe Alwyn. Her rare public outings were mostly tied to film festivals, where she promoted her short film for “All Too Well.” With no major projects on the horizon, media speculation intensified, and fans began to sense a familiar pattern: the eerie calm that always seems to precede a Swiftian storm. Then, just as August drew to a close, Taylor stunned the music world. While accepting the “Video of the Year” award at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards for “All Too Well (The Short Film),” she finally revealed a secret she had managed to keep entirely under wraps:

«I wouldn’t be able to re-record my albums if it weren’t for you. You emboldened me to do that. And I had made up my mind that if you were going to be this generous and give us this [award], I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21. And I will tell you more at midnight.»

For the first time, Taylor paused an ongoing era to launch another one. Read more about the Midnights Era here.
RED (Taylor's Version) [Republic Records, 2021]

RED (Taylor’s Version)

RED (Taylor’s Version) November 12, 2021 This article is about the 2021 re-recording. For the original album, see RED (2012).RED (Taylor’s Version) is Taylor’s second re-recorded album, released on November 12, 2021, through Republic Records, as the re-recording of her fourth studio album, RED (2012). It is part of her counter measure against the changed ownership of the master recordings to her first six studio albums.

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The Tale of Speak Now (Taylor's Version)

Further information: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
With the release of her tenth studio album, Midnights, Taylor became more universally loved than ever before. It didn’t take her long to return to her “Eras Era”, though. In March 2023, she embarked on her sixth headlining concert tour, “The Eras Tour” (2023-2024). She debuted a discography-spanning setlist that lasted over three hours and kicked off an aptly-named stadium run, destined to become the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. Sixteen years into her career, Taylor had managed to became more popular than ever before. Welcome to Taylormania.

During the summer months, Taylor used this momentum to re-release Speak Now, which was a milestone album from 13 years earlier. Originally released in 2010, it marked a turning point in her career: the first—and still only—album on which she was the sole credited songwriter for every track. At the time, Speak Now was Taylor’s response to critics who questioned her authorship on earlier records, proving once and for all that she could stand entirely on her own as a writer.

On May 5, 2023, during her “Eras Tour” stop in Nashville, Taylor finally made the long-awaited announcement that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) would be released on July 7, 2023. It was a fitting moment to share the news, as the city was the place where she launched her career in country music in the early 2000s:

«I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness. I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing… and living to speak about it.»

Nashville commemorated the occasion by lighting its famous John Sigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge purple that night.

Taylor pulled out all the stops for the launch weekend of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), turning her “Eras Tour” stop in Kansas City (where she would be spending a lot more time, come fall) into an unforgettable celebration. As a surprise to fans, she added a heartfelt performance of “Long Live” to the setlist—a song many had hoped would make its return. But the real spectacle came with the live premiere of a brand-new music video for the vault track “I Can See You.” The cinematic clip starred Joey King and Presley Cash, both of whom appeared in Taylor’s 2011 “Mean” video, as well as her ex-boyfriend Taylor Lautner, who famously inspired the Speak Now classic “Back to December.” After the video premiere, Taylor shocked the crowd by bringing King, Cash, and Lautner on stage. In a moment that quickly went viral, Lautner delighted fans by performing a cartwheel and backflip—a cheeky nod to his role alongside Taylor in the 2010 rom-com Valentine’s Day.

Commercially, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was another juggernaut. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with 716,000 equivalent album units sold in the US and over 1 million globally in its first week. It shattered the record for the biggest debut of any re-recorded album, surpassing the previous high set by RED (Taylor’s Version) in 2021. The album also helped Taylor achieve another milestone: she became the first living artist in nearly six decades to have four albums simultaneously in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Midnights, Lover, and folklore.
Taylor Swift for Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (Beth Garrabrant, 2023)
Taylor Swift for Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (Beth Garrabrant, 2023)

It's A Cruel Summer

The Lover album also experienced a remarkable resurgence thanks to Taylor’s unprecedented popularity and cultural momentum. When she declared in March that she was “in her Eras era,” she wasn’t exaggerating. Throughout the summer of 2023, one song in particular took on a life of its own: Cruel Summer,” once a fan-favorite track originally released on Lover back in 2019, had now become the signature song of “The Eras Tour.”

Although “Cruel Summer” initially debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 2019, it quickly disappeared from the chart just two weeks later. But four years later—fueled by the blockbuster “Eras Tour” and a viral surge in popularity—the song began its slow but steady climb back and continued gaining momentum all summer long. In October, it finally hit No. 1, becoming the latest classic in Taylor’s ever-growing arsenal of hits. She celebrated the achievement alongside co-producer Jack Antonoff, marking yet another milestone in a year full of them:

«We just wanted to say thank you so much for making ‘Cruel Summer’ a Hot 100 No. 1 and it’s not even the summer anymore. It’s deep fall, I’m wearing a sweater. We love you guys.»

She told Time in December 20203, “It feels like the breakthrough moment of my career, happening at 33. And for the first time in my life, I was mentally tough enough to take what comes with that.”
Speak Now (Taylor's Version) [Republic Records, 2023]

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) July 7, 2023 This article is about the re-recording. For the original album, see Speak Now (2010).Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is Taylor’s third re-recorded album. It was released on July 7, 2023, via Republic Records, as the re-recording of her third studio album, Speak Now (2010).

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A New Love

Amid her record-breaking “Eras Tour,” Taylor once again made headlines offstage as well, when she began dating NFL star Travis Kelce—reportedly around August 2023. The couple confirmed their budding romance a month later, when Taylor made a surprise appearance at a Kansas City Chiefs home game at Arrowhead Stadium to cheer on the tight end. It was a full-circle moment that came months after Travis had first publicly expressed interest in her, following his attendance at one of her concerts during the release weekend of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).

On an episode of his New Heights podcast (which he co-hosts with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce), Travis shared the story of his failed first attempt at connecting with Taylor. “If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets. I received a bunch while I was there, but I wanted to give Taylor one with my number on it.” However, his plan hit a snag: unlike past tours, Taylor wasn’t doing meet-and-greets during “The Eras Tour” due to the physical demands of her three-hour-plus shows. “I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs she sings. She doesn’t meet anybody—or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal,” he joked.

Not long after though, sources told Entertainment Tonight that Taylor and Travis were in the early “talking” stage of their relationship and keeping things casual given their demanding schedules. But once Taylor appeared in the VIP suite at Arrowhead Stadium in late September—seated next to Travis’s mother, Donna—it was clear things were becoming more serious. The moment captured the public’s imagination, and within days, the pair were being dubbed “America’s Royal Couple.” Taylor told Time in December 2023:

«This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell. We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date. When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care. The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.»

Asked how he felt about the whirlwind of attention surrounding his relationship with the world’s biggest pop star, Travis offered a thoughtful response in an interview from the Chiefs’ practice facility: “As all the attention comes, it feels like, you know, I was on top of the world after the Super Bowl and right now even more on top of the world. So it’s fun. We’re learning with the paparazzi just taking photos from all over the place, but at the same time, you know, it comes with it. It comes with it. You got a lot of people that care about Taylor, and for good reason.”

Party Like It's 1989 (Taylor's Version)

Further information: 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Focusing once more on her career, Taylor announced the re-recording of her most commercially successful album during the final show of the 2023 US leg of “The Eras Tour,” which concluded with a historic six-night residency at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. Her reveal of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) capped off weeks of intense fan speculation—especially around the date August 9 (8/9), which many suspected would be significant. Fittingly, Taylor confirmed the news on stage that very night, just before launching into the acoustic set. She subtly nodded to the clues fans had picked up on, including the series of blue outfits she had worn throughout the evening—right down to the one she had on during the big reveal:

«Since I was a teenager, I’ve wanted to own my music, and the way to do it was to re-record my albums and call them Taylor’s Version. And the way that you have embraced that, the way that you have celebrated that, you really decided that it was your fight too, and that you were 100% behind me. If I cared about it, you cared about it. I’ll never stop thanking you for that. It is so generous of you to care about something that I cared about. And so now, here we are, on the last night of the US leg of 'The Eras Tour', in the eighth month of the year, on the ninth day of the month. You might have noticed there are some new outfits for this show, there’s some blue stuff going on. And there’s something that I’ve been planning for a really, really, really, really, ridiculously, embarrassingly long time. And I think instead of just telling you about it, I think I’ll just show you.»

Fans had long suspected that 1989 would be the next installment in Taylor’s re-recording project. She had dropped a steady stream of Easter eggs pointing to the album and had already previewed rerecorded versions of “Wildest Dreams” in the animated film Spirit and “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” in the season one finale of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty.

When 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was finally released on October 27, 2023—exactly nine years to the day since the original—it shattered records. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 1.653 million equivalent album units, marking the biggest first week of Taylor’s career at the time. The release surpassed her previous personal best of 1.578 million for Midnights and even outperformed the original 1989, which had made headlines in 2014 with its then-unprecedented 1.297 million debut. In a full-circle moment, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) not only honored the past but redefined what success looks like in the present.
Taylor Swift for 1989 (Taylor's Version) (Beth Garrabrant, 2023)
Taylor Swift for 1989 (Taylor's Version) (Beth Garrabrant, 2023)

The Eras Tour – In Cinemas Worldwide

Taylor, whose billion-dollar “Eras Tour” reshaped global commerce and dominated social media throughout the summer, had firmly established herself as 2023’s undisputed main character. On October 13, she brought the experience to the big screen with the worldwide release of the Eras Tour concert film, a near-perfect recreation of the stadium spectacle. In releasing her concert movie, she bypassed studios and streamers, instead forging an unusual pact with AMC, giving the theater chain its highest single-day ticket sales in history. By the end of its theatrical run, the film had grossed over $260 million globally—making it the highest-grossing concert film of all time, both domestically and worldwide.

But beyond the staggering numbers, the film captured Taylor’s commanding presence; her ability to hold tens of thousands in the palm of her hand, whether in a stadium or a movie theater. Its release tapped into a cultural moment where Taylor Swift-fueled escapism was in high demand. In a year defined by chaos, she gave the world something dazzling to focus on. An irresistible distraction from the relentless mess of everyday life.
1989 (Taylor's Version): Crystal Skies Blue Standard Edition [Republic Records, 2023]

1989 (Taylor’s Version)

1989 (Taylor’s Version) October 27, 2023 This article is about the re-recording. For the original album, see 1989 (2014).1989 (Taylor’s Version) is the re-recording of Taylor’s fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). It was released by Republic Records on October 27, 2023, exactly nince years after the original record.

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TIME's "Person of the Year" 2023

Taylor’s accomplishments as an artist—culturally, critically, and commercially—are so legion that to recount them seems almost beside the point. As a pop star, she sits in rarefied company, alongside Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna; as a songwriter, she has been compared to Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, and Joni Mitchell. As a businesswoman, she has built an empire worth over $1 billion. And as a celebrity—who by dint of being a woman is scrutinized for everything from whom she dates to what she wears—she has long commanded constant attention and knows how to use it. But it was still a huge surprise when TIME named Taylor its “Person of the Year” in December 2023. She became the first person in the arts to earn the prestigious honor.

That year, something shifted. To discuss Taylor’s movements felt like discussing politics or the weather—a language spoken so widely it needed no context. She became the main character of the world. For her personally, it was a peak:

«This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been. Ultimately, we can convolute it all we want, or try to overcomplicate it, but there’s only one question: Are you not entertained?»

At the time, analysts talked about the “Taylor effect,” as politicians from Thailand, Hungary, and Chile implored her to play their countries for “The Eras Tour.” Cities, stadiums, and streets were renamed for her. Every time she came to a new place, a mini economic boom took place as hotels and restaurants saw a surge of visitors. There were at least 10 college classes devoted to her, including one at Harvard. Friendship bracelets traded by her fans at concerts became a hot accessory, with one line in a song causing as much as a 500% increase in sales at craft stores. When Taylor started dating Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chief and two-time Super Bowl champion, his games saw a massive increase in viewership. (Yes, she somehow made one of America’s most popular things—football—even more popular.) She was the last monoculture left in a stratified world.

It’s hard to see history when you’re in the middle of it, harder still to distinguish Taylor’s impact on the culture from her celebrity, which emits so much light it can be blinding. But something unusual was happening with Taylor, without a contemporary precedent. She deployed the most efficient medium of the day—the pop song—to tell her story. Yet over time, she had harnessed the power of the media, both traditional and new, to create something wholly unique—a narrative world, in which her music was just one piece in an interactive, shape-shifting story. Taylor was that story’s architect and hero, protagonist and narrator. This was the year she perfected her craft—not just with her music, but in her position as the master storyteller of the modern era. The world, in turn, watched, clicked, cried, danced, sang along, swooned, caravanned to stadiums and movie theaters, let her work soundtrack their lives.

Taylor Finally Gains Ownership of All Her Music

After “The Eras Tour” came to a triumphant close in December 2024, Taylor took a well-deserved and much-needed step back from the public eye. To everyone’s surprise, she returned on May 30, 2025, after months of silence. Posting a lengthy letter to her website, she shared that she now officially owns the master recordings of all her music, including her first six studio albums. In a heartfelt statement, she confirmed that she had purchased the albums — along with their associated visuals and materials — from Shamrock Capital, bringing full-circle closure to the battle that began in 2019 when her life’s work was sold without her knowledge or consent. In her letter, she wrote:

«I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow. A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news. All the times I was thiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. But that’s all in the past now. I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me. And all my music videos. All the concert films. The album art and photography. The unreleased songs. The memories. The magic. The madness. Every single era. My entire life’s work.»

The deal, reportedly worth 360 million, grants Taylor ownership of everything from Taylor Swift (2006) through reputation (2017), including music videos, concert footage, artwork, and even typography — all of which had been inaccessible to her since leaving Big Machine Records in 2018. Taylor called the agreement “exceptionally fair and reasonable,” a quietly powerful statement considering the years of legal, emotional, and artistic turbulence that led to this moment.

Since 2019, Taylor had turned heartbreak and frustration into one of the most groundbreaking campaigns in music history. A re-recording journey that had not only reclaimed her legacy but reshaped the conversation around artist rights. With every Taylor’s Version release, she rewrote the rules of the industry, inspiring artists everywhere to fight for ownership of their work. And now, with her full discography finally under her control, Taylor stands exactly where she has always belonged — at the helm of her own story.
General Information
Associated AlbumsFearless (Taylor’s Version)
RED (Taylor’s Version)
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Reputation (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version)
Beginning of EraFebruary 2021
End of Era
TourThe Eras Tour
AestheticYellow heart
Red scarf
Purple paint
Pastel blue
Seagulls
Beach
StyleBoho
White tank top
Mom jeans
Floral dresses
Ballet flats
Birkenstocks
Long hair and bangs
ERA CHRONOLOGY
folklore & evermore Era (2020-2021)Eras Era (2021-2025)Midnights Era (2022-2024)
Announcing the Re-Recordings
Taylor's Letter (2025)
Eras Era

Fearless
(Taylor's Version)

RED
(Taylor's Version)

Speak Now
(Taylor's Version)

1989
(Taylor's Version)

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The Eras Tour

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