Red (Taylor’s Version) setting new records
December 10, 2021
Taylor Swift’s new album has set new records in the music industry. Whether you’re feeling 22 or not, Taylor Swift’s new spin on her old album, Red, is bound to make fans feel nostalgic—and that’s the point.
Swift began rerecording songs last year, after her early catalog was sold twice without her consent, including after Scooter Braun purchased the masters to them in 2019. Her hope was that the new takes on the songs would give her back control of her album.
Spotify representatives say that Swift broke two records for the album on Friday, the day that Red (Taylor’s Version), came out.
One record was for the most-streamed album in a day and by a female in Spotify history. Red (Taylor’s Version) accomplished the record by picking up over 90.8 million streams on day one. The past holder of this record was also Swift with her album, Folklore.
The other Spotify record set by Swift on Friday, was one for the most-streamed female artist in one day in Spotify history. She did this with more than 122.9 million streams on the Friday of the 28th.
“I’ve always said that the world is a different place for the heartbroken,” Swift wrote via Instagram in June. “Musically and lyrically, Red resembled a heartbroken person. It was all over the place; a fractured mosaic of feelings that somehow all fit together in the end.”
Along with this album, Swift also released a short film to the music of “All Too Well”. This song is about 10 minutes long and includes many easter eggs. Swift said she first started dropping clues in the lyrics of her debut album, and it “got out of control” from there.
“Then I couldn’t stop and all I started thinking of was, ‘How do I hint at things, like how far is too far in advance? Can I hint at something three years in advance? Can I even plan things out that far? I think I’m going to try to do it,'” Swift said. “I think that it is perfectly reasonable for people to be normal music fans and to have a normal relationship to music. But if you want to go down a rabbit hole with us, come along, the water’s great.”
In April 2021, Swift re-released her 2008 album, Fearless. Her new version included several un-released songs “from the vault.”
Swift also released two sister albums in 2020, Folklore and Evermore. The eighth and ninth albums were a departure from the upbeat pop we’ve come to expect in recent years from the singer-songwriter.
This album’s popularity hasn’t just been celebrated on the internet, sophomore Soren Scullion-Guerreiro has been a huge ‘swiftie’ for years.
“For as long as I remember [Taylor Swift] has always been an inspiration growing up,” Scullion-Guerrerio said. “I looked up to her and would always listen to her songs. For me this new album is one of the best of her works. Most of my favorite songs are on this album and I can’t wait for her to remake the others.”
Swift still has to re-record her debut album, “Taylor Swift,” her 2010 album “Speak Now,” her 2014 work “1989,” and her 2017 album, “Reputation” so we have much to look forward to.