By: Katie Nelson

Media Production Editor

Taylor Swift, pop star and VMA Artist of the Year, will drop her highly anticipated 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album on Oct. 27. The album will feature re-recordings of the original 16 tracks, with the addition of five new tracks “From the Vault.” This will be the fourth of Swift’s re-recorded works, following her most recent release, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), which came out in July. In an Instagram post, Swift mentioned that the 1989 re-record was her favorite so far because “the five From The Vault tracks are so insane. I can’t believe they were ever left behind.” 

Swift released the original 1989 album in 2014, containing 13 tracks plus an additional three bonus tracks on the deluxe version. It is considered her first pop album and mimics many aspects of 80’s music with its flamboyant and catchy songs, including the hits Blank Space, Style, and Shake it Off. Not only will fans be nostalgically singing along to these upbeat tracks, but they will also get to experience the five much-awaited new ones: Slut!, Say Don’t Go, Now That We Don’t Talk, Suburban Legends, and Is It Over Now?

Swift began re-recording albums in April of 2021 after being denied the right to play her older songs at the 2019 American Music Awards and the right to use them in her 2020 documentary Miss Americana. The restrictions that year followed the acquisition of Big Machine Label Group —which held the rights to Swift’s master recordings since 2005 — by Ithaca Holdings under the management of Scooter Braun. Swift, upset by the imposition of regulations on her music by the new management, immediately took to finding a way of regaining publishing rights. 

Since then, Swift has re-recorded three albums while keeping fans anxious for more. In August, on the last leg of her U.S. The Eras tour in Los Angeles, Swift announced that she was re-recording the 1989 album. The new version will be released exactly nine years after the album was first dropped and to keep fans excited, Swift has created a variety of Easter eggs and riddles to solve in anticipation of the new songs. The most recent puzzle involves using the Google search engine to play a game that helps unlock the names of the From the Vault tracks.. Swift’s ingenious use of interactive activities keep fans excited about her upcoming music.

 Swift’s re-recorded albums are a win-win for both Swift and her fans. By re-recording the albums, Swift gains full rights to her master recordings while devaluing those still owned by the media investment company Ithaca Holdings. Whether you are a die-hard Swiftie or not, 1989 contains catchy songs that will undoubtedly take America by storm. 

(Sources: Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Google Blog, iClaw, NME, Wikipedia)