I am a huge Taylor Swift fan. Always have been, always will be. I absolutely adore her music and I respect her commitment to her fans, her efforts to make the world a better place, and her grace and tenacity.

Taylor Swift signed with Big Machine Records in 2005. She greatly shaped the music industry with the six albums she released tied to this contract, but Big Machine owns these masters. When this contract expired in 2018, Swift then signed with Universal’s Republic Records and ensured that she would own her future creations including albums Lover, folklore, and evermore. 

Swift revealed that she was not offered the opportunity to buy her old masters and Big Machine sold them to Scooter Braun, a figure in the industry that has clashed with Swift. Swift received support from many individuals and fans who also believe that artists are entitled to own their own work. Re-recording her own albums is the avenue she is pursuing in order to finally own her masters. She persists despite any backlash or obstacles she faces, and she released Fearless (Taylor’s Version) on April 9, 2021. 

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) sounds exactly like the original album because that is exactly what was intended. Although her vocals are more mature now, the iconic Fearless tracks sound the same. Taylor wanted to ensure that her fans connected with this album just as they had with the original as she did not want to devalue her rerecords. Her hits such as “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story” still possess that same magic they did with Swift sounding even more in control of her vocals in the 2021 version. For some fans, they are connecting with different songs on this current album compared to the old one based on subtle differences.

In order to create more excitement regarding Fearless (Taylor’s Version), she released six new tracks from “The Vault,” meaning that Swift had written these songs in her Fearless era, but they were not released in 2008. Tracks from the Vault such as “Mr. Perfectly Fine” hint at her ascension into the pop world with its upbeat melody and sparkling production. “Don’t You,” one of my personal favorite Vault songs, describes the feeling of running into someone you still love while they have a new partner. It reminds me of the tracks produced on her sister albums folklore and evermore released in 2020 and it’s melancholy feel is comforting. Keith Urban is featured on “That’s When” and Maren Morris sings background vocals in “You All Over Me,” two other fabulous Vault tracks that resonate with Swift’s audience. 

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) has been incredibly successful and Swift is now fully immersed in working towards owning her entire music catalogue. Swifties have gone back to evaluating Easter Eggs (hints from Taylor) in order to attempt to decipher which album will be released next! Stream Fearless (Taylor’s Version) on all platforms, you won’t regret it.