The Old Taylor Never Died, and She's Still Gorgeous

Until recently, Taylor Swift has been lurking mysteriously in a dark corner of the pop music sphere. It had been two years since she’d launched any new music. In the meantime, she had survived yet another short-term relationship, been exposed for lying about how shocked she was by the B-word in Kanye West’s latest song, and went through multiple on-again-off-again friendships with her squad members. Her sweet, humble persona was quickly being run over by this stiff, jaded character that everyone seemed to put on her.
And in classic Taylor Swift fashion, what did she proceed to do next?
She made an album about it.
On the surface, it seemed like a genius thing to do — take control of the public’s perception of her entire career and create an ironic spin off it. That’s art imitating life, in the flesh.
Late this August, she released a new song, “Look What You Made Me Do,” the first single off her new album, “Reputation.” The track sounded much more menacing and foreboding than we’re used to hearing, and Swift’s intentions were clear: she had become a caricature of the vengeful witch that everyone seemed to have painted her to be. The lyric video featured a recurring snake motif and the music video depicted her evolving out of her past incarnations (the lovesick country singer, the overexcited girl-next-door, and, of course, the B-word), signalling that this was the start of a new era.

But isn’t that what Taylor Swift has always done? Sure, she’s not been as vocal about the public opinion as she clearly has been teasing up the release of her new album, but Swift has always been clever at turning her flaws into music that we all love.
Just hours ago, Swift released another single “Gorgeous,” which already has fans stirring up controversies about who she’s chosen as her next target. Among the most probable candidates, Calvin Harris, Tom Hiddleston and Joe Alywn, it’s whoever you think fits best the description of having “ocean blue eyes.”



Regardless, she’ll always be Juliet from “Love Story” and the singer who loves her fans so much she invites them into her home to share her music and have quiet parties with. At least in our hearts. In the meantime, however, we’ll just have to deal with this version of her and appreciate the new tone she’s bringing to her music. But hey, if she’s really become a snake, she’ll have to shed her skin at some point.
Header image: Billboard
Other image: NPR music