Taylor Swift plans to re-record 6 of her albums from her debut album to ‘Reputation’. When Swift was 15 years old, she signed to Big Machine Records. Until she recorded ‘Lover’, her music has been under Big Machine’s contract. Unfortunately, Swift’s deal did not include complete ownership of her music she wrote and produced. Hits like “Shake it Off” and “22”, are not owned by Swift as she only receives a percentage of their revenue. In 2018 Swift signed with Universal Music Group prior to her first album she’d entirely own. 

Big Machine sold part of her discography to music manager Scooter Braun without her knowledge. Swift has been bullied by Braun for years, as Braun profited from music Swift created. Swift wrote on Twitter, “This is what happens when you sign a deal at 15 to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept, and when that man says ‘music has value’, he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it.” 

She released “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” on February 11, to anticipate her re-released version of her most successful album Fearless debuting on April 9. “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 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.”, said Swift in an interview.This is the first step in her process of regaining ownership to music she wrote and produced, and achieving creative freedom. Swift has a faithful fan base, who will listen to and support her new recordings. In the music industry, stolen music and controlling labels is a common struggle amongst artists.                                                

Swift’s choice to take back her music will inspire other artists to know their art’s value. In June 2020, Swift released ‘Folkore’ unxpectedly after writing in quarantine. In December 2020, Swift surprised her fans again with the sister album to ‘Folklore’: ‘Evermore’. 

Both albums capitalize on her unique writing style, leading Swift into the folk-pop genre. However, she will return to her country music roots as she gains ownership of her music.