By Aidan Judge
Surprise…again! Just this past weekend, pop superstar Taylor Swift announced the surprise release of her ninth studio album “evermore”, a sequel to her record from earlier this year, “folklore”, which was surprise-dropped on July 24th. Swift’s announcement came just before her 31st birthday, and she branded the albuma “birthday gift” to her fans.
The album immediately began development following the release of “folklore”, according to Swift in a YouTube live Q&A. In her Instagram announcement, the singer-songwriter stated, “We just couldn’t stop writing songs”, and continued to explain that the album was developed almost immediately following the surprise release of folklore. In fact, Swift was still working on the album just last week- and it was not completed until just days ago-truly making it yet another impulsive release just as its sister record was.
The album features fifteen brand new tales, ranging from somber ballads such as “champagne problems” and “marjorie” to the upbeat country folk anthem “no body, no crime”, which features famous indie pop trio HAIM. Swift stated she collaborated with many of the same artists on “evermore” as she did with “folklore”, mainly Aaron Dessner of alternative band “The National”, and Jack Antonoff, famed pop producer with whom Taylor has collaborated on her past records before “folklore”, such as “Lover” and “reputation”. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the album was written almost entirely remotely, just as its sister record was earlier in the year.
According to Billboard.com, the album is projected to debut at number one atop the Billboard 200 album chart with 300-350k units sold. The album’s lead single, “willow”, is expected to debut in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10, with the song’s video already racking up over 20 million views.
It’s been an exciting year for Swift fans, with more to look forward to in 2021 with the release of the re-recordings of her first five studio albums. Will Swift drop a third album on top of this in 2021, or is this the last of Swift we will see for a while? Only time will tell. For now, let’s enjoy the music and await Swift’s next big move.
The First Launch 