Taylor Swift is a defining artist of our generation. Over the span of over 20 years, she has released 12 studio albums, re-recorded albums and been featured on countless other projects- recording over 280 songs. There is so much more to Taylor Swift than her radio hits, so I encourage you to listen with a clear mind and open heart!
Country roots
Taylor Swift released her first album in 2006, titled Taylor Swift. This album skyrocketed her into the public eye and features country-pop hits like “Our Song.” Retellings of teenage love, heartbreak and rage are accompanied by a classic country feel.
Fearless, released in 2008, awarded Swift her first Grammy, and continued to blur the lines between her country roots and pop star persona. Swift juxtaposes growing up with fairy tales in songs like “Love Story” and “Fifteen”.
Her third studio album, Speak Now, was released in 2010 and written completely on her own. Swift writes about finding her footing in her life, but also the music industry, being vulnerable, having big emotions and finding ways to deal with all that encompasses your early twenties.
Swift’s fourth album, Red, is a 2012 release. It depicts all of the feelings that Swift felt at the time: “happy, free, confused and lonely in the best way.” I have personal ties to this album, as it was my first concert! While there is a pop feel to the album, all of the songs are rooted in telling a story.
Pop princess
1989, released in 2014, was Taylor Swift’s first official pop album. Without a doubt you’ve heard “Shake It Off,” but other songs featured on the album are some of Swifties’ favorites like “Clean.” It’s probably her most fun album, as she fully emerged into the pop genre.
In 2017 Swift released Reputation. It’s quite different from the rest of her albums, coming after her very public feud with Kanye West. Reputation gave Taylor Swift a new persona, shedding the skin of “the old Taylor” like a snake. She wrote about what it felt like to have the entire world hate you and how she dealt with it.
Lover (2019) is a complete 180 from Reputation, telling the story of her falling in love. She’s happy, she’s free and most importantly she’s in love and she doesn’t care who knows.
Swift’s tenth album, Midnights, was released in 2022. It has a very bedroom pop-feel, different from her previous pop albums, combining her lyricism with synth beats. Swift explores the self-criticism and expectations she puts on herself.
Her most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl (2025), was one of her most criticized albums to date. It provides a commentary on living in spotlight, as well as growing up in it. She writes about friendships, power and her new relationship in songs like “Father Figure.”
Alternative, StoryTelling
Folklore (2020) and Evermore (2020) are sister albums, according to Swift. They both feature an alternative spin on her music style with complex, wordy lyrics and slow instrumentals. She wrote these albums during the pandemic, feeling completely isolated. The songs lean into her storytelling, as well as poetic imagery to build fictional worlds and stories, like in “Cardigan,” “August” and “Betty.”
The Tortured Poets Department, released in 2024, features 31 songs. The album explores her feelings after ending a six-year-long relationship. There is heartbreak and sadness, but there is also strength in continuing.
