Taylor Swift finally released the long-awaited Reputation album after a few snake-related jokes which irked critics a few months ago.
Taylor Swift (Image via NewsHub)
Before the 10 November release, Swift last week premiered Call It What You Want, the fourth track from her highly controversial LP, and ravenous fans couldn’t wait to queue up on the stands for a copy.
Earlier on Wednesday (Aug. 23) Swift posted an image via Instagram to reveal her sixth album cover art which she said was shot by Mert & Marcus. The following day, she triumphantly dropped her first single and we loved it. Seriously. She’s good!
The queen of buzz waited three good years to stir emotions again since her 1989 pop masterpiece was released. Though her efforts paid off with an Album of the Year award, she has remained on the charts with hit tracks.
In 2016, her duet with Zayn Malik I Don’t Want to Live Forever from “Fifty Shades Darker” reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The collaboration would have been her fifth No. 1 chart-topper.
In the “Reputation” track Look What You Made Me Do, Swift threw jabs at her famous frienemies Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, including ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris, who got most lines from Gorgeous.
Swift’s newest album faced several media feuds with former friends and fans who turned critics. She wiped her social media accounts on 18 August, probably to brace up for some upcoming challenges and viola, Reputation may get her another No. 1 spot after the dazing effects. The album has a great chance at toppling Despacito, a record-breaking No. 1 from Justin Bieber, Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi.
All loyal fans who pre-ordered physical copies of Swift’s new album were treated to personal poetry from the singer, including a heartfelt and revealing prologue to Reputation.
‘When this album comes out, gossip blogs will scour the lyrics for the men they can attribute to each song, as if the inspiration for music is as simple and basic as a paternity test,’ she warned of critics who would never stop scouring her lyrics for clues.
‘There will be slideshows of photos backing up each incorrect theory, because it’s 2017 and if you didn’t see a picture of it, it couldn’t have happened right?
‘Sigh. I’m going to stop you right there. I’m tired. We’ve been doing this for over a decade,’ she added.
Swift is, without doubts, a strong force to reckon with in the music industry. Her fourth No. 1 album 1989, which was released in 2014, became the fastest album to hit 5 million units since Usher’s 2004 LP Confessions. The album sold 6.06 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. It was also the best-selling album in America for 2014 as well as 2015’s second best-selling album, behind Adele’s 25.
Reputation will surely be celebrated by Swifties when the singer kick-starts her expected tours, as trending news say Ticketmaster has set up a fan-focused ticket hub.
Interested supporters who are looking forward to the tours have been encouraged to buy the album and other merchandise in order to get a chance at purchasing potential tickets. Those who regularly take part in social media activities will be considered, too.
A few Swifties were reportedly selected to preview the album before it was released. The fans met at “Secret Sessions,” also known as special listening parties at Swift’s residences in Nashville, London, Los Angeles, and Rhode Island. All participants were made to swear an oath of secrecy before the ritual but some gossips among them couldn’t hold back their admiration.
Taylor Swift reportedly gifted the selected fans with serpent keychains to somehow add flame to the spiraling buzz. She has so far been very busy on Instagram.
“Let the games begin,” she captioned one of her most recent posts on the picture-sharing website.
The popular singer also posted some pictures displaying quotes from her album critics.
“Taylor Swift’s talent remains intact on ‘Reputation,’ her most focused, most cohesive album yet,” she quotes Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times.
“Reputation: A fully-formed snapshot of a singer in love, and in control,” another critic Maeve McDermott of USA Today wrote.
“Over the course of reputation, Swift takes ownership of her narrative in a way listeners haven’t heard before. She’s the predator, the person holding all the control, the gatekeeper of her own heart, flipping the script.”
Swift smartly chose iTunes and iHeartRadio as business partners instead of the popular online streaming companies.
In appreciation for her fans’ support and loyalty, and another “swifty” way to leave her memory in their warm hearts, the Don’t Blame Me singer doled out physical copies of her new album at a good price.
Reputation is a 15-track album, and her record label Big Machine reportedly predicted it’d sell more than 2 million copies in its first week.
