Taylor Swift is one of the biggest singers and songwriters of our generation–and she just got bigger. On Aug. 23, Swift released her newest album, titled, “Lover,” which is already raging with success. In a single week, “Lover” netted the equivalent of 867,000 album units in the US, according to Billboard. “It is the largest sales week for any album since Swift’s last 2017 release, ‘Reputation,’” Billboard Magazine says.
“The new album finds her escaping the celebrity drama and returning to what she does best,” says the media outlet’s Carl Wilson.
“Lover” draws inspiration from Swift’s three year long love story with British actor Joe Alwyn. Most of her previous albums showcase songs involving heartbreak and failure, but she shows a new side on this album, with songs that are about romantic success, but, of course, also the hardships of sustaining it.
“There are so many ways in which this album feels like a new beginning,” Swift tells Vogue Magazine, continuing that, “this album is really a love letter to love, in all of its maddening, passionate, exciting, enchanting, horrific, tragic, wonderful glory.” Swift writes and co-writes, as well as produces, each and every song on the record, highlighting yet again the talent that Swift possesses as an artist.
“Taylor’s brilliant body of work has shattered industry metrics around the world,” Republic Records founder and CEO, Monte Lipman says.
Swift guides listeners through one song on the album called “The Man”– a listener favorite–which is about the sexism that she, like countless women, has endured. Swift speaks out on how difficult it was for her to get to where she is because of her existence as a woman in the current societal landscape of the world, as she has not been one to shy away on what she believes in either.
“I Forgot That You Existed,” another song on the widely popular album, explores the first time that freedom from a heartbreak is experienced. Swift describes the relief that stems from the first time where it is fully realized that the person who once caused pain has crossed the mind no more; this, as well as the happiness that comes with a person realizing that he or she is okay with the other person, and pain, not being apart of personal life anymore.
“I thought it would be a really fun way to open the album, like, basically kind of shrugging off a lot of things that you’ve been through that have been causing a lot of struggle and pain,” Swift tells Billboard Magazine.
Taylor Swift has made a name for herself all throughout her career, as the new album, “Lover,” proves once again how immensely well received she is across the world. The way Swift can sing about her personal experiences and turn them into hit songs underscores how creative she is–and why she is so relatable for many of her listeners. The fact that so many people can relate to Swift’s crafted lyrics is just one of the many ways as to why her music is routinely successful, and, really, why she has gained such widespread popularity.
Swift not only proves she can sing; she proves that she is an authentic songwriter and can craft many of her own beautiful songs from her personal struggles, ultimately turning those struggles into something positive.