Taylor Swift Announces First Pop Album

[dajross6]

Taylor Swift is releasing a full pop album. I guess the good news is that we will not need to worry about hearing pop songs and pretending they are country songs. The lead single isn't bad by any means, but I'm glad she didn't try to move it to Country...yet.

[Marie Osmond Is A Fucking Cunt]

She could always release a Country single mix just as she released Pop single mixes in the past for her Country songs. I don't think this new song will lend itself well to a Country mix.

[drummerman2009]

I don't expect this song to make an impact on country radio unless it accidentally gets a bunch of curiosity spins or that there will be a country re-mix but for the most part she's done at country radio. I doubt even that CMT and GAC will air the video since it's a lot more sleazy than any of her videos.

[drummerman2009]

There's a small article about Taylor and her new single on Page 5 of this week's Billboard Country Update. I do have a question for everyone. What does everyone on the country forum think about her switching over to pop full time? Her new song and video? I know how I feel but am interested to read some of your answers.

[14887fan]

Aug 19, 2014 0:18:34 GMT -5 drummerman2009 said:

There's a small article about Taylor and her new single on Page 5 of this week's Billboard Country Update. I do have a question for everyone. What does everyone on the country forum think about her switching over to pop full time? Her new song and video? I know how I feel but am interested to read some of your answers.

If there's one thing I'll be upset about over all of this, it'll be Country continuing to try and claim her as their own. Right now, the Country outlets are simply reporting that she's leaving the genre (I haven't seen the BCU article yet, though), so that's obviously passable, but if there's anything in the future of them continuing to endlessly promote her material just because she once was Country, that's when I'll start to get a little rotten over it. She's said herself that this next release is a full-fledged Pop release, so Country music trying to keep her in their clutches just because she's one of the biggest music stars on the planet would look more embarrassing on the genre's part than on anyone else's.

Anyways, moving on to your questions...

Moving to Pop full-time (for this album, at least)
We don't know if this is a permanent shift to Pop. I mean, LeAnn Rimes went to Pop and then came crawling back to Country a few years later, but her career also took too many punches on a personal level for her to be able to be as musically inventive as she tried to be since she didn't have much room to lose the fanbase she had left after the Brandi/Eddie debacle. For Taylor, I'm thrilled that she moved to Pop. I've always said that I enjoy (most of) her music but am not fond of her as a person (based on her personality, her presence on TV appearances, etc.), so I've never not given her releases the time of day. I was, and still am, a fan of some or all of each of her four previous albums, but it was clear once the Fearless era came around that she wasn't going to be a sole Country staple for an extensive period of time. I mean, she even submitted, and received, a Grammy nomination for Best Solo Pop Vocal Performance for "You Belong With Me" that year at the show (same year she won Album of the Year for Fearless). It's not like we didn't see this full-fledged shift coming at some point. The Red era was the most indicative of all. I'd say at least 75% of that album was Pop, and the biggest hits from the album, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble", were both Pop releases first and foremost (WANEGBT saw a Country remix after it was first released to CHR/Pop radio). It was clear where her mind was headed, her artistry was headed, and where her heart was setting. Think back to it: the year of 2013 at the Country music awards shows. It was almost like a big goodbye hug to Country's golden child. At the 2013 CMT Music Awards, she performed a flashy version of the Pop hit "Red" and the single saw a slow and unusually colder reception to the genre's radio airplay and sales. Then at the 2013 CMA Awards, she received the Pinnacle Award and a slew of Country stars (that she opened for on tours before headlining) all presented her with a trophy recognizing her massive achievements in the genre. Looking back, it all seems like it was a large "goodbye" that completely flew over our heads. So with all of that in mind, I support her decision to finally push to Pop. It's where she seems to be seeing the most success, and fans will follow regardless of what genre she labels herself. She's got a legion of supporters and can still outsell almost everyone in this industry handily. If she can do all of that, still see the success she's been seeing throughout her recent glory years, and make the music she's been dying to make, then all the more power to her. I preordered the physical deluxe version of 1989 and bought "Shake it Off", and I'm thrilled with both purchases. Perfect segue into...

"Shake it Off" + the music video
This song seems to be getting a pretty polarizing reaction, and I'm not surprised. I'm sure part of it is due to the news of her departing from Country rubbing onto opinions of upset fans, but count me in the party that's enjoying this. It's fun for what its intent and worth is: a carefree, bop-along-in-the-car, cliché Pop radio earworm. Does it have lyrical genius written all over it? Not a chance. The melody, the instrumentation, and the energy of the song is what drives it home for me. That, and the spoken word bridge is so, so good. I'm determined to memorize it by the end of tomorrow, lol. So many people on here (especially in the Country folder lately, but that's due to the recent radio releases of male singles to the genre) give others such a hard time for not enjoying some silly songs. Well, here's my silly song that I enjoy. Personally, I hate the term "haters" because having a difference of opinion should not, and does not, equate to being a "hater," which is just an obnoxious term that's been perpetuated astronomically by modern day pop culture and youth. This song's message to essentially tell the haters to "screw off" and "dance it out"/"shake it off" is fun and energizing for me, though. I'm saying it now: I'm a complete music snob who will scoff at the slightest lyrical disaster, rip apart any radio trend that's lasted way beyond its shelf life, and supports artists that are vocally fantastic over those that aren't, and I like "Shake it Off". As for the video, what's not to love? It's a video that shows Taylor Swift completely mocking her own self and the people she gets critiqued by the most: us. Who cares? She's showing that we can say whatever the hell we want. It doesn't matter to her, and it never will. If she can take that, run with it, turn it into some entertainment value, and live a little, then even more power to her.

I support her with this era. No, it's not because "Carrie has less competition at awards shows now and has a chance to win those fan-voted awards back!!!" That'll be nice to see if it happens, but no. I support her because she's doing what she wants and is handling the transition like a pro. I still hate Scott Borchetta, though.

[Kat5Kind]

I'm not exactly happy with this, but I can understand it. She'll crawl back to country eventually anyway. I'm just of the opinion she was better when she was country (before the Red era).

[drummerman2009]

Aug 19, 2014 0:46:36 GMT -5 14887fan said:

Aug 19, 2014 0:18:34 GMT -5 drummerman2009 said:

There's a small article about Taylor and her new single on Page 5 of this week's Billboard Country Update. I do have a question for everyone. What does everyone on the country forum think about her switching over to pop full time? Her new song and video? I know how I feel but am interested to read some of your answers.

If there's one thing I'll be upset about over all of this, it'll be Country continuing to try and claim her as their own. Right now, the Country outlets are simply reporting that she's leaving the genre (I haven't seen the BCU article yet, though), so that's obviously passable, but if there's anything in the future of them continuing to endlessly promote her material just because she once was Country, that's when I'll start to get a little rotten over it. She's said herself that this next release is a full-fledged Pop release, so Country music trying to keep her in their clutches just because she's one of the biggest music stars on the planet would look more embarrassing on the genre's part than on anyone else's.

Anyways, moving on to your questions...

Moving to Pop full-time (for this album, at least)
We don't know if this is a permanent shift to Pop. I mean, LeAnn Rimes went to Pop and then came crawling back to Country a few years later, but her career also took too many punches on a personal level for her to be able to be as musically inventive as she tried to be since she didn't have much room to lose the fanbase she had left after the Brandi/Eddie debacle. For Taylor, I'm thrilled that she moved to Pop. I've always said that I enjoy (most of) her music but am not fond of her as a person (based on her personality, her presence on TV appearances, etc.), so I've never not given her releases the time of day. I was, and still am, a fan of some or all of each of her four previous albums, but it was clear once the Fearless era came around that she wasn't going to be a sole Country staple for an extensive period of time. I mean, she even submitted, and received, a Grammy nomination for Best Solo Pop Vocal Performance for "You Belong With Me" that year at the show (same year she won Album of the Year for Fearless). It's not like we didn't see this full-fledged shift coming at some point. The Red era was the most indicative of all. I'd say at least 75% of that album was Pop, and the biggest hits from the album, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble", were both Pop releases first and foremost (WANEGBT saw a Country remix after it was first released to CHR/Pop radio). It was clear where her mind was headed, her artistry was headed, and where her heart was setting. Think back to it: the year of 2013 at the Country music awards shows. It was almost like a big goodbye hug to Country's golden child. At the 2013 CMT Music Awards, she performed a flashy version of the Pop hit "Red" and the single saw a slow and unusually colder reception to the genre's radio airplay and sales. Then at the 2013 CMA Awards, she received the Pinnacle Award and a slew of Country stars (that she opened for on tours before headlining) all presented her with a trophy recognizing her massive achievements in the genre. Looking back, it all seems like it was a large "goodbye" that completely flew over our heads. So with all of that in mind, I support her decision to finally push to Pop. It's where she seems to be seeing the most success, and fans will follow regardless of what genre she labels herself. She's got a legion of supporters and can still outsell almost everyone in this industry handily. If she can do all of that, still see the success she's been seeing throughout her recent glory years, and make the music she's been dying to make, then all the more power to her. I preordered the physical deluxe version of 1989 and bought "Shake it Off", and I'm thrilled with both purchases. Perfect segue into...

"Shake it Off" + the music video
This song seems to be getting a pretty polarizing reaction, and I'm not surprised. I'm sure part of it is due to the news of her departing from Country rubbing onto opinions of upset fans, but count me in the party that's enjoying this. It's fun for what its intent and worth is: a carefree, bop-along-in-the-car, cliché Pop radio earworm. Does it have lyrical genius written all over it? Not a chance. The melody, the instrumentation, and the energy of the song is what drives it home for me. That, and the spoken word bridge is so, so good. I'm determined to memorize it by the end of tomorrow, lol. So many people on here (especially in the Country folder lately, but that's due to the recent radio releases of male singles to the genre) give others such a hard time for not enjoying some silly songs. Well, here's my silly song that I enjoy. Personally, I hate the term "haters" because having a difference of opinion should not, and does not, equate to being a "hater," which is just an obnoxious term that's been perpetuated astronomically by modern day pop culture and youth. This song's message to essentially tell the haters to "screw off" and "dance it out"/"shake it off" is fun and energizing for me, though. I'm saying it now: I'm a complete music snob who will scoff at the slightest lyrical disaster, rip apart any radio trend that's lasted way beyond its shelf life, and supports artists that are vocally fantastic over those that aren't, and I like "Shake it Off". As for the video, what's not to love? It's a video that shows Taylor Swift completely mocking her own self and the people she gets critiqued by the most: us. Who cares? She's showing that we can say whatever the hell we want. It doesn't matter to her, and it never will. If she can take that, run with it, turn it into some entertainment value, and live a little, then even more power to her.

I support her with this era. No, it's not because "Carrie has less competition at awards shows now and has a chance to win those fan-voted awards back!!!" That'll be nice to see if it happens, but no. I support her because she's doing what she wants and is handling the transition like a pro. I still hate Scott Borchetta, though.

Fair enough but what I'm afraid of that Taylor will shed her image like Miley Cyrus did when she ditched her Hannah Montana persona and start pushing the envelope a bit by upgrading her tours into something along the lines of Miley, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry in essence a show that's PG all the way. Will she include her most country of her songs on tour like "Tim McGraw", "Teardrops On My Guitar", "Our Song" and "Should Have Said No"? I think that "1989" may be her biggest album ever in the first week of its release and that "Shake It Off" will possibly be a #1 on the Hot 100 something that everyone in Taylor's camp and Taylor herself wants. So I will say good luck to Taylor and hopefully she will come back to country one of these days.

[drock89]

As jholmes said, this is not to be an anti-Taylor thread. Because Taylor obviously has a large following in country music, this thread may stay open to discuss her new project by country fans. If it gets out of control, though, we'll lock it up. Thanks.

[Deleted]

What really intrigues me is how this will impact the female artists on the format. Taylor was one of the three leading ladies on the format along with Carrie and Miranda. Her departure of the genre might leave a void that needs to be filled. Perhaps upcoming female artists will have an opportunity to break out? Or this might lead to an even smaller female-male ratio at the format though I'm doubting that since Maddie & Tae are having tremendous success with their debut single and that leaves me hopeful.

As a career move it makes sense and I do think it'll have some sort of impact on her sales though I still expect her to debut to under a million with her new record.

[echocountry]

what do you mean FIRST pop album??? All of her albums have been pop - (or crossover to country)....Just because she puts on pink cowboy boots and plays a banjo does not make her country.... But this song "Shake it Off" is just awful... I preferred never ever ever ever ever compared to this!

[Deleted]

Honestly, I'm glad Taylor has made the switch. I've always gotten the impression Pop music was where she has wanted to be, and where she feels comfortable artistically.

I get the impression Taylor will stay in Pop, and this isn't really comparable to a LeAnn Rimes type situation.
Taylor has done amazingly well in Pop since the "Fearless" era, and her presence has only grown since then.
She won't come back if she flops, because if history is any indication, that won't happen.
I don't think the Country music community will have much trouble distancing themselves from Taylor, seeing as she hasn't won major awards lately, and has probably been nominated because BM still labeled her Country.
She might lose a few fans, but she has a huge international Pop audience that will make up for it.
If anything, people might respect her more for following her heart and doing what she wants, instead of sticking around because she has to.

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2014 13:20:17 GMT -5 echocountry said:

what do you mean FIRST pop album??? All of her albums have been pop - (or crossover to country)....Just because she puts on pink cowboy boots and plays a banjo does not make her country.... But this song "Shake it Off" is just awful... I preferred never ever ever ever ever compared to this!

See, this is exactly the kind of post I feared we'd get here. Please do not make comments like this. Consider this an unofficial warning.

[.indulgecountry]

I'm honestly disappointed by her choice to move on from country completely, if that's what she's intending on doing (it's clear she is for this album, but idk what her future holds and she might come back to the genre again someday, who knows), because I have always liked her countrier material the most, even though I do her pop stuff as well (though noticeably less). Personally, I wish she took a path more similar to Shania Twain and continued to just toe the line between the two as best she could, but I can't say I blame her for making this decision after the Red era and as a result I'm not terribly surprised by this announcement either, since she had been drifting from the country scene more than ever before.

She's a huge star so her success should continue regardless of what she decides to do from here on out, but I'm sure there are others like myself who will be upset that she won't keep putting out country music. It'll be interesting to see how it affects her sales, i.e., because even though her fanbase is clearly massive, there's no doubt she'll lose some of her awareness by not having new singles on country radio and not being a mainstay at country awards shows, etc. Despite her big pop successes, she still has a very impressive catalog of country smashes from the past 8 years and I'm sure that had a large impact on her status today, even with crossover hits sprinkled throughout her career.

I'm definitely going to miss the country Taylor Swift. But, being a fan of her, I am looking forward to hearing how 1989 shapes up.

[ILLUSION]

This isn't her "first Pop album". It was definitely Red.

[Rumors]

The only reason she was even marketed to country in the first place was because her daddy threw money to a country label to get her started as a young female singer/songwriter. In all honesty she has always been pop. Her people took pop songs and fluffed them up to make them semi-country. The one exception may be "Tim McGraw." And I might say that is a pop song too if it weren't for the subject matter. I'm glad she had the honesty to come out and say this is a pop album. Maybe finally the country radio market can let go of her and give her airplay time to other artists that may truly be country. Taylor has had tremendous success to date and I see that continuing in the pop market whether she sexes up her image more or not. I never thought she would last as an adult artist because I just think so little of her actual talent but I was wrong. People that she wooed as fans when they were young are staying fans into their 20s. So let her become some international superstar that will sell 10-15 million albums per release. At least it will give some people some jobs somewhere.

[Uncle Lumpy]

<Tip toes in>

My views on Taylor line up directly with Rumors. Not meaning any disrespect to her fans but her talents have always eluded me & I think she is going to a genre more aligned with her musical leanings. Selfishly , I even hope she sells more records then the Beatles while shes there. Cause lets face it , the first bomb album and she will be back re-exploring her country "roots".

Good luck Taylor.

<Tip toes out>


(Sigh) And yet I see her song/ pre-order is prominently featured in the Country section of iTunes.

[gardyfan]

I find it funny that it was in 1989 when I turned to country music.

[onebuffalo]

Shake It Off will be Taylor Swift's second #1 pop hit following We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Bank on it.

[sabre14]

Aug 20, 2014 16:42:37 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Shake It Off will be Taylor Swift's second #1 pop hit following We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Bank on it.

Going out on a limb I see.

[onebuffalo]

Aug 20, 2014 16:44:04 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Aug 20, 2014 16:42:37 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Shake It Off will be Taylor Swift's second #1 pop hit following We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Bank on it.

Going out on a limb I see.

Just came from Billboard and they said Taylor Swift could sell around 400,000.

[sabre14]

Aug 20, 2014 16:45:55 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Aug 20, 2014 16:44:04 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Going out on a limb I see.

Just came from Billboard and they said Taylor Swift could sell around 400,000.

Monday at 5:00 P.M. was Taylor Swift day at Pulse. :)

Those numbers are crazy but nothing surprises me with Taylor anymore. Scott Borchetta got his wish and then some.

[matty005]

Aug 20, 2014 16:42:37 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Shake It Off will be Taylor Swift's second #1 pop hit following We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Bank on it.

Pretty sure "We Are Never" didn't make it to #1 but "I Knew You Were Trouble" did.

[Deleted]

Aug 20, 2014 22:27:06 GMT -5 matty005 said:

Aug 20, 2014 16:42:37 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Shake It Off will be Taylor Swift's second #1 pop hit following We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Bank on it.

Pretty sure "We Are Never" didn't make it to #1 but "I Knew You Were Trouble" did.

Right you are, matty005. "I Knew You Were Trouble" was a #1 pop hit as well as a #1 hit on the Adult Top 40 chart. It peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 (I think this is where onebuffalo often gets confused...the Hot 100 is an all-genre chart, not exclusively a pop chart).

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" did hit #1 on the Hot 100 but it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 (pop radio) chart.

[sabre14]

Aug 20, 2014 22:27:06 GMT -5 matty005 said:

Aug 20, 2014 16:42:37 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Shake It Off will be Taylor Swift's second #1 pop hit following We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Bank on it.

Pretty sure "We Are Never" didn't make it to #1 but "I Knew You Were Trouble" did.

It made it to #1 on the mongrel chart as well as the Billboard Hot 100 but not the airplay. "I Knew You Were Trouble" did though so yes and no. "We Are Never" made it to #1 but not airplay.

Edit: jhomes87 beat me again.

[onebuffalo]

Aug 20, 2014 22:34:38 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

Aug 20, 2014 22:27:06 GMT -5 matty005 said:

Pretty sure "We Are Never" didn't make it to #1 but "I Knew You Were Trouble" did.

Right you are, matty005. "I Knew You Were Trouble" was a #1 pop hit as well as a #1 hit on the Adult Top 40 chart. It peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 (I think this is where onebuffalo often gets confused...the Hot 100 is an all-genre chart, not exclusively a pop chart).

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" did hit #1 on the Hot 100 but it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 (pop radio) chart.

Let me say first that I am NOT confused between the Hot 100 chart and an exclusive pop chart. When I say pop chart, I am referring to the Hot 100 chart. If I said Pop chart (notice the capital 'P'), that would be the Pop Songs chart (which I do not follow). However, when the chart highlights come out on a Monday and I see that a certain song debuts on the Pop Songs chart or the Adult Pop Songs chart, I make sure that those charts are credited. On the last page of the This Is How We Roll thread, this is what I said:

This Is How We Roll debuts at #38 on the adult pop songs chart, #39 on the pop songs chart. Luke Bryan is being credited.

If you notice, I said adult pop songs chart and pop songs chart back then. Shortly thereafter, other posters caused the discussion to go in another direction and the thread was locked (if anyone recalls that). I saluted Sylvia's Nobody yesterday and said it was a #1 country hit that peaked at #15 pop (Hot 100) and #5 adult contemporary. I have the Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits in my 'reference library'. The author (I don't have the book in front of me and surprise, it's NOT Joel Whitburn) prefaces his comments by saying when he refers to the pop chart (small 'p' there), it is the Hot 100 chart. For those who have been following my column over the past five years should know that by now. It is easier to say 'pop' versus 'Hot 100' because the word 'pop' takes up three spaces whereas the term 'Hot 100' takes up seven (you can fit the word pop twice in Hot 100).

Hopefully, this should clear things up.

[Deleted]

Is it really that difficult to say "Hot 100" rather than pop? Saying "pop chart" is longer than "Hot 100". In any case, it's simply not a "pop chart" in any way, shape, or form, unless by "pop" you mean "overall popularity" rather than the pop genre of music.

[onebuffalo]

Not everyone loves Taylor Swift:

tasteofcountry.com/rapper-calls-taylor-swift-shake-it-off-video-racist/

[jesster]

Not everyone loves Taylor Swift:

tasteofcountry.com/rapper-calls-taylor-swift-shake-it-off-video-racist/

This kind of comment always makes a great first impression on me in reading someone's "criticism"

haven't watched the taylor swift video and I don't need to watch it to tell you that it's inherently offensive and ultimately harmful

[echocountry]

Im so scared...

[Deleted]

Aug 22, 2014 13:39:20 GMT -5 echocountry said:

Im so scared...

Um, okay? What does this have to do with Taylor's upcoming album and her continued shift away from country?