MUMBAI: Taylor Swift, the prevailing goliath of the pop cosmos, isn’t new to the idea of writing and recording. She dropped not one, but two albums during quarantine, the internet was impressed.
The American singer-songwriter started the year 2020 by releasing her own documentary film on Netflix “Miss Americana” on 31 January 2020 Directed by Lana Wilson. The film showcases her life over the course of several years of her career describing unvarnished and emotionally-revealing look at Swift, during a metamorphic phase in her life, as she learns to accept her role as not only an entertainer and singer-songwriter, but as a woman "harnessing the full power of her voice".
It also became the highest-rated Netflix-original biographical documentary by a recording artist in IMDb history. Accompanying the film's release, "Only the Young", a song by Swift featured in the end credits, was released as a promotional single.
Swift is full of surprises, she dropped her 8th album through Republic Records on July 24, 2020. Swift wrote and recorded the album during the COVID-19 pandemic, conceiving it as "a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness" rising out of her imagination.
"Folklore" is indeed one of the most iconic artistic masterpiece ever written. This is what i call artistic expression at it's finest. The way she perceives life and navigates through it, sharing all her experiences she's had since the start of her career till date poetically through the perspective of the fictitious characters she has created is commendable. It's one thing to feel the music, but it's another thing entirely for it to become a part of our being, to flow as freely through us as blood. The way she captured her raw emotions and painted it on the canvas embellished with beautifully crafted song writing accompanied with minimalist acoustically driven music and really simple yet refined, passionate and mature vocals is transcendental. She yet again proved to us that is undoubtedly one of the greatest lyricist of our generation.
Folklore broke many streaming records, such as the Guinness World Record for the biggest opening day for an album by a female artist on Spotify. According to Republic Records, Folklore sold two million copies in its first week globally. It reached number one in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
All of its 16 tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. The lead single "Cardigan" became Swift's sixth US number-one single, making her the first act to debut atop both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously, while "The 1" and "Exile" opened at numbers four and six, respectively; these three songs further reached top-10
Take a look at the tracklist for “folklore” below.
“The 1”
“Cardigan”
“The Last Great American Dynasty”
“Exile” (featuring Bon Iver)
“My Tears Ricochet”
“Mirrorball”
“Seven”
“August”
“This Is Me Trying”
“Illicit Affairs”
“Invisible String”
“Mad Woman”
“Epiphany”
“Betty”
“Peace”
“Hoax”
“The Lakes” (Bonus Track)
The singer-songwriter announced another surprised ninth studio album called "Evermore" on Thursday December 11, less than five months after releasing her first album of 2020 called "Folklore."
Sequels are always tricky. Evermore is a "sister record" to its predecessor, both being surprise albums announced on social media hours before release. It is primarily an alternative rock and chamber rock album that expands on the indie/folk sounds of Folklore, and revolves around a fresh set of storytelling narratives that are not told in its predecessor.
On “Folklore,” Swift decided she could set aside autobiography to tell stories that weren’t necessarily her own. “Evermore” features more character studies and role playing, as she sings about infidelity, con jobs, even murder.
See the tracklist here:
• Willow
• Champagne Problem
• Gold Rush
• 'Tis The Damn Season
• Tolerate It
• No Body, No Crime (feat Haim)
• Happiness
• Dorothea
• Coney Island (feat The National)
• Ivy
• Cowboy Like Me
• Long Story Short
• Marjorie
• Closure
• Evermore (Bon Iver)
Bonus tracks-
• Right Where You Left Me
• Its Time To Go