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‘1989’ (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift has re-recorded and will re-release her fifth studio album ‘1989’ in October of 2023. The announcement was made on stage during her Eras Tour Los Angeles show on 9th August. The album is available for pre-order now and will be released on October 27.
Swift took to social media soon after the show to announce the release, stating “this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done”. Initially released in 2014, ‘1989’ includes hits such as “22″, “Shake It Off,” “Bad Blood” and “Blank Space.”
The re-release of ‘1989’ makes this the fourth ‘Taylor’s Version’ album after her public controversy with Scooter Braun.
Taylor Swift’s re-recordings explained
After her 13-year contract with Big Machine Records came to an end, Taylor signed a new agreement with Republic Records in 2018. In 2019, a private equity group known as Ithaca Holdings, which is owned by prominent music manager Scooter Braun, purchased Big Machine Records. Braun later sold all artists’ masters (Swift’s included) to another company called Shamrock Holdings for a reported $300 million.
This meant Taylor Swift did not have ownership of her recordings under Big Machine (her first six albums; ‘Taylor Swift’, ‘Fearless’, ‘Speak Now’, ‘Red’, ‘1989’, and ‘Reputation’), and negotiations on acquiring them fell through.
In August of 2019, Taylor revealed her plans to re-record and release all six of her past albums. She has the publishing rights to her work since she is the primary songwriter for each of her songs.
Swift’s most recent venture, ‘Speak Now’ (Taylor’s Version) officially debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in July 2023, becoming her 12th album to reach the top spot.
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