Which brings us to Taylor Swift. On the heels of a very public legal battle with Scooter Braun, where Swift was battling to regain ownership of her earlier albums, the 31-year-old singer-songwriter extracted herself from the claws of previous record labels and their restrictions. She did things her own way under Republic Records, releasing two understated, introspective and experimental albums, ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’. And in a way, the surprise album has become synonymous with freedom and breaking rules — a statement to the world that you move at your own pace. Whether it can continue to hold that impact 10 years from now, or become totally obsolete in the fast-moving world of digital uploads, remains to be seen. But for now, we have some unexpected new music to enjoy.
AP