It’s been nearly two years since Taylor Swift released Evermore, and fans eagerly awaited the drop of her newest album Midnights this past weekend. With such a unique collection of music, I use no exaggeration when I say that we’re entering a new era of Taylor. Taylor has classified this album as 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout her life. These new songs indulge fans in a Taylor that refuses to stay silent about struggles of fame, love and insecurity.
Though I am a big ‘Swifty’, for some reason this has not been one of my favourite albums of hers. Sure, I still listened to it on repeat, but a part of me is somewhat unimpressed and underwhelmed by how only a few songs compare to her older albums. Taylor’s old songs such as those from her albums Red, Lover and Fearless were much catchier, upbeat and fun. This album was amazing nonetheless, but I found the songs to be lacking a certain “dance party in the kitchen with your friends” type of vibe I feel her other albums provided.
This album, Taylor’s 10th since 2006, falls under the pop and alternative genre. This is a shift from the musical genre she used to create when her career started. Regardless of song or style, Taylor Swift has been one of the highest-selling artists for over a decade. Midnights has managed to break records and make history, being streamed over 72.5 million times in this past week alone.
On the day of its release, Midnights broke Spotify’s global records for the highest amount of streams in one day. Not only is this an amazing achievement for Taylor Swift, but this surpasses the number of streams her previously bestselling album, 1989, hit. This goes to show that Taylor continues to reach new heights of stardom while improving her abilities each time.
I find that Taylor’s most notable songs from Midnights are Karma, Midnight Rain, Mastermind, and Vigilante Shit. These are the songs that I found myself to be listening to the most. Karma and Vigilante Shit remind me of songs from Taylor’s Reputation album because of their similar beats and music style, while Midnight Rain and Mastermind give the album a different feel. Fan favourites from the album also include Anti-Hero, Lavender Haze and Maroon,. All have gained popularity as sounds on TikTok, along with the aforementioned favourites.
When her rise to fame began, Taylor was only 16 years old and produced country music. Through the years, she has consistently shifted between music genres and has continued to develop new styles. It wasn’t until Taylor’s fifth studio album, 1989, that she switched her focus from country music and transitioned to pop. Since then, we have seen a steady flow of pop music that I think leaves fans feeling connected, heard and understood.
I find that Taylor Swift does well because she makes music that caters to all of her fans. I find many of her songs relatable. Even if not all of her songs resonate with you, through all her albums there should be at least one song where a person can find some common ground. If this is not the case, most Taylor swift songs are notorious for being the dance party variety, and nothing is better than putting some Taylor Swift on and having a lighthearted, carefree dance party with your friends.