Why Did Taylor Swift Switch Genres?

It’s common for artists in all kinds of creative pursuits to adapt or change their style as time goes on, whether it be due to experimentation, interest in a different genre, or personal development. Taylor Swift is a musician that perfectly embodies this, but what was the reason for her genre shift?

Taylor Swift switched genres because she felt pop was a more comfortable genre for her than her country roots. Although she had experimented with the genre in her fourth album, the fifth release was where she fully committed.

It wasn’t until that fifth release that Swift had truly made the jump into pop music, though it was clear from the album Red that she was planning on making the move into a different genre. If you were a fan of Swift’s original country music, it might be hard to imagine how she could have made such a radical genre switch, since pop and country are worlds apart stylistically.

Swift’s Genre Experimentation

Red was the fourth studio album that Swift released, with the prior three all having her then-staple country sound. Although Red wasn’t without its fair share of country influence as well, Swift didn’t purely take her first steps into pop with the album, there was a mixture of genres fused together, making it something of a genre taste test to see which style suited her best.

For many critics, however, the main focus was on the new pop-driven sound that the album presented, a feature that many felt elevated the album above her previous outings. Despite being markedly different from the rest of her body of work at the time, Swift still managed to retain her unique voice across the record.

Her spirited foray into the future popstar she was set to become wasn’t without its criticisms, however. One example was the critique that the album lacked the consistency required to make it a truly great record, a possible byproduct from the fact that it was trying to be so many things at once.

Even with the multi-colored nature of the influences that the album possesses, and it being a far cry from what most would consider her usual country style, the album still received nominations for Best Country Album.

Everyone else’s opinions aside, Swift clearly felt happier musically in the new space that she now occupied, even commenting herself that she found working with pop music to be more comfortable.

Not wanting to do anything in half-measures or without being fully committed, and after seeing both the creative interest that pop piqued in her and the potential for success, Swift went to work on her fifth album.

Fully Transitioning to Pop

If Red was Swift dipping her toes into the pop waters, then the follow-up album 1989 was the equivalent of diving head-first into the water. Any notion of retaining the original country sound, or other overlapping genres, was completely thrown to the wayside.

In place of the eclectic mixture of genres present on Red, her fifth and newest studio album dedicated itself to an ’80s themed pop-synth flavor. Although the music itself had adopted a more mainstream sound, much to the joy of her fans, the lyricism still successfully encapsulated her own unique personality style.

The combination of the mainstream appeal and her character made for the recipe to create a pop sensation. After a decade of making country music, from her first eponymous album Taylor Swift in 2006, all the way through to her release of 1989, Swift had successfully transcended her original genre and transformed her public image.

A Completed Journey

Less of an instant transition and more of a careful journey, Swift’s genre switch into the world of pop has been nothing but successful for her. Riding that wave of success, her subsequent two albums Reputation, and Lover would both borrow heavily from the electronic and synth that she had mastered in 1989.

Looking at the work she has produced, it’s reasonably safe to say that a huge amount of Swift’s success isn’t tied to the genre that she chooses to adopt, and all to do with her songwriting ability. 

Much of the evidence for this can be seen in her album Folklore, another chart-topping success with a fresh new sound. Given another decade, who knows what sort of shape her music will have taken!

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