A Deep Dive into Every Single Taylor Swift Era

A Deep Dive into Every Single Taylor Swift Era

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at all of Taylor Swift’s iconic eras so far.

Debut Era (2006)

Though she may now be far from her cowboy boot days, Taylor Swift originally got her start in country music. After relocating from her hometown in Pennsylvania to Hendersonville, Tennessee, Swift began trying to enter the Nashville music scene. It wasn’t long until she was discovered by DreamWorks executive Scott Borchetta while performing at the Bluebird Cafe. Signing with Borchetta’s new label, Big Machine Records, Swift quickly got to work on her eponymous debut album. It was heavily influenced by the young artist’s love of country greats like Shania Twain and The Chicks. At only 16 years old, Swift was taking the world by storm — and the best was yet to come.

“Fearless” Era (2008)

In 2008, the “Fearless” era entered the scene in a sparkly, fringy celebration of girlhood and adolescence. Remaining in the country genre, Swift explored themes of love, heartbreak, and growing up. The hard work paid off, as “Fearless” earned Taylor Swift her first Album of the Year award at the 52nd Annual Grammys. But all that glitters is not gold. On September 13, 2009, Swift was awarded Best Female Video at the MTV VMAs. To everyone’s surprise, rapper Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech with one of the most infamous lines in award show history. The moment would go on to permanently mark Swift’s career and inspire the iconic “Saturday Night Live” monologue song.

“Speak Now” Era (2010)

Coming off the heels of “Fearless”, the songstress went straight back to work, this time to record “Speak Now.” The country-pop album featured influences of pop rock, and tracks like “Back to December” and “Dear John” which incited speculation about Swift’s exes. Oh, and did we mention that she wrote it by herself, save for a bonus track that has since been retconned to another era? The album took stylistic chances and worked with enhanced lyricism, producing multiple fan-favorite tracks including the love letter that is “Long Live.” From 2011 to 2012, Swift also embarked on a world tour where she began writing lyrics down her left arm, which became emblematic of the era.

“Red” Era (2012)

The Taylor Swift we know today loves a little experimentation. And we can thank “Red” for much of it. For her fourth album, Swift opted to not restrict herself to one genre. The result was a hybrid of country, rock, and pop that changed the whole game. Inspired by Joni Mitchell’s “Blue”, “Red” is distinctly more mature in both its sound and lyrics, often reflecting on a previous relationship with an older man. It produced multiple hits, including “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and the memeified “I Knew You Were Trouble”, as well as fan-favorite “All Too Well”. The era was symbolized by things like heart-shaped sunglasses, Swift’s signature hairdo, and of course, a whole lot of red and vulnerability.

“1989” Era (2014)

After the experimentation of “Red,” many wondered if Swift was leaving country behind for good. By early 2014, Swift was single, chopped her long hair, and moved to NYC. So it was only fitting that she adopted a new sound, too. Indeed, Swift made the potentially risky move to fully transition to pop. Emulating the sounds of the 1980s, “1989” became an instant commercial success, spurring multiple hits like “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood,” and earning Swift another Album of the Year award. Skyrocketing to popstar status, Swift was the moment. But she was unfortunately also at the center of increasingly heavy criticism. Everything from her public feud with Katy Perry to speculation about her ex Harry Styles to her so-called “squad” was scrutinized. Sadly, when it came to a public lashing, the worst was yet to come…

“Reputation” Era (2017)

To say 2016 was not Swift’s year is understatement. After the release of Kanye West’s song “Famous,” and the edited phone call footage between West and Swift, a hate campaign was launched against the songstress. Led by Kim Kardashian, people left snake emojis on Swift’s posts and tweeted disparaging things under cruel hashtags. In response, the star disappeared from the public eye for an entire year. But in 2017, she returned and dropped “reputation,” an experimental electro-pop album. It is heavily satirical and leaned into how Swift was publicly depicted as the villain in tracks like “Look What You Made Me Do.” It also explored her highly private relationship with actor Joe Alwyn, which began during her hiatus, through deeply intimate love songs like “Delicate.” The release signaled the end of a different era altogether too, as “reputation” would mark Swift’s final album with Big Machine Records.

“Lover” Era (2019)

After “reputation,” it was time for a rebirth. With her new label, Republic, Swift began teasing her upcoming album in March 2019 with an extensive marketing campaign. It was clear that the “reputation” era was over with pastel colors, butterfly motifs, and of course, more than a few Easter eggs. In April, Swift dropped the lead single, “ME!” with a kaleidoscopic music video that hinted at the title of the album. The era was symbolized by activism, self-empowerment, and radio-ready pop hits produced by Jack Antonoff, among others. Unfortunately, the “Lover” era was cut short in early 2020 when the pandemic necessitated the cancellation of the Lover Fest tour.

“Folklore” Era (2020)

In March 2020, the world went quiet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the abrupt hitch in the “Lover” era, the future of Swift’s, well, eras, was on pause. That is, until July, when she took to social media to announce the surprise drop of “folklore.” “Folklore” was a massive departure from her previous sound, experimenting with genres like indie folk as well as more fictional storytelling. Swift worked alongside new collaborators like Aaron Dessner of the National and Justin Vernon, as well as her longtime musical partner Jack Antonoff. In November, Disney+ released a documentary concert film, recorded at Long Pond Studio, to celebrate the work. In 2021, “folklore” was named Album of the Year at the Grammys.

“Evermore” Era (2020)

Thought Swift was done with surprises? Think again! It was barely five months after the release of “folklore” that she dropped its sister album. After “folklore”, Swift continued writing and producing collaboratively with the team — especially Dessner. The result ultimately became “evermore,” which also brought in new collaborators like HAIM. Another cottage-core album with a folk-y sound, this one was sonically and lyrically a bit more despondent than its predecessor. It notably produced one of the artist’s most cathartic tracks, “champagne problems”, as well as the lead single “willow”. “Evermore” was given less pomp and circumstance than its sister, prompting fans to dub ​​it a “forgotten album” – something Swift denounced on the opening night of the Eras Tour in 2023.

Re-recordings Era (2021)

In the midst of all this, Swift entered a new mini-era or what you might call an “eras era”. In 2019, she entered a masters dispute with her former label over the ownership of her first six albums after Scooter Braun purchased Big Machine Records. After much friction, Swift ultimately heeded Kelly Clarkson’s advice, which was to re-record her stolen albums. The re-recordings officially kicked off in April 2021 with the re-release of “Fearless,” followed by “Red,” “Speak Now,” and “1989.” Each album has been appended by “(Taylor’s Version)” and received “vault tracks” — aka previously unreleased tracks. The re-recordings have been a fun way for Swifties to revisit old eras, but most importantly, represent the importance of owning one’s own work.

“Midnights” Era (2022)

Just when it seemed Swift couldn’t do more, she proved her tireless work ethic and dedication to fans again by announcing her new album “Midnights” at the 2022 VMAs. Pitched as a concept album, it revisited “13 sleepless nights” in the songstress’s career. The pre-release marketing had a distinctly retro, “sad girl” vibe, where the album sound itself was dreamy synth-pop produced mainly by Jack Antonoff. The deluxe 3 am edition, meanwhile, also notably featured collaborations with Aaron Dessner. The vulnerable, tongue-in-cheek “Anti-Hero” led the release, followed up by “Bejeweled” and “Lavender Haze,” each with its own Easter egg-filled music video. We can’t forget to mention hits like “Karma” and “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” either. It was also during the “Midnights” era that Swift kicked off the record-breaking Eras Tour, a 3.5-hour celebration of her career to date. Plus, this was the album that earned her a historic 4th Album of the Year Grammy.

“The Tortured Poets Department” Era (2024)

With ten albums and four re-recordings under her belt, it’s easy to assume Swift is slowing down. Not yet! At the 66th Grammy Awards, Swift hinted something was coming with a coded message on her website. That night, she announced her eleventh album, “The Tortured Poets Department” with a cryptic peace sign. At midnight on April 19, fans received the new 16-track synth-pop album. But that wasn’t all! At 2AM, Swift surprise-dropped “The Anthology,” which included another 15 tracks with a closer sound to “folklore” and “evermore”. The lead single, “Fortnight” features Post Malone and received a music video with Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles from “The Dead Poets Society.” We don’t know where this era will take us but we’re excited to follow our chairman into the fray!

Which Taylor Swift era is your absolute favorite? If you can pick just one, let us know what it is in the comments!