Folklore (stylized in all lowercase) is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on July 24, 2020, through Republic Records, exactly eleven months after Swift's seventh studio album, Lover (2019). The album was conceived in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, with production from Aaron Dessner, her long-time collaborator Jack Antonoff and Swift herself. Folklore is a surprise album, announced on social media hours before its release.
Background and release
Folklore was written and recorded in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Swift "poured all of whims, dreams, fears, and musings into" the album, collaborating with some of her "musical heroes". Aaron Dessner, guitarist of the American indie rock band The National, was approached by Swift in late April to co-write some songs remotely. Dessner worked on eleven of the album's sixteen tracks with Swift over the next several months, while Swift wrote the remaining five songs with Jack Antonoff, William Bowery and Bon Iver. Dessner remarked that he "thought it would take a while for song ideas to come" and "had no expectations as far as what we could accomplish remotely" but was pleasantly surprised that "a few hours after sharing music, my phone lit up with a voice memo from Taylor of a fully written song—the momentum never really stopped." He commented, "There's a palpable humanity and warmth and raw emotion in these songs that I hope you'll love and take comfort in as much as I do." The album was a surprise release, announced by Swift on her social media accounts hours before its launch, on midnight of July 24, 2020. It followed her seventh studio album Lover (2019), released eleven months prior. Folklore initially came with eight one-week limited-edition deluxe CDs and vinyls, all of which featured different cover artworks and photo collections. During the YouTube premiere countdown to the music video for "Cardigan", Swift revealed that the album lyrics contained many of her signature Easter eggs: "One thing I did purposely on this album was put the Easter eggs in the lyrics, more than just the videos. I created character arcs and recurring themes that map out who is singing about who... For example, there's a collection of three songs I refer to as the Teenage Love Triangle. These three signs explore a love triangle from all three people's perspectives at different times in their lives". She referred to the album as "wistful and full of escapism. Sad, beautiful, tragic. Like a photo album full of imagery, and all the stories behind that imagery" and described "My Tears Ricochet"—a self-written track—as a the first song she wrote for the album and one that explores "lost romance and why young love is often fixed so permanently in our memories".
Promotion
Folklore marked the first time that Swift strayed from a traditional album rollout, opting instead to release the album suddenly because " gut is telling that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world". Swift first announced the album on Twitter, 16 hours prior to its digital release. An accompanying music video for the track "Cardigan", directed by Swift and produced by Jil Hardin, was released along with the album.Folklore (stylized in all lowercase) is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on July 24, 2020, through Republic Records, exactly eleven months after Swift's seventh studio album, Lover (2019). The album was conceived in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, with production from Aaron Dessner, her long-time collaborator Jack Antonoff and Swift herself. Folklore is a surprise album, announced on social media hours before its release.
Background and release
Folklore was written and recorded in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Swift "poured all of whims, dreams, fears, and musings into" the album, collaborating with some of her "musical heroes". Aaron Dessner, guitarist of the American indie rock band The National, was approached by Swift in late April to co-write some songs remotely. Dessner worked on eleven of the album's sixteen tracks with Swift over the next several months, while Swift wrote the remaining five songs with Jack Antonoff, William Bowery and Bon Iver. Dessner remarked that he "thought it would take a while for song ideas to come" and "had no expectations as far as what we could accomplish remotely" but was pleasantly surprised that "a few hours after sharing music, my phone lit up with a voice memo from Taylor of a fully written song—the momentum never really stopped." He commented, "There's a palpable humanity and warmth and raw emotion in these songs that I hope you'll love and take comfort in as much as I do." The album was a surprise release, announced by Swift on her social media accounts hours before its launch, on midnight of July 24, 2020. It followed her seventh studio album Lover (2019), released eleven months prior. Folklore initially came with eight one-week limited-edition deluxe CDs and vinyls, all of which featured different cover artworks and photo collections. During the YouTube premiere countdown to the music video for "Cardigan", Swift revealed that the album lyrics contained many of her signature Easter eggs: "One thing I did purposely on this album was put the Easter eggs in the lyrics, more than just the videos. I created character arcs and recurring themes that map out who is singing about who... For example, there's a collection of three songs I refer to as the Teenage Love Triangle. These three signs explore a love triangle from all three people's perspectives at different times in their lives". She referred to the album as "wistful and full of escapism. Sad, beautiful, tragic. Like a photo album full of imagery, and all the stories behind that imagery" and described "My Tears Ricochet"—a self-written track—as a the first song she wrote for the album and one that explores "lost romance and why young love is often fixed so permanently in our memories".
Promotion
Folklore marked the first time that Swift strayed from a traditional album rollout, opting instead to release the album suddenly because " gut is telling that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world". Swift first announced the album on Twitter, 16 hours prior to its digital release. An accompanying music video for the track "Cardigan", directed by Swift and produced by Jil Hardin, was released along with the album.false2022-09-21 20:25:12folklore8.920202020-07-242020-07-2468Alternative FolkAlternative PopFolkFolk PopIndie FolkIndie PopPopSinger-SongwriterRepublic Records11135223466070ca6db69-0719-4a00-99be-f87ef1cff6cb20244d07-534f-4eff-b4d4-930878889970f1d08326-c23b-4b43-be3b-20b33ab10bf6/media/data/media5/Music/Taylor Swift/folklore (2020)/folder.jpgTaylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her narrative songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and widespread media coverage. Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 14 to pursue a career in country music. She signed a songwriting contract with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2004 and a recording deal with Big Machine Records in 2005, and released her eponymous debut studio album in 2006.
Swift explored country pop on the albums Fearless (2008) and Speak Now (2010); the success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" on both country and pop radio established her as a leading crossover artist. She experimented with rock and electronic genres on her fourth studio album, Red (2012), supported by the singles "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble". Swift eschewed country on her synth-pop album 1989 (2014) and its chart-topping tracks "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood". Media scrutiny on Swift's private life inspired Reputation (2017), which drew from urban sounds. Led by "Look What You Made Me Do", the album made Swift the only act in MRC Data history to have four albums each sell over a million copies in a week.
Parting ways with Big Machine, Swift signed with Republic Records in 2018 and released her seventh studio album, Lover (2019). Inspired by escapism during the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift ventured into indie folk and alternative rock styles on her 2020 studio albums, Folklore and Evermore, receiving plaudits for their nuanced storytelling. Following a dispute over the masters of her back catalog, she released the 2021 re-recordings Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version) to universal acclaim. The number-one songs "Cardigan", "Willow" and "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" made Swift the only act to simultaneously debut atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts three times. Besides music, she has played supporting roles in films such as Valentine's Day (2010) and Cats (2019), released the autobiographical documentary Miss Americana (2020), and directed the musical films Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020) and All Too Well: The Short Film (2021).
With over 200 million records sold worldwide, Swift is one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Eight of her songs have topped the Hot 100, and her concert tours are some of the highest-grossing in history. She has received 11 Grammy Awards (including three Album of the Year wins), an Emmy Award, 34 American Music Awards (the most for an artist), 29 Billboard Music Awards (the most for a woman) and 58 Guinness World Records, among other accolades. She has featured on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time (2015), Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists (2019), the Time 100 and Forbes Celebrity 100 rankings. Having been honored with titles such as Woman of the Decade and Artist of the Decade, Swift is regarded as a pop icon due to her influential career, philanthropy, and advocacy for artists' rights and women's empowerment.