THINK THROUGH: Taylor Swift's Birthday Has Us Wondering if 'Speak Now' Will Be The Next Taylor's Version Album Release

I don't know about you, but Taylor Swift is feeling 33!

Taylor Swift has had a brilliant and record breaking career. With her most recently released album Midnights, the star became the first artist ever to hold the first ten slots in the Billboard Hot 100. She beat a streaming record that she set herself with her iconic, era definiting album Reputation. While many people spend their lives in the spotlight, she has found a way to ensure that ever second is absolutely iconic.

She has an unyeilding work ethic. Yesterday, on her 33rd birthday, she posted a picture of herself already back in the studio with Midnights co-producer Jack Antonoff. She sent out the picture on Twitter, writing to her fans, "Thanks for all the beautiful wishes today!! I spent my 33rd birthday in the studio of course. Wouldn't have it any other way. Love you!"

As Swifties everywhere are keenly aware of, Taylor Swift is in the midst of re-recording all of her previous albums. The phenom was haulted in her persuit when her hit song "Shake It Off" fell under legal fire. Swift has been fighting a law suit which was presented on the accusation that "Shake It Off" was plagerized. She was unable to move ahead with re-recording any of her albums.

Today, on her 33rd birthday, exciting news came to the surface: the law suit has been dropped. It has been proven that Swift did not plagerize the song. This legal announcement coupled with the photo of Swift in the studio has fans sharing a collective preminition: Speak Now must be next.

Was Speak Now the album that "Shake It Off" was on? No. However, fans were absolutely convinced that the star would announce the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version) on her birthday. As we sit here on the 14th of Decemeber, we know that that is not what happeend. Regardless of the title of the album, it seems that Swift is releasing the album any time other than NOW. This has gone on for so long, we needed to bring this issue through a true Music Times think through.

The Central Question

Do we think that Speak Now will be the next album? Since before the release of Midnights, Swifties have been speaking now (pun OBVIOUSLY intended) predicting the vocal album will be the next Taylor's Version that we will see. It has now been so long, we must bring this question back to the forefront. Is now really the time for Speak Now?

YES!

On the pro side, and mirroring the logic of Swifties across the land, it OBVIOUSLY has to be Speak Now. For starters, the number of alubms that have do not yet have a Taylor's Version are dwindling exceptionally. There are four albums left, and, for a variety of reasons, Speak Now is the favorite to be next.

The fact that the law suit did not regard a song on this album suggests that she may have had more freedom to develop the other recordings. Even if she had been sued (WHICH SHE WAS NOT BECAUSE SHE WROTE THE SONG), she could then still have a fully developed album ready to go. Had she worked on the Taylor's Version of 1989, she may have re-recorded every song and then had to spontaneously haulted production or become meyered in an even more complex legal battle.

Why wouldn't it be either Reputation or her debut album, Taylor Swift? Well, it certainly could be. However, Reputation was the last album released before she moved away from Big Machine Records. On top of that, doesn't it just make sense that the eternally nuanced, extrodinarily poetic star would end her re-records with her first album?

Do we have concrete evidence behind these assertions? No. But, hey, they make sense, right?

...But Maybe Not!

Let's sit together and think for a minute. When was the last time that Taylor Swift ever did exactly what we thought she would do. The star understands how deeply her fans dig into every second and slight suggestion of a movement that she puts out into the world. With this understanding, Swift finds her superpower. As easily as she can give her fans easter eggs and clues, she can just as easily trick them and lead them astray. As the star herself sings, "I'm only cryptic and Machiavellian because I care."

Anticipation has been building higher and higher for the release of Speak Now. While, obviously, the release of Midnights took a (understatement coming) fair amount of time and attention. There was, however, a long stretch of time wherein we heard no news from the sensation. While yes, this is not coming from a full understanding of the legal web she was caught in, why would the release of Speak Now have been held up by the law suit regarding "Shake It Off", a song famously on 1989.

Taylor Swift is famously a woman of her vision and her word. Every move she makes is exact and percise. If she previously decided that 1989 was going to be the next Taylor's Version album, she does not seem like someone who would compromise her artistic vision when she was staring down a fight she knew that she was going to win.

Could this be another version of the star leading us astray for the love of the game?

In Summary

It could go either way. Is she getting ready to give us the album that we have been expecting for months, or is she leading us down a new path, seemingly predictable path, just to surprise us at the other end. We will just have to wait to find out when she SPEAKs about it LATER! (Sorry, we couldn't resist!

Tags

Taylor Swift, Midnights, Billboard hot 100, 1989