Jenarita Plante
Anchor Staff Writer
Once the clock struck midnight on Oct. 21, Taylor Swift dropped her tenth studio album titled “Midnights.” As “Swifties” everywhere were anxiously waiting with bloodshot eyes, I slept ever so soundly in my bed. To be completely honest, I hadn’t even heard that Swift was coming out with a new album; I have never been a huge fan, although I have always had respect for her. I have always enjoyed her music, but I have never sought after any of it. So as I listened to Lite Rock 105 that morning, I heard her new song “Anti-Hero” come over the radio and just like that, I was hooked. By the end of the day, I had listened to the entire CD twice.
The album, “Midnights,” is about thirteen sleepless nights that Swift has encountered in life. She even added another seven more tracks at 3 a.m. for those true insomniacs. Only a week and a half after its debut, the album is already the best selling album of 2022, with “Anti-Hero” topping the official Billboard Charts as number one. The album sold a shattering 1.12 million U.S. copies in its first week alone. Spotify even claims Swift and her album have broken two records on the streaming service: Most streamed album in a single day and most streamed artist in a single day.
But of course, this is not Swift's first record-breaker. She holds a total of 74 awards, including most recently, a 2021 Grammy Album of the Year and 2021 Billboard Music Award for Top Female Artist. Swift also received the 2022 MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year. Swift is arguably one of the best selling musicians of all time. Although I have never been a massive fan, there is something undeniably different about this album; it hits the core of your soul.
Swift focuses on the self in “Midnights”; self-assurance, insecurity, anxiety, self criticism and public image. She does all of this through her lens of insomnia. These topics help people to realize that Swift is a human being, and through connected identity it links the listener and pulls them in. The songs are catchy with their synth vibe and the lyrical genius is a big draw to each track. The words are written so well in fact that they fit so many normal lives. I know that I haven’t stopped humming and singing several of the tracks since first hearing them.
Swift seems to be continuously reinventing herself as a musician. Through the years she has been labeled as Pop, Country, Folk, Rock and Roll and Alternative. This album is more of a concept album and the musical elements have more of an ‘80s feel to them. You can almost picture some of her new jams in shows like “Stranger Things.” Overall, people seem to be loving the new Swift. This reinvention of self and candidness with the world has helped to create a stellar album. I recommend that if you have not yet heard Swift's new “Midnights,” you find yourself a good streaming service and do so. You may just find your new favorite song.