Why Taylor Swift's "1989" May Be Her Biggest Success Yet

By Elana Goodwin on November 13, 2014

Taylor Swift’s newest album, “1989,” came out October 27 and sold over 1.28 million copies in the first week, the first album to do so since 2002.

She’s now the first artist in history to have sold a million copies in the first week three times in a row (her previous albums “Speak Now” and “Red” also sold over 1 million copies in their first weeks).

Photo Credit: harpersbazaar.com

“1989″ is different from her first four albums; this is Swift’s first fully pop album, a complete departure from her country roots. While many were skeptical about Taylor Swift’s ability to successfully make the jump to all-pop, “1989″ may actually be her biggest success yet.

With the music industry experiencing a steep decline in sales as a reflection of the state of our economy, “1989″ is giving it the boost it needs as fans have been buying the new release both in stores and online.

Another contributing factor to the album’s success may stem from the fact that Swift did produce a pop album. While of course there are die-hard country fans out there, pop seems to be a lot more mainstream and widely liked.

So although Swift singles got plenty of airtime, some were almost embarrassed or hesitant to like her because they “didn’t like country music.” Already in her last CD, 2012′s “Red,” Taylor started going a bit more pop in her singles “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “22″ and they all had huge commercial success.

Illustrating this point, “Saturday Night Live” recently had a skit called “Swiftamine” in which people experienced vertigo from finding out a new song they liked is by Taylor Swift and they actually like it.

Further, Swift has penned a 13-track album that’s likable to all ages and listeners as it isn’t too bubbly and bright. Instead, “1989″ has a more experienced sound and wider range, from the danceable “Shake It Off” to the more mature electropop “Blank Space,” her first two singles off the album.

The music video for “Shake It Off,” which was posted on YouTube two months ago, has already amassed over 257.8 million views. The video for “Blank Space,” which went up on YouTube Monday, has already garnered over 17.7 million views.

Plus, Taylor recently pulled all her albums off music-streaming site Spotify, saying:

“I’m not willing to contribute my life’s work to an experiment that I don’t feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists and creators of this music. And I just don’t agree with perpetuating the perception that music has no value and should be free.”

After yanking her music, Spotify’s chief executive Daniel Ek Swift made a statement to the press that a top artist like Taylor Swift would’ve been on track to make $6 million a year from Spotify.

However, by removing all her music from Spotify, Swift may actually have ensured she sells more records by way of iTunes and other online and offline markets.

Taylor also went old school in marketing her album, hosting “Secret Sessions” in which she invited fans to her houses in Beverly Hills, Nashville, New York and Rhode Island to listen to “1989″ before it was released. She hand-picked fans from Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr based on their posts and comments about her on those sites.

By reaching out to fans and interacting with them, Taylor Swift has maintained her loyal fan base as she went pop, and they have shown their love for the artist clearly by way of record sales.

Additionally, “1989″ has gotten exceedingly positive reviews from prominent critics, with many giving it a four out of five stars.

Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield wrote, “Deeply weird, feverishly emotional, wildly enthusiastic, 1989 sounds exactly like Taylor Swift, even when it sounds like nothing she’s ever tried before.”

The New York Time’s Jon Caramanica also gave Swift a favorable review, saying:

“By making pop with almost no contemporary references, Ms. Swift is aiming somewhere even higher, a mode of timelessness that few true pop stars — aside from, say, Adele, who has a vocal gift that demands such an approach — even bother aspiring to.”

With a stamp of approval from critics and fans alike, “1989″ is set to be Swift’s biggest success yet and marks her triumphant transition from country to pop, while reigning at number one.

So if you haven’t heard Taylor Swift’s new album yet, you absolutely must check it out — because I guarantee the world won’t be shaking off these sick beats for a while as “1989″ fills a blank space (pun intended!) in the market and Swift is there to stay.

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