By: Allison Wisyanski ~Staff Writer~

Taylor Swift’s new album entitled “1989” was released Oct. 27 to immense critical and fan approval. The pop album, inspired by the year of her birth, is about living in the big city, leaving behind old selves and, of course, dating and accepting past mistakes.

For this album, Swift has yet again impressed listeners with her upbeat songs and strong, confident vocals. “1989” is much different than some of her earliest albums, such
as “Taylor Swift” and “Fearless,” both of which aligned more with the country genre. It even extends beyond her last album, “Red,” which was country-pop, although some of the tunes are similar to her older work.

For this album, Swift has moved on from the country-pop genre to only pop songs. Despite the
shift in genre, Swift succeeds at producing an album anyone can enjoy. Each song has a fun beat and displays her effortless vocals. The first song, “Welcome to New York,” is an anthem
to her first arrival to the gates of stardom.

She’s not singing about the location of New York City, but rather the place as an idea as a place that has always seemed slightly out of reach. The highlight of the album is “Out of the Woods,” which showcases Swift’s impressive diction. Her strengths have never been in sweeps across her range, but rather the focus and density of her voice.

“Bad Blood,” the eighth song on the album, lies against a hiphop beat and ‘80s bass lines, with her anger toward those who have hurt her in the past. It seems as though she’s letting go of a huge burden in this album. The album is very diversified with different song tempos, such as the fast tunes “How You Get the Girl” and “Shake It Off,” and the slower ones, “This Love” and “Clean.” In her slow songs, the beats relax and her voice is extremely smooth and natural throughout. The album may surprise many people because of how her style has changed rapidly.
Say goodbye to Taylor Swift, the country girl, and hello to the newly-renowned, pop sensation.
“1989” is expected to sell over 1.3 million copies through Nov. 2. It would surpass the one-week sales record for an album by a woman, which Britney Spears set in 2000 with “Oops! I Did It Again.” Swift is set to earn the largest sales week for any album since 2002. The official debut week sales figure will be announced on Nov. 5.

She has recently announced that the “1989 Tour” will start in Louisiana on May 20, 2015. The tour will hit North America and Europe before heading to Australia in December 2015. The tour, her most extensive to date, will finish toward the middle of 2016.