Taylor Swift changed her career in 2014, leaving the country world and releasing her first full-fledged pop album , 1989 . Since then, she's seemingly never looked back, releasing two more pop albums made for stadium tours , "Reputation" and "Lover ," before turning to alternative music, "Folklore" and "Evermore," and in 2022 's "Midnights" made up the difference.
However, it turns out the singer is a Nashville girl at heart (even though she's not actually from there). Swift has revisited her country roots several times with performances and even some new songs, thanks in part to her re-recordings.
Swift has released "Taylor Editions" of her three country albums, Fearless , Speak Now and Red , allowing her to incorporate a more mature style into her beloved hits and deep cuts. But she has yet to announce re-recordings for her self-titled debut album, which means there's more old-school country Tay music to come.
Maybe she'll even go country again on her upcoming album , The Tortured Poets Department , of which little is known about its sonic landscape. After all, she's done it once before on her most recent album.
Below, take a look back at the six times Swift has left country music.
Attend 2015 ACM
Just months after releasing "1989 ," Swift took a brief detour back into the country world, winning the ACM Milestone Award at the 2015 Academy of Country Music Awards (not to be confused with the Country Music Awards).
Swift was graciously presented with the award by her mom, Andrea, and she acknowledged her country roots by accepting the award. “I’m glad I learned to write songs in a small town like Nashville,” she said. “I’m very proud because I learned from country music to treat people with kindness and respect.”
Writing "Betty" for Folklore
While Swift pivoted from pop to alternative on her 2020 debut album Folklore , she returned to her country roots with "Betty," the culmination of a high-school love triangle trilogy that began with "Cardigan" and "August." The last part. With its searing harmonica riff, unabashed use of banjo, and emphasis on storytelling, fans agree that "Betty" is Swift's most country song in years.
Performing at ACM
To prove that "Betty" is a country song, Swift returned to Nashville to perform the song at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards, her only performance of the year. Following all the 2020 guidelines, Swift showed up solo, singing "Betty" with just a guitar and even doing her own hair and makeup, proving she's a down-to-earth country girl at heart.
The Fearless (Taylor Version) Collaboration
The track "From the Vault," which she found on her first re-recording, stayed true to her country core. On "Fearless" (Taylor's version ), Swift enlisted fellow sensation Maren Morris to sing beautiful backing vocals on "You All Over Me," which Swift sang for 2009 He opened with Keith Urban, who duetted with her on "That's When" and even provided background vocals on "We Were Happy."
'Love Story (TV)' Tops Country Songs Chart
Despite setting country records early in her career, Swift didn't debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart until 2021. "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" debuted at the top of the charts before "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" . , she became the first female artist to do so, proving that Nashville always has her back.
"I bet you were thinking about me"
Some of the "From the Vault" tracks on Red (Tyler's version) prove that Swift already has ideas for pop domination, but on "I Bet You Think About Me," she enlists Chris Stapleton ( Chris Stapleton provides backing vocals on the track, mocking her ex for having a more Southern accent than most of her country albums.
