Over the course of May, known as AAPI Month, the Recording Academy and its affiliates have led the charge in dismantling barriers for people of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage in the music industry.

A primary component of that is providing a platform for members of that community to discuss their experiences — from their successes to their challenges to even the validity of the AAPI acronym itself.

To close out AAPI Month, RecordingAcademy.com initiated an incisive roundtable discussion with music producer and marketing head Lawrence Lui, three-time GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Kalani Pe'a and GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Kimié Miner.

"Historically, AAPI artists have faced limited representation in mainstream music. Stereotypes and biases have often confined them to specific genres or reduced their visibility in the industry," Miner says. "We should embrace and celebrate the range of musical styles and genres that AAPI artists explore, helping to dispel assumptions and broaden opportunities for artistic expression."

Take their expressions throughout the rest of the calendar year and beyond, and consider your role in elevating and honoring those of an AAPI background in the music industry — and all arenas of life.

How did you enter the music industry, and what have you noticed about AAPI representation within?

Lawrence Lui: I started in the music industry as the music director of the radio station WNYU, which I parlayed into a job in radio promotions at a bunch of record labels.

I subsequently held marketing positions at Astralwerks Records and Island Records, before starting my own marketing agency, Bampire Music, where we represent some of the biggest names in the dance/electronic genre. 

While I'm often the only AAPI person in the room, it's honestly never really been an issue and I don't think about it in relation to my career.

Kalani Pe'a: Music is my first love. My mother Pua Pe'a and my father Arthur Kalani Pe'a inspired, aspired and encouraged me to sing at such a young age. 

I can remember being 4 years old running away from my parents from JCPenney in the old Kaiko'o Mall in Hilo. My mom panicked and asked security where I went to. They all found me serenading a mannequin. My parents knew music was my passion. 

I had a speech impediment at age 2. My mom knew that music would save my life and it did. Music definitely stopped my speech problem over the years. I grew up in a musical family. My paternal grandparents were into choral music and classical music. My uncles and aunties of the Pe'a family all played the guitar, ukulele, piano and sang in choir. My father plays the electric bass. But, I am the first in my family to record an actual album and take music full time as an independent singer/songwriter and music producer. 

AAPI [Month] is truly a pivotal time for us to embrace each and everyone of us, but more so the kupuna (ancestors and forefathers) of Polynesia and Asia who has given us the 'ike (knowledge and wisdom) to continue their legacies so we thrive as people — first people and the first nations of the land we love.

It's beautiful to gain insight about the legacies and teachings of all cultures and come as one. Music truly brings us together.

Kimié Miner: Although I began singing and songwriting at an early age, I was very shy and never pursued my passion as a career until I attended the University of San Diego.

I entered the industry at 18 years old, when I met reggae star Barrington Levy at his show in San Diego. I sang for him backstage and then he asked me to open for him on his West Coast tour. 

I chose my passion over my fear, performing my original songs on my nylon string guitar in front of sold out crowds. That gave me the confidence to continue sharing my original music on stage and on platforms like Myspace and YouTube.

When I started producing my own music on GarageBand in 2004 and sharing it on Myspace, I couldn't find a genre to describe my music, which I dubbed as acoustic soul island reggae. 

I didnʻt see other Polynesian women like me in the global reggae music scene at that time. Part of the problem was that even if they existed, they werenʻt being marketed to me the way mainstream artists were. 

At home in Hawaiʻi, we had island reggae and Hawaiian female singers like Ilona Irvine, Robi Kahakalau, and Theresa Bright, to name a few, but Polynesian representation outside of Hawaiʻi in my genre was still hard to find. I believe that was because there wasn't a big marketplace for AAPI artists at that time.

The biggest Polynesian artists that I recall during this time were mostly male-dominated, like Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Fiji, Brother Noland, Ka'au Crater Boys, Ekolu, and Katchafire from New Zealand. 

Iam Tongi's recent win on "American Idol" really showed us how AAPI artists are equally competitive in the music industry while still representing our culture and island music. He represents all these AAPI artists who came before him and paved the way for him to confidently stand on that stage and connect with the world.

How has the music industry stepped up to elevate AAPI communities and represent them within their ranks? What steps must the music industry implement next to push this progress forward?

Miner: It's been a slow progression, but I believe fans and music lovers are the real ones helping to shape the music industry today.

They have helped to push forward the underrepresented genres and artists whom they love via social media, sharing their favorite songs, artists and albums to help the industry expand their overall consumption of AAPI music.

Iam Tongi's win on "American Idol" shows exactly this! He has had an overwhelming reaction to his performances on the show garnering him countless votes. Iamʻs fans connect to his authenticity and relatability. 

In fact, most of his song choices were directly connected to Hawaiʻi, like "Stuck on You" by Lionel Richie — which was originally covered in the same style by Hawaiian group Ekolu in 1999. Also, his cover in the finale of Kolohe Kaiʻs "Cool Down" reached No. 1 on the [Apple Music singles chart] immediately following the airing of that episode on TV.

The music industry is changing with technology and the ways we consume music. So helping to amplify AAPI voices across all platforms is one way to help further our progress. Industry leaders, including record labels, media outlets, and streaming platforms, can actively promote AAPI artists and their work. This can be done through dedicated playlists, curated features, and collaborations with established artists to provide greater visibility and exposure.

The industry should actively work to increase representation of AAPI artists across genres, stages, and platforms. This includes signing more AAPI artists to record labels, featuring them in mainstream media, and including their voices in decision-making processes. 

The industry and the Recording Academy can further our progress by encouraging diversity in music, breaking stereotypes and challenging preconceived notions about AAPI artists. We should embrace and celebrate the range of musical styles and genres that AAPI artists explore, helping to dispel assumptions and broaden opportunities for artistic expression.

Lastly, the music industry should collaborate with AAPI communities and support AAPI advocacy groups. Music Industry leaders and organizations can engage with AAPI communities and organizations to build meaningful partnerships that support AAPI artists. This can involve collaborating on community events, outreach programs, and cultural exchanges to create a mutually beneficial relationship.

By implementing these steps, the music industry can continue to push progress forward, fostering a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment for AAPI artists to thrive.

Pe'a: It is evident that through this pandemic, everyone had to adapt to change. We all had to pivot and understand "change effectiveness." This pandemic taught each and everyone of us to adapt to change and be effective through change. This pandemic didn't stop us, the AAPI community, [from] composing music for the world to heal during these tough times. 

I am a proud Native Hawaiian/Filipino, Hawaiian contemporary and soul singer/songwriter and music producer. I am a gay, married man who is happily married to my husband of 15 years. 

Allan Cool and I own my music, publishing company and label. I call the "shots" as the owner of my music and no bigger labels own it. We are Hawaiian/Filipino entrepreneurs and it's our duty to encourage and aspire upcoming artists who want to become members of the Recording Academy and live their dreams as independent musicians. 

As a Hawaiian language practitioner of over 30 years, it is my kuleana (duty and responsibility) to carry this torch of my Hawaiian/Filipino ancestors. Hawai'i is a melting pot. 

We don't focus on racism. I wasn't raised with issues of racism. Yes, I did experience the definitions of colonization, oppression, diaspora, cultural appropriation, etc. But, how we do continue to prevail as people? We educate them. We continue to educate all communities about our cultural identity and heritage through our message in music. 

Representation is key, but education is imperative. As a three-time GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter and music producer, my long-term and short-term goal is to inspire our youth to be authentic and seek their own destiny — whether they want to become Hawaiian language rappers, opera singers or anything else.

In addition, I inspire them to write and own their own music and never allow others to define their craft. We break stereotypes and misconceptions through education and being our own authentic selves. Our music is education and our way of educating is the key to success.

What challenges and/or successes have you faced as being a music-industry leader of AAPI descent?

Lui: A few years ago, I started hosting informal AAPI dinners for music industry professionals at Soho House, with no set agenda — just for folks to meet and network in a relaxed setting. I wanted to do something to re-establish face-to-face connections after the pandemic forced many of us into semi-isolation.

I'm a firm believer that if you speak to a person for just 10 minutes, even if it's just chit chat, you can find deeper commonalities that you never knew you had; and that's what builds lasting relationships. So, I just wanted to foster the environment to have these casual no-pressure conversations. 

Later on, I partnered with the advocacy not-for-profit Asian American Collective to have some larger events in that context. I'm very happy how it turned out.

I feel as members of the AAPI community, many of us are siloed with our noses to our respective grindstones in various pockets of the industry, and we could benefit from simply knowing each other and giving each other a hand, or a bit of advice. 

Great AAPI musicians and executives are scattered across all strata of the industry, and it takes some effort to get us together for a common cause — especially on the East Coast where we are slightly less populous and visible, compared to the West Coast, where Asian culture seems more ubiquitous. We also come from many different cultural backgrounds which can also be a challenge in unifying us.

I also enjoy participating in mentorship programs for both the Recording Academy and the Asian American Collective. I find this very fulfilling and it's the least that I can do to help the next generation get a leg up. 

I'm also working with other AAPI members within the New York Chapter of the Recording Academy to increase advocacy efforts and grow awareness of the Academy among the larger AAPI music community. I'm actively working to recruit more AAPI music industry folks to apply for membership to the Recording Academy. There's so much more to the Recording Academy than just an awards show, so there's a lot of educating that needs to be done. 

Pe'a: No challenges, just success. 

I am authentic through my music and songwriting. I am authentic through my shows when I tour and sell out shows across Hawai'i, the West and East Coasts and Japan. I am so proud being a Hawaiian/Filipino singer/songwriter and music producer living my dreams. So I am grateful [for] being a vessel and representative of the Hawaiian and Filipino cultures.

The beauty of music is bringing us together. I did a recent sold-out concert on my island home, my birth home the Big Island of Hawai'i. During a meet and greet, I met this eldery Filipino lady. She is a fan of my music. She asked me, "Are you only Hawaiian?" I said, "I am Filipino, like you." She goes, "OMG. You are one of us." She was so happy, but proud. 

To me, pride takes it to a new level. I represent all who love the Hawaiian language, culture, music and arts. I am here to see all ethnic backgrounds and nationalities across the globe singing Hawaiian music and dancing hula and doing it right without cultural appropriation. 

My music is put into hula, and I see people dancing to my music all over the world from Japan, Europe, Korea, Tahiti, Mexico, the USA and more. My Hawaiian language and culture is thriving and we will always be here. 

The beauty of speaking my Native tongue fluently is that I can sing a Motown or classical song in English and Hawaiian. I can sing in front of a sold-out crowd in Tokyo, in front of Hawaiian music and Hula lovers, in Hawaiian/English and Japanese because I can and it's appropriate.

My ancestors handed me the torch and when I get this butterfly feeling and this urge to do what I need to do in this industry, I know it's the whispers of my ancestors guiding me along the way.

Miner: As a Native Hawaiian artist, I have experienced many identity challenges early in my career around cultural expectations. 

Where do I "fit in" in this industry? What is my genre? Is my music Hawaiian enough? Is my music mainstream enough? Will my community approve of my art? When I started out this created a lot of pressure to conform and discouraged my early artistic pursuits.

What I have learned over time is that because I am Hawaiian, the music coming out of me is Hawaiian. I can only represent who I am in this industry, and that is enough.

I believe one of my greatest challenges which has also had the biggest impact on my success has been the unique location and isolation of our island home here in Hawaiʻi. We are physically separated from the mainstream marketplace, but it also provides me with an opportunity.

I embrace my cultural heritage and this island life to create music that reflects my identity offering a unique perspective and experience. My music resonates with audiences who seek diverse voices, and also with those who have an appreciation for our island home here in Hawaiʻi.

Iʻve had to overcome many stereotypes and prejudice within the industry. I learned from these and chose to share them with other AAPI artists in my community in order to help them in their success. 

I believe when we open a door we should leave it open for those behind us. Collaboration has been one of the key elements to my success thus far as an artist and a leader. It is a cultural value ingrained in me because I know we are so much better together.

The term "AAPI" obviously covers such an immense swath of people. Does the term work for you? If not, how would you reframe or rename such a concept?

Lui: It's not something that concerns me too much. Language is always evolving with the times as cultural mores shift and change. We were once called "orientals," then Asian Americans, now AAPI. Language and labels matter in changing perception, but what matters more is the direct action that we can take as a result of these shifts in perception.

Pe'a: AAPI is fine with me. I celebrate Pride Month since my husband Allan Cool (who is Hawaiian/Samoan/Filipino) and I are part of the LGBTQ community. I celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day. I celebrate Christmas. I don't celebrate hate and bigotry. I celebrate love and compassion. 

So, seeing our faces in movies, TV, billboards and on the GRAMMY stage is phenomenal, or copasetic. I am so honored to be Hawaiian/Filipino and being able to be raised and nurtured in a loving home/household in the middle of the Pacific — the heart of the world we call Hawai'i.

I am honored and privileged to come from the working class — no riches — but a home enriched with values, traditions, unbiased ways, balanced, approachable and loving. 

The Aloha lingers everywhere in Hawai'i, and if you don't exude this essence of aloha, then Hawai'i is not your place. I break stereotypes and misconceptions through my music. So, AAPI is appropriate and I will never seek any changes to that term.

Miner: The term works as a broad overview, but even within this group there are so many subcultures. 

I'd like to see more representation for our Pacific islander communities in the music industry as well as the Recording Academy. For instance having a subcategory in roots music that represents the music from our Pacific Islander communities.

As an artist who submits my music for the GRAMMYs, my options are very limited. In many cases, I have had to submit in the oversaturated Pop Category because I simply did not qualify in other existing categories. These existing categories include regional roots in which I'd have to include 51 percent of our Hawaiian language in my album or reggae, both of which I do not qualify.

Who are some AAPI-identifying artists that we should all be listening to now?

Lui: I'm a big fan of the male/female pop duo Sundial. Their song "your text" had a bit of a viral moment a few years ago, but it's their song "dear parents" that's the showstopper: it's truly one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful and intimate tracks I've ever heard. 

I also dig New York City-based singer/songwriter John Tsung, who sings in both English and Chinese and reminds me of the epic indie pop of acts like Flaming Lips and Neutral Milk Hotel — stuff I used to listen to as a college radio DJ in the '90s. Very underrated!

Also worth mentioning is the producer and vocalist SOHMI, who melds melodic techno with a great pop sensibility.

Pe'a:  Please listen and support Iam Tongi who made it to the top 3 at this year's "American Idol." He is of Tongan ancestry from Hawai'i. 

Listen to Kimié Miner who is Hawaiian/Portuguese, Paula Fuga who is Hawaiian/Samoan/Chinese and Filipino, Wehilei, Natalie Ai Kamau'u, Chardonnay Music, Amy Hanaiali'i, Napua Greig, Willie K, Kamaka Kukona, Lim Family, Ho'okena, Fiji Music, Kalenaku and Kala'e Parish, Hoaka, etc.

Miner: Additional artists who I believe are shaping what Hawai'i sounds like today by utilizing a vast variety of genres from country, reggae, Hawaiian, folk, surf rock and pop to blend with our culture, language, and island inspirations are Maoli, Kalani Pe'a (a three-time GRAMMY winner), Anuhea, The Green, Paula Fuga, Likkle Jordee, Fia, Jack Johnson, Izik, Taimane Gardner, Hawane, Josh Tatofi, Ka'ikena Scanlan and Ku'ulei Music.

What creative and/or professional developments are you looking forward to in AAPI spaces in the music industry?

Lui: All in all, I'm very optimistic and feel that things are generally moving in the right direction for AAPI advocacy in the music industry. Every year, more Asian faces are elevated in the scene, especially now with the success of K-pop and labels like 88rising, not to mention our increasing presence in film and literature. 

It's an exciting time to be alive. We need to continue to build bridges and partner with our allies everywhere.

Pe'a: More online workshops for AAPI music makers and creators and for new artists. Workshops for business and music, business and marketing/promotions, music and digital marketing, independent musicians and producing/engineering. 

We need more AAPI grants available for artists and entrepreneurs, whether it's cultural or competitive grants — not loans. Many of us AAPI artists don't have huge labels to support us. We are the labels, so more federal funding would be ideal to ensure the success of all AAPI individuals.

These grants will have learning outcomes and objectives so that their projects are met with measurable outcomes. I yearn for the success of others. I yearn to see new talent illustrating and identifying the beauty of all gifts of music.

Miner: I'm looking forward to AAPI artists exploring a wide range of musical styles and genres, breaking away from stereotypes and pushing creative boundaries.

I'm also looking forward to more AAPI artists achieving mainstream success and recognition, topping charts, winning major awards, and headlining major festivals. This would contribute to breaking down barriers and expanding opportunities for AAPI artists to reach broader audiences.

Iʻm already seeing increased collaboration and intersectionality between AAPI artists and artists from different backgrounds which excites me! Just as I have had to step into leadership roles in the music industry in Hawaiʻi, I'm looking forward to greater representation of AAPI professionals in executive positions within record labels, music management, booking agencies, and other key industry roles

This would ensure that AAPI perspectives and interests are considered in decision-making processes. I am also seeing more AAPI individuals working behind the scenes in music production, sound engineering, songwriting, and other technical roles. This expands opportunities for AAPI professionals to contribute their skills and creativity to the industry.

I envision even more AAPI music festivals and platforms which empower AAPI narratives and reach! AAPI artists are telling their own stories authentically and reclaiming their narratives through music. This includes addressing social, cultural, and political issues that affect AAPI communities and using music as a means of activism, empowerment, and healing.

The Recording Academy and the music industry can acknowledge and celebrate the significant contributions that AAPI artists and professionals have made to music and culture. This recognition would help dispel stereotypes, challenge biases, and elevate AAPI voices and talents.

These are just some of the creative and professional developments that many people are looking forward to seeing more of in AAPI spaces within the music industry. Each development contributes to a more inclusive, diverse, and vibrant musical landscape.

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Two-time GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter and producer Kalani Pe'a radiates warmth and joy in all he does, and his deep connection with his Hawaiian roots makes conversing with him feel like attending an inspirational talk, poetry reading and history lesson all in one. This inviting energy and depth are ever-present in his music and its effortless blend of traditional Hawaiian folk music, classic R&B and soul—not to mention heavy sprinkle of Kalani charm.

As an independent artist (and co-owner of Pe'a Records & Entertainment with his husband and manager, Allan B. Cool.), Pe'a encourages artists to own their masters, promote their work, be authentic to themselves regardless of what others think, and follow their dreams. And he sure is walking his talk. His first two albums, 2016's E Walea and 2018's No 'Ane'i, both earned him a GRAMMY for the Best Regional Roots Music Album, making him the first Hawaiian artist to win in the category.

GRAMMY.com caught up with the vibrant artist, who called in from his Maui home to discuss his new album, Kau Ka Pe'a, his deep Hawaiian roots, advice as an independent artist and much more.

Related: GRAMMY-Winning Singer/Songwriter And Producer Kalani Pe'a: Creating Music With Your Authenticity And Finding Your Voice

How are you?

The word thrive comes to mind for me, like when I'm writing music at the beach here in Maui, when there's this particular cold breeze we call makani lave malie. This calm, cool breeze that embraces me and gives me a little chicken skin. When you get this feeling inside to write about something you love, while the sand and the rocks embrace your body, and the ocean swells, and the mountain is clear, and the sun rays warm your skin, you write about it like poetry.

I love writing music about people and places I love here in Hawaii. I love your [hair] color, by the way. As you know, purple's my favorite color.

Yes, I noticed when I was scrolling through your Instagram. I remember the sparkly purple blazer you wore at the GRAMMYs, that was good.

I'm a little loud. I'm a big boy who is loud and proud. I will wear my sparkly stuff, but yet stick to my roots, and this is who I am. I would never change my authenticity.

You feel that authenticity when you talk to someone, when you see someone, when you hear someone's music. It inspires others. None of us are one thing, we all contain multitudes, and it's so beautiful to see people living out those multitudes so seamlessly.

I've learned so much as a singer/songwriter, and as an independent artist who co-owns a label and publishing and entertainment companies with my husband. We do it all our own. I'm very proud to be a two-time GRAMMY winner that owns my music. And I think musicians should be at the forefront of encouraging other artists to own [their] own masters and take pride in [their] work. However, learning to collaborate and build bridges along the way is important too.

We had a songwriter summit here in Hawaii with dear friends of mine in the industry. We talked about what we call piko, our umbilical cords. We believe in three different piko. Our first piko is the head. And it's so sacred in Hawaiian. Whether you're a musician, an engineer or a producer, we're always reflecting on our ancestors and forefathers and the gifts and wisdom they've bestowed upon us. The second is the womb. That's where our mothers carry the children, that's where the water in that womb allows us to survive. Water is life, water is medicine, as much as music is medicine. The third piko is down there, our reproductive system, where life is made.

And so, when we are connecting ourselves, as musicians, with all of our piko, we are going through a self-care moment, self-reflection, self-evaluation, and we need that because, often, musicians, we're all over the place. We musicians have so much to offer to this world, that we often don't take time to take care of our piko. We need to take care of our health and wellbeing, so we can continue contributing to our fans. But how do we do that? We take our self-reflection time, go to the beach, write music, rejuvenate, cleanse our souls and bodies and swim in the ocean or the streams.

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Let's talk about your new album, Kau Ka Pe'a. What does the title mean?

Kau is to be placed or to hoist. Pe'a is my last name, which means the sailboat or the sail of the boat. The theme of the album is to hoist your sail, create your own sailboat and voyage; navigate the world. And I needed to create this new album with a new theme song to instill the value of where we come from, having a sense of place, self-reflection and identity. We all have to chart our own journey. As we pivot and adapt in this pandemic, we put up our own sail, and we must move forward. Holo Ka Wa'a, which means we got to chart our journey no matter whatever we see in life.

My paternal grandmother, who I love very much, would say, "Nani a maika'i," "It's all good and beautiful." You know when people say, "It's an ugly day today, it's raining." In a Hawaiian perspective, the rain is a sign of procreation, wealth and beauty. We have songs about that. But I remember her talking about, when I was in fifth grade, how there's gold at the end of every rainbow, that there's beauty in thunder and lightning, there's beauty in the rain.

When there are earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and tidal waves, our earth moves and shakes, and we have to move with the earth because we can't control the earth. And when we move with the earth, we shift with the earth, we grow with the earth, we grow with the sky, we grow with the rays of the sun. And as Hawaiians, we see beauty in that. And my grandmother taught me that, "Never say today's an ugly day. Always remember that there's beauty all around."

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It's such a good perspective to have because it's the same thing happening, but the way you're looking at it shifts your mood and the way you engage with the world.

Like this pandemic, there's beauty in this pandemic, despite the amount of loss and people that lost their lives from it. This pandemic would not stop us, music creators, from creating music for the people who need to hear it. Music is essential, music is medicine. So, I did my crying over the year when I headlined a concert at the Lincoln Center, my first sold-out concert in February 2020. And when it came to March 1, 2020, and when they had about a thousand COVID-19 cases, I told my band, "Before we get home, sanitize everything, make sure you wear your masks. We don't know what's going on." But the pandemic affected us right there.

March 1, 2020 is when we all realized we all had to make changes. I lost every show, every tour, every concert, but I always had to remain confident. My grandmother and my parents have always taught me, "Through change, you have to be effective, and you have to be effective through change."

And it's been hard for me as a musician because I'm so used to touring, I'm so used to having live shows, not virtual shows. Artists feed off of ego, we feed off of people. I'm like, "Are you clapping? Do you like my song? Do you like me? No, you don't like me?" [Laughs.]

But I know that we have to chart our journey, and I had to create this album featuring legendary and upcoming Hawaiian artists because I believe in collaboration. I believe that if I work with other people in the Hawaiian music industry, we can thrive together because the Hawaiian music industry is really tiny, so we need each other.

So, I wrote about places I love here in Hawaii on the album. I also did a classical song that's been done by Nat King Cole, "When I Fall In Love," but I sing it in Hawaiian, too. I asked one of our legendary vocalists here, six-time GRAMMY-nominated artist Amy Hānaiali'i to sing it with me. She's won 18 Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards, which is Hawaii's premier music awards. And she's one of my mentors and advisors. To me, she is my Whitney Houston of Hawaii.

People asked me, "Why are you interpreting songs like 'When I Fall In Love' and Joe Cocker's 'You Are So Beautiful' in Hawaiian?" And I'm like, "I'm a modern Hawaiian, and I can." I feel confident, as a Hawaiian language practitioner, to translate or interpret whatever classic music I grew up with, whether it's an R&B song, or a love song of the '90s or '80s because that's who I am. I'm innovative, and that's what people love to hear.

My fans love it when I do Karen Carpenter's version of "Superstar." [Starts singing] I do it all in Hawaiian. People make those personal connections, but I do it in a Hawaiian way because I'm Hawaiian, and I can. So, if you feel that you need to rap in Spanish and Hawaiian, do it. Just do it.

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Related: GRAMMY-Nominated Hawaiian Singer-Songwriter Kimié Miner On Finding Creativity And Connection During A Pandemic

What was it like working with Kimié Miner and Pandanus Club on the title track? And how does that song represent the journey of the album as a whole?

So, I started writing "Kau Ka Pe'a" and then I worked with my teacher, Larry Kimura, on the other verses. Larry Kimura is a Hawaiian language instructor and one of my mentors and advisors. He's very famous in Hawaii for writing Hawaiian music. He and I wrote this together, to acknowledge the people who shaped my Hawaiian identity.

In the first verse, I talk about my ancestors—little do people know, I'm Hawaiian, Filipino and English. My great-great-great-grandfather was a British commodore, and he came from England and met up with a beautiful Hawaiian girl, my great-great-grandmother—I talk about the arrival of my ancestors and how my ancestors met, and I give a little bit of genealogy and where I come from.

I wanted to highlight Pandanus Club, who are legends in Hawaii. And I was so touched that they said yes, that they were able to collaborate with me on this song. And the second verse, I talk about the seventh royalty, King David Kalākaua, was our last king of Hawaii, who brought back hula and Hawaiian music, which had been banned by Westerners. I thank him because he was all about innovation as well. He also gets on a boat himself and he did travel the world during his reign. He met with emperors and leaders all over the world, like presidents of the United States.

The third verse was working with my sista, Kimié Miner, my Hawaii island music queen, as well as Kalenaku, both of these women, I love and adore. They are educators, they're mothers. So, I wanted to have Kimié and Kalena sing the third verse about King Kamehameha Akahi. He was our first king, and united eight Hawaiian islands under one rule in 1810. And then the last paragraph talks about our kūpuna, my ancestors and forefathers, and how we always need to acknowledge those who have held that torch and had created our path for us to follow.

That's a big history lesson in there. That's awesome.

Yes ... People don't know so much about Hawaii. They feel like it's "you got to shake your hips, and let's go to Luau, and see some women shake their hips." That's not even Hawaiian, that's Tahitian. "Let's see fire knife dancing." That's not Hawaiian, that's Samoan. So as a Hawaiian language and culture practitioner and as a musician and music producer, I'm all about sharing the true authenticity of Hawaii.

Who is the Hawaiian monarchy? What have they contributed to the Hawaiian political movement? And prior to the annexation of Hawaii, prior to the illegal occupation by the U.S., what had the Hawaiian monarchy and our people done, what kind of legacies of the Hawaiian culture and the Hawaiian? So, education is so important. People think everything is Hawaiian in Hawaii. We have our own hula, we have our own dance, we have our own spiritual beliefs and values and practices as Hawaiians. People don't know that. So, through this song, I'm educating people about the monarchy and the arrival of my grandparents in Hawaii. I come from 25 generations of native Hawaiians. My grandmother and my grandfather are from Kalapana, Puna, Hawaii, but I'm proud to tell people I'm Hawaiian Filipino English. I'm proud to have descendants from Europe and from the Philippines.

I'm proud to be part Asian, and I'm proud to be 75 percent Hawaiian. And I grew up on Hawaiian homelands, which are equivalent to Indian reservations, but we were beneficiaries of agricultural lands. We grew guavas on our farms. We raised pigs on our farms, and cows. I know my roots. The roots and the values are so important to being a Hawaiian musician.

What does it mean to you to represent Hawaii and Hawaiian music, in this fresh, new way as you do it?

Whenever I get this gut feeling, I call it the whispers of my ancestors telling me what to do next. I always tell people, when I get this butterfly feeling to sing or write about this particular place or write about this particular person, it's not me just doing it. It's my ancestors whispering through my ears, guiding me to do it. And I always feel their presence around me. I feel them when I'm at the shoreline, I feel them when I'm up in the mountains or in the streams. They're always with me, especially my one grandmother who has Alzheimer's, my maternal grandmother. Earlier, I talked about my paternal grandmother who always uses the mantra "there's beauty all around."

And my maternal grandmother, Lu Kahunani, she's literally the love of my life, the big supporter of my Hawaiian music career, and my educational endeavors. She has Alzheimer's and she's 91 in November. She beat COVID-19 after four months, and she can't communicate with me anymore, but when I sang to her, her song, her eyes lit up. She nods at me, and I get that briefly from her, but I know spiritually, she knows that I love her, and she loves me. So, music is everything to me. Music is amongst my first loves.

"I do what I have to do through the whispers of my ancestors and forefathers guiding me. I'm very proud to come from the heart of the Pacific Ocean. I'm proud to share aloha through my music."

I love your and Amy Hanaiali'i's bilingual duet of the classic "When I Fall in Love." Why did you choose to cover the song and include it on this album?

I grew up listening to that kind of music. My dad is a bass player. He listened to Earth, Wind & Fire, The Temptations, Pink Floyd. Growing up in Hawaii, I grew up with diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds. So, my childhood friends were just like me; native Hawaiian, white, Black, Hispanic, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and we all spoke Hawaiian fluently on campus. I wasn't introduced to racism until I visited the mainland. People thought I was Mexican. I was like, "No, I'm Hawaiian. I'm a Hawaiian Filipino boy." And then they were all, "We love Hawaii." I basically grew up in a melting pot of diverse cultures, so I love doing cover songs, and interpreting them in my own way and in my own fashion.

And I love musicians like Natalie Cole. God bless her heart. She's in heaven, singing. She sang at Irvine's Barclay Theater and I had my own concert there, too so it inspired me to acknowledge these artists in my own way when I did the covers. And when we translate in Hawaiian—I hate using the word translate, we say interpret. We interpret it in the perspective of a Hawaiian thinker. So, if we say we fell in love, we'll use showers. I'm showered by love, by you. This subject is Hawaiian poetry, Hawaiian composition 101.

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Your last two albums both won the Best Regional Roots Music Album GRAMMY. I was curious what those wins felt like for you, and what it meant for you and the Hawaiian music community?

Oh gosh. You know in your [high school] yearbook? How you have wise sayings about what you want to do in life? In mine, at 18, I said that I wanted to win a GRAMMY. Yes, I did! We have receipts on that. [Laughs.] I live up to my goals, and I'm so determined and persistent about them. The accolades, I tell people; "Awards do not define my success. Awards do not define who I am."

I thank the Recording Academy and the GRAMMYs, I thank the indies, as well as those who are part of the labels, I have networked and built relationships with thousands of members of the Academy. I thank the Academy for elevating my career as a winner. Whether you're nominated or not, or whether you win, we're all artists in this industry, thriving together as one.

And I felt it, being a singer/songwriter making history for Hawaii, I cried about it, I cried and shed tears for the oppression that my people have faced here, in Hawaii, over 200 years. I cried because I am a representative of our people. I cried when I won because I was astounded that I won, to represent and bring Hawaiian music to this national platform ...  But I am the same Kalani Pe’a that came from the guava fields of Pana'ewa, Hilo, Hawaii, with chickens and pigs and cows. And I'm still that guy today that is going to wear a purple sequin jacket at the Lincoln Center and sing you a Hawaiian song and "When I Fall In Love" in English and Hawaiian because that's who I am, baby, yes!

That's awesome and so well said. If we're only striving for awards or external gratification, you'll never have enough. It's a balance of feeling, "Wow, winning this is amazing," and also knowing you're amazing no matter what, right?

Right. I've also got many emails and Facebook messages from musicians and upcoming musicians and students majoring in music or engineering and producing who are inspired now to become members of the Academy. I've inspired hundreds of musicians to sign up as members, and submit their music, whether it's in American roots or regional roots or reggae. That's a part of my legacy, and I'm very grateful to have encouraged Hawaiian artists. I gave them a broader perspective that we can do more. We could do more instead of just staying in the islands. We can grasp these opportunities and work with the Recording Academy and be very grateful they are giving us a platform.

Opening the door, yes!

Opening the door. Why? Because there's beauty all around. There's gold at every rainbow, girl. When you're chasing a rainbow, I think that is equivalent to chasing dreams. I think, the same as my grandmother, "Go and find the gold, but remember, continue chasing those rainbows and never be satisfied with what you have. Always find ways or seek ways to improve yourself as a person." Find a way to chase after that dream and accomplish your goals and do your best to strive for them.

I've always set short-term goals as a precedent and long-term goals, because, as a musician, mentally, physically, spiritually, we get drained. So, I'm going to be very transparent with you. People think our life is perfect as musicians, but it's not. We're human like everyone else, we have to find ways to take care of, again, ourselves and others in order to continue to thrive. That's what I feel. I hope that doesn't sound reactive or negative, but I feel like every musician has their own personal story and struggle, and we just got to continue finding beauty in everything. It's a tough industry.

You mentioned that you and your husband Allan have your own music business and publishing company. I was curious about your perspective as an independent artist, and any advice you have for either a young artist that wants to put out their music, or an artist at any point in their career that's thinking about making the move to be independent.

So many people complain and just don't do the work. And I really encourage people to not complain and just do it. And Allan and I believe in social media content, we believe in relevance and timing in life, and we believe that if you continue posting, it doesn't hurt you from getting the word out. If you can't afford a PR agency to post your work or promote you, do it on your own and continue doing it, and continue networking with people. It doesn't hurt to post five, 10 times a day, because we do it, sister. I mean, some people are like, "Oh my gosh, overflood." I'm like, "No, if you're promoting a new album, do it. If you want to promote a new music video, do it." Because why? No one else is going to do it for you, baby. Who's going to do it if you can't afford 20 grand to pay a PR agency to post once a day?

Allan and I do everything. If you are an independent artist, own your music, own your masters, work hard towards it by going to school. I've taken college courses on business and management and I got my bachelor's degree in public relations. Allan has a 20-year background in business. So, from business and marketing, we're able to create press kits and press releases.

Reach out to artists like me. I'm okay sitting down with people and talking these things over and guiding people. Don't be intimidated to reach out because I'm here when you need me.

What do you feel like a more equitable future for artists looks like?

From the first and second GRAMMY-winning albums, I realized that I have to reflect. As an artist, you have to reflect on your value and your time. And it's okay to say no at times, to really focus on your value. I hope that doesn't sound negative, but I recently said no. Because I'm a full-time touring musician and I have to really reflect on my value, my time and "how am I going to pay out my band, my staff, my venue?" And that's all with anxiety, but where do we seek the balance? Where do we find ways to really reflect on the importance of our craft, and how do we continue being creative in the process and in the making of things?

You have to understand your value and surround yourself with valuable like-minded people. And you don't have to have 100 people to love you or like you, but you can have at least 10 that can uplift your light, and you can uplift their light. You need someone to hold that torch with you because that light must continue to burn. You must continue to have that burning feeling as an artist. As much as I'm collaborating with you, we're building this burning feeling, the desire to create music, to do what we love. The question is, why do we remain passionate in our craft? Because it's who we are, it's what we do, it's what we love.

So, people are always going to find ways to bring you down, and I've had a lot of that, but don't allow them to not motivate you, to go down the drain. Allow that to give you the strength and the wisdom to surround yourself with just a few people who are like-minded to you at your round table. Collaborate with those people, build relationships with people in marketing, at news outlets. And I have built that little roster, and it's okay to have that little roster because those people are part of your circle. And so, I recommend other artists do the same, and whatever works for them.

What gives you the most hope right now?

[Creating] more music for the world to heal; that's my hope. To makes sure that the medicine is music and music is medicine for us all. I hope we can heal, as the years go by, from this pandemic. That is my hope.

Pipa Master Min Xiao-Fen On The "Harmony And Balance" Of Traditional Chinese Music & Her New Album, 'White Lotus'

Today the GRAMMY Museum in downtown L.A. hosted another successful GRAMMY Week event for students from across Los Angeles County, filled with music and joy. For the Hawaii Education Program, Hawaiian artists Bobby Moderow Jr. and Kimie Miner taught L.A.'s youth what ohana, or family, really means.  

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They shared their music with the excited audience of students, with Moderow—who is in a trio called Maunalua—demonstrating the traditional Hawaiian method of slack-key guitar and Miner bringing out her ukulele. He introduced himself as "Uncle Bobby" and his fellow presenter as "Auntie Kimie," explaining that everyone is family in Hawaii. Both of the singer/songwriters are Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners, which Miner described as the "Hawaiian GRAMMYs" (and the website explains that it was modeled after the Recording Academy).

"When you hear a song, you're actually hearing about someone's life," Moderow shared. He encouraged the students to share their stories with poetry and music.

Miner discussed how she started making music when she was 14, after her parents got the singer/songwriter her first ukulele. For the Hawaiian native, it's important to her to share the things she loves about her home and culture through her music, which captures the sunny vibe of the island. While her upbeat songs are "rooted in Hawaiian traditions," she loves incorporating a blend of influences, like pop and reggae, to spread her message of love and positivity far and wide.  

She performed her song "Bamboo," which won Song Of The Year at the 2018 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, which had the kids clapping along to its Jack Johnson-esque melody. Explaining the backstory behind the inspiring lyrics, she shared that she co-wrote the song with Jesse Epstein, an L.A.-based singer/songwriter.

"One of the coolest thing about music is that you can collaborate with people from all over the world," Miner said.

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Before the two artists closed the event with a traditional farewell song, Moderow shared the story of Māui, who, in Hawaiian mythology, is believed to have pulled up the islands with his large fish hook. He explains that the hook has important symbolic meaning; what you put out into the world comes back to you. He encouraged the youngsters to remember "the three Fs: faith, family and future," when they think about what they want to share with the world.

If you want another taste of their music, the two artists will be performing for the public tonight, along with more Hawaiian musicans, at the GRAMMY Museum's Music Of Waikiki event at 7:30 p.m.

GRAMMY Week concludes this Sunday on Feb. 10 with the 61st GRAMMY Awards—be sure to catch the show live on CBS, beginning at 5:00 p.m. PT live from the STAPLES Center.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 19 to reflect the release of The Tortured Poets Department.

The world now knows Taylor Swift as a global pop superstar, but back in 2006, she was just a doe-eyed country prodigy. Since then, she's released 11 studio albums, re-recorded four as "Taylor's Version," and cultivated one of the most feverish fan bases in music. Oh, and she's also won 14 GRAMMY Awards, including four for Album Of The Year — the most ever won by an artist.

Swift has become one of music's most notable shapeshifters by refusing to limit herself to one genre, moving between country, pop, folk and beyond. A once-in-a-lifetime generational storyteller, one could argue that she is music's modern-day maverick, constantly evolving both her music and the culture around her.

Every album era has seen Swift reinvent herself over and over, which has helped pave the way for artists to explore other musical avenues. In turn, Swift hasn't just become one of the biggest artists of all time — she's changed pop music altogether.

To celebrate Taylor Swift's newest era with The Tortured Poets Department, GRAMMY.com looks back on all of her albums (Taylor's Versions not included) and how each era shaped her remarkable career.

Taylor Swift: Finding Her Place In Music

In a genre dominated by men, the odds were already stacked against Swift when she first broke into country music as a teenage female artist. The thing that differentiated her from other writers — and still does to this day — is her songwriting. She didn't want to be just "another girl singer" and knew writing her own songs would be what set her apart. 

Written throughout her adolescence, Taylor Swift was recorded at the end of 2005 and finalized by the time Swift finished her freshman year of high school. Serving as a snapshot of Swift's life and teenhood, she avoided songwriting stereotypes typically found in country music. Instead, she wanted to capture the years of her life while they still represented what she was going through, writing about what she was observing and experiencing, from love and friendship to feeling like an outsider. 

As a songwriter, Taylor Swift set the tone for what would be expected of her future recordings — all songs were written by her, some solely and others with one or two co-writers. One writer in particular, Liz Rose, applauded Swift's songwriting capabilities, stating that she was more of an "editor" for the songs because Swift already had such a distinct vision. 

The album's lead single, "Tim McGraw," an acoustic country ballad inspired by Swift knowing her relationship was going to end, represents an intricate part of Swift's songwriting process; meticulously picking apart her emotions to better understand them. With its follow-up, "Our Song" — which spent six consecutive weeks on the top of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart — she became the youngest person to solely write and sing a No. 1 country single; she also became the first female solo artist in country music to write or co-write every song on an album. 

Although Swift's eponymous debut is underappreciated now — even lacking its own set on Swift's Eras Tour — Taylor Swift's forthcoming rerecording is arguably the most anticipated by fans, who are eager to hear the songs with the singer's current and more refined vocals. Still, for fans who haven't properly explored Taylor Swift, it's easy to tie together Swift's earlier work to her current discography. 

On the track "A Place In This World," a song she wrote when she was just 13, Swift sings about not fitting in and trying to find her path. While her songwriting has developed and matured, feeling like an outsider and carving her own path is a theme she still writes about now, as seen on Midnights' "You're On Your Own, Kid." 

Even as a new country artist, critics claimed that she "mastered" the genre while subsequently ushering it to a new era — one that would soon see Swift dabble in country-pop. 

Fearless: Creating A Different Kind Of Fairytale

If Taylor Swift was the soundtrack to navigating the early stages of teenhood, Fearless is Swift's coming-of-age record. More than its predecessor, Fearless blurs the line between country and pop thanks to crossover hits like "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me," yet still keeps the confessional attributes known in country songwriting. 

Most of Fearless is Swift coming to terms with what she believed love to be. On the album's liner notes, Swift says Fearless is about "living in spite" of the things that scare you, like falling in love again despite being hurt before or walking away and letting go. The 2008 version of Taylor wanted to "believe in love stories and prince charmings and happily ever after," whereas in Swift's Fearless (Taylor's Version) liner notes, she looks back on the album as a diary where she was learning "tiny lessons" every time there was a "new crack in the facade of the fairytale ending she'd been shown in the movies." 

Much of Fearless also sees Swift being reflective and nostalgic about adolescence, like in "Never Grow Up" and "Fifteen." Still wistful and romantic, the album explores Swift's hopes for love, as heard in the album's lead single "Love Story," which was one instance where she was "dramatizing" observations instead of actually experiencing them herself. 

Unlike the slow-burn of Taylor Swift, Fearless went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks. It won Swift's first Album Of The Year GRAMMY in 2010, at the time making her the youngest person to win the accolade at age 20. To date, it has sold 7.2 million copies in America alone. It might not be the romantic tale Swift dreamed of growing up, but her sophomore album signalled that bigger things were to come.

Speak Now: Proving Her Songwriting Prowess

Everything that happened after the success of Fearless pushed Swift from country music's best-kept secret to a mainstream star. But this meant that she faced more publicity and criticism, from naysayers who nitpicked her songwriting and vocals to the infamous Kanye West incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

For the first time since becoming an artist, she was forced to reckon with the concept of celebrity and how turning into one — whether she wanted it or not — informed her own writing and perception of herself. No longer was she the girl writing songs like "Fifteen" in her bedroom — now she was working through becoming a highly publicized figure. Speak Now is the answer to those growing pains. 

Along with having more eyes on her, Swift also felt pressured to maintain her persona as a perfect young female role model amid a time when her peers like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato were attempting to rebrand to be more mature and sexier. During her NYU commencement speech in 2022, she reflected on this era of her life as one of intense fear that she could make a mistake and face lasting consequences, so the songs were masked in metaphors rather than directly addressing adult themes in her music. But that also resulted in some of her most poignant lyrics to date.

Read More: For The Record: How Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' Changed Her Career — And Proved She'll Always Get The Last Word

Writing the entire album herself, Swift used Speak Now to prove her songwriting prowess to those who questioned her capabilities. Much like her previous two albums, Swift included songs that were both inspired by her own life and being a fly on the wall. The album's title track pulled from the saying, "Speak now or forever hold your peace," inspired by a friend's ex-boyfriend getting engaged; meanwhile, "Mean" was everything Swift wanted to say to a critic who was continuously harsh about her vocals.

Retrospective and reflective, Speak Now is an album about the speeches she could've, would've and should've said. From addressing the aforementioned VMA incident in the forgiving "Innocent" to a toxic relationship in "Dear John," Speak Now also hinted that her rose-colored glasses were cracked, but Swift (and her songwriting) was only becoming stronger because of it.

Red: Coming Into Her Own

Highly regarded as Swift's magnum opus, Red sees the singer shed the fairytale dresses and the girl-next-door persona to craft a body of work that has now been deemed as her first "adult" record. On Red, Swift focused on emotions evoked from a hot-and-cold relationship, one that forced her to experience "intense love, intense frustration, jealousy and confusion" — all feelings that she'd describe as "red." 

Unlike most of her previous writing that had been inspired by happy endings and fairytales, Red explores the lingering pain and loss that can embed itself within despite trying your hardest to let go. In her liner notes, she references Pablo Neruda's poem "Tonight I Can Write," stating that "Love is so short, forgetting is so long" is the overarching theme for the album. She plays with time — speeding it up in "Starlight," dabbling in the past in "All Too Well," and reframing it in "State of Grace" — to better understand her experiences. 

After releasing country-pop records, Red toed the line between genres more than ever before. Swift leaned further into the full pop territory by working with esteemed producers Max Martin and Shellback for the dubstep-leaning track "I Knew You Were Trouble," the punchy lead single "We Are Never Getting Back Together," and the bouncy anthem "22." But even when the pop power players weren't involved, her country stylings still leaned more pop across the album, as further evidenced with the racing deep cut "Holy Ground" and the echoing title track. 

The slight change of direction became polarizing for critics and fans alike. Following the more country-influenced Speak Now, some critics and fans found the pop songs on Red were too pop and the lyrics were too repetitive, possibly indicating that she might be selling out. If that wasn't enough, Red became an era where Swift's personal life went from speculation to tabloid fodder, with misogynistic headlines and diluting her work to just "writing about her exes." It's an era that would eventually inspire many tracks on Red's successor, 1989, like "Blank Space" and "Shake It Off."

Commercially, Red debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 1.2 million copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling country album and making Swift the first female artist to have three consecutive albums spend six or more weeks at the top of the chart. The impact of Red extended beyond its own success, too. Often mentioned as a record that inspired a generation of artists from Troye Sivan to Conan Gray, Swift's confessional, soul-bearing authenticity set a new standard for straightforward pop music. 

1989: Reinventing Into A Pop Genius

The night Red lost the GRAMMY for Album Of The Year in 2014, Swift decided that her next album would be a full-on pop record. After years of identifying as a country artist and flirting with pop, Swift departed her roots to reinvent herself, no matter what her then-label or critics had to say. And in true Swiftian fashion, turning into a pop artist didn't just prove her genre-shapeshifting capabilities — it further solidified her as an artist who is at her best when she freely creates to her desires and refuses to adhere to anyone.

1989 was lauded by critics for its infectious synth-pop that was reminiscent of the 1980s, yet still had a contemporary sound. Swift opted to lean more into radio-friendly hits, which resulted in songs like "Style," "Wildest Dreams," "Blank Space," and "Shake It Off," all of which became singles. And where some might trade a hit or two at the expense of their artistic integrity, Swift didn't falter — instead, her lyrics were just as heartfelt and intimate as they were on prior albums.

After exploring pop-leaning sonics she first found with Red, Swift worked with Martin and Shellback again on most of 1989. This reinvention brought new (and very important) collaborators as well. Swift's now-frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff credits her as the first person to take a chance on him as a producer with "I Wish You Would" and "Out Of The Woods"; both tracks exemplified how future Antonoff-produced songs would sound on albums like reputation, Lover and Midnights.

At the time, 1989 became Swift's best-selling album to date. It sold nearly 1.3 million copies within release week in the U.S., debuting atop the Billboard 200 and reigning for 11 non-consecutive weeks. The album also earned Swift several awards — including her second Album Of The Year GRAMMY, which made her the first female artist to ever win the award twice. 

Following the release of 1989, Swift became a cultural juggernaut, and the album has had an omnipresence in music since. Swift didn't just normalize blending genres, but proved that you can create a sound that is uniquely yours by doing so. In turn, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and more pop stars have refused to conform or stick to what they've done prior. 

reputation: Killing The Old Taylor

For years, Swift was on a strict two-year cycle — she'd release an album one year, tour the next, and then release a new album the following year. But following the heightened scrutiny and highly publicized tabloid drama that followed the end of the 1989 era, Swift completely disappeared for a year. She stayed away from public appearances, didn't do any press, and missed the album schedule fans became accustomed to. It wasn't until summer 2017 when she returned from her media (and social media) blackout to unveil the fitting title for her new album: reputation.

Born as a response to the naysayers and name-callers, reputation follows Swift shedding her public image — which includes the pressure to be perfect, the drama, and the criticism — by declaring, "There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation." Leaning on the same tongue-in-cheek songwriting techniques she used while penning "Blank Space," Swift wrote from the mindset of how the public perceived her.

When Swift released the lead single "Look What You Made Me Do," a song she initially wrote as a poem about not trusting specific people, many assumed the album would center on vengeance and drama. Although Swift said that the album has its vindictive moments — even declaring that the "old Taylor" is dead on the bridge of "Look What You Made Me Do" — it's a vulnerable record for her. Swift described reputation as a bait-and-switch; at their core, the songs are about finding love in the darkest moments. 

Swift still remained in the pop lane with reputation, largely leaning on Antonoff and the Martin/Shellback team. The sound almost mirrored the scrutiny Swift faced in the years prior — booming electropop beats, maximalist production and pulsing synthesizers dominate, particularly on "End Game," "I Did Something Bad," and "Ready For It…?" But the "old Taylor" isn't entirely gone on songs like "Call It What You Want," "So It Goes…" and "New Year's Day," where she lets her guard down to write earnest love odes.

Even after Swift spent some time away from the spotlight, the public didn't immediately gravitate toward her return. And even despite matching the 1.2 million first-week sales of her previous releases, some concluded that the album was her first commercial failure when compared to 1989. With time, though, it became clear that the response to reputation became muddled with the public's overall perception of her at the time — some even claimed that Swift was ahead of her time with the album's overall sound.

For her 2023 TIME Person of the Year profile, Swift described reputation as a "goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure." For years, she felt the pressure to be "America's Sweetheart" and to never step out of line. Writing reputation became a lifeline following the events that catalyzed it  — a way to shed the so-called snakeskin and make peace with however the public wanted to view her. 

Lover: Stepping Into The Daylight

After finding love amongst chaos with reputation, Swift was learning to deal with the anxiety and fear of losing her partner — became a major theme of another aptly titled album, Lover. Both sonically and visually, Lover was a complete change from reputation. After touring reputation, Swift found that her fans saw her as "a flesh-and-blood human being," inspiring her to be "brave enough to be vulnerable" because her fans were along with her. Stepping away from the dark and antagonistic themes around reputation encouraged Swift to step into the light and be playful with her work on Lover.

Swift also found a new sense of creativity within this new mindset, one where she aimed to still embed playful themes in her songwriting but with less snark than that of "Blank Space" and "Look What You Made Me Do." Leaning into Lover being a "love letter to love," Swift explored every aspect of it. Tracks like "Paper Rings" and "London Boy" exude a whimsical energy, even if they center on more serious themes like marriage and commitment. Other songs, including "Death By A Thousand Cuts" and "Cornelia Street," are Swift at her most vulnerable, reflecting on a love lost and grappling with the extreme worry that comes when you could potentially lose someone. 

Looking at Lover retrospectively, it's an album that almost symbolizes a bookend in her discography. She was playful yet poignant, picking apart her past lyrics and feelings and looking at them with the perspective of someone who was once on top of the world, hit rock bottom, and survived in spite of it. This evolution is mentioned throughout Lover, particularly in a direct callback to 2012's Red, "Daylight," which sees her describe her love as "golden" rather than "burning red." 

Lover also marked the first time Swift divulged into politics and societal issues, like campaigning against Donald Trump, releasing the Pride-infused "You Need To Calm Down," and feeling disillusioned by the political climate with "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince." Swift's documentary Miss Americana explores this change further, discussing how she regrets not being vocal about politics and issues prior, in addition to opening up about her body image issues and mental health struggles.

Lover became Swift's sixth No. 1 album in America, making her the first female artist to achieve the feat. But Lover was more than any accolades could reflect — it was Swift's transitional album in many ways, notably marking the first album that she owned entirely herself following leaving Big Machine Records for Republic Records in 2018.

folklore: Looking Beyond Her Personal Stories

After the pandemic started and Swift cancelled her Lover Fest, she spent the early stages of quarantine reading and watching a myriad of films. Without exactly setting out to create an album, she began dreaming of fictional stories and characters with various narrative arcs, allowing her imagination to run free. The result became folklore, 2020's surprise archetypal quarantine album.

Crafting a world with characters like the folklore love triangle between those in "betty" and "august," as well as Rebekah Harkness from "the last great american dynasty" (who once lived in Swift's Rhode Island mansion), was Swift's way of venturing outside her typical autobiographical style of writing. She'd see visceral images in her mind — from battleships to tree swings to mirrored disco balls — and turned them into stories, sometimes weaving in her own personal narrative throughout, or taking on a narrator role and speaking from the perspective of someone she had never met. 

She worked remotely with two producers — again working with her right-hand man Jack Antonoff, and first-time collaborator Aaron Dessner from The National. Some songs, like "peace," were recorded in just one take, capturing the essence and fragility in the song's story, whereas the lyrics for the sun-drenched "august" were penned on the spot as Swift was in her makeshift home studio in Los Angeles.

Another aspect that separated folklore from her previous work was the obvious decision not to create hits made for radio play, so much so that Dessner claimed that she made an anti-pop record at a time when radio wanted clear "bops." Sonically, it ventured into genres Swift hadn't explored much outside of a few folkier tracks on Lover. Rather than relying on mostly electronic elements, Swift, Antonoff and Dessner weaved in soft pianos, ethereal strings, and plucky guitars.

folklore's impact on the zeitgeist at a time where everyone was stuck at home helped shape people's quarantine experience. Fans rejoiced at having songs to comfort them during difficult times, and artists like Maya Hawke, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter credit folklore for inspiring them to create and be even more emotionally honest in their songwriting. After its release, folklore became the best-selling album of 2020 after selling 1.2 million records. At the 2021 GRAMMYs, folklore took home Album Of The Year, making her the fourth artist in history to win three times in the Category. 

evermore: Embracing Experimentation

It was exciting enough for Swifties to experience one surprise album drop from Swift, an artist who typically has an entire album campaign calculated. So when evermore was released just six months after folklore, fans were in shock. 

Like its (literally) folklorian sister, evermore was a surprise release at the end of 2020, marking the first time Swift didn't have distinct "eras" between albums. She felt like there was something "different" with folklore, stating in a social media post that making it was less like she was "departing" and more like she was "returning" to the next stage of her discography. In turn, the album served as a similar escape for Swift as folklore did.

Bridging together the same wistful and nostalgic themes as heard on its predecessor, evermore sees Swift venture even further into escapism. She explores more stories and characters, some based in fiction like "dorothea," and some real, like "marjorie," written in dedication to Swift's grandmother. 

Evermore follows folklore's inclusion of natural imagery and motifs, like landscapes, skies, ivy, and celestial elements. In contrast to the fairytale motifs and happy endings of Fearless, evermore saw Swift become fixated on "unhappy" endings — stories of failed marriages ("happiness"), lifeless relationships ("tolerate it"), and one-time flings ("'tis the damn season"). 

Sonically, evermore is a slight departure from its sister record; where folklore relies on more alt-leaning and indie-tinged sounds, evermore takes the sonics from all of Swift's past records — from pop to country to indie rock — and features all of them on one album. Country songs like "cowboy like me" and "no body, no crime" reaches back to Swift's earlier work in narrative building, seamlessly crafting a three-party story with ease. "Closure" is a "skittering" track that has the same energy as tracks like Lover's "I Forgot That You Existed," whereas the ballad "champagne problems" is thematically reminiscent of Swift's Speak Now track "Back To December" where she takes responsibility for her lover's heartache. 

Working mostly with Dessner on evermore, Swift was emboldened to continue creating and opted to embrace whatever came naturally to them rather than limiting themselves to a sound. Swift felt a "quiet conclusion" after finishing up evermore, describing that it was more about grappling with endings of all "sizes and shapes," and the record represented a chapter closing. Even so, its poetic lyricism and mystical storytelling cleverly foreshadowed what was to come with subsequent albums, particularly The Tortured Poets Department.

Midnights: Encapsulating Her Artistic Magic

After coming out of the folklorian woods following folklore and evermore, fans and critics alike were intrigued to see what direction Swift would take on her next studio album. On Midnights, Swift leaves behind indie folk sounds and returns to the pop production of 1989 and Lover.

Her most conceptual album to date, Midnights charts 13 sleepless nights and explores five themes, from self-hatred and revenge to "what if" fantasies, falling in love, and falling apart. They are the things that keep her up at night, like the self-critiquing in "Anti-Hero," her rise to fame in "You're on Your Own, Kid," and the anxiety of falling in love again in "Labyrinth." Similarly to Swift's cheeky songwriting style that sees her create caricatures of herself in songs like "Blank Space" and "Look What You Made Me Do," she doubles down on claims she's "calculated" on "Mastermind," a song about devising a plan for her and her lover. 

Although the album is a departure from the two pandemic sister albums, the overall creation process didn't differ too much. In addition to working alongside Antonoff (and bringing Dessner in for the bonus-track-filled 3am Edition), Swift's worldbuilding is still the throughline that connects Midnights and Swift's recent albums, whether she's dreaming of a Parisian escape in "Paris" or using war imagery as a metaphor for the struggle of love in "The Great War."

Read More: 5 Takeaways From Taylor Swift's New Album 'Midnights'

Following the success with folklore and evermore, Swift's intrigue was at a then-all-time high upon the release of Midnights. Along with breaking several streaming records — including becoming the first album to exceed 700 million global streams in a week — it was Swift's 11th No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200, and was the highest-selling album of 2022 (and, remarkably, the second best-selling of 2023).

To say that Swift's celebrity has become otherworldly since the release of Midnights would be an understatement. Celebrating her genre-defying and varied discography through The Eras Tour has resulted in old songs having a resurgence, new inside jokes and Easter eggs within the fandom, and a plethora of new listeners being exposed to Swift's work. 

As a result, there has arguably never been more excitement for a Taylor Swift album than for The Tortured Poets Department — especially because the announcement came on the heels of her lucky 13th GRAMMY win in February. Midnights helped further solidify Swift's larger-than-life status at the finale of the 2024 GRAMMYs, too, as she became the only artist in history to win Album Of The Year four times. 

The Tortured Poets Department: A Grief-Stricken Poetic Odyssey

It’s been a while since Swift has penned a full-fledged breakup album. On The Tortured Poets Department, she navigates the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance — after her long-term relationship ended. Taking a page from the release of folklore and evermore, she dropped a double album and announced The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology at 2 a.m. on release day. Throughout a total of 31 tracks, the prolific songwriter shelved the glittery pop radio-friendly tunes in favor of more subdued, synthy and heart-wrenching songs. 

On Instagram, Swift described the album as a collection of poetic songs that reflect the "events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time," Swift pulled out the fountain and quill pens to craft songs about the "tortured poets" in her life — sometimes musing about lovers, sometimes taking aim at villains, and sometimes pointing the finger at herself. 

TTPD is also her most confessional album thus far. It pokes fun at so-called fans who overstep with her personal life ("But Daddy I Love Him"), says goodbye to a city that gave her a home ("So Long London"), and muses on how her own celebrity has stunted her growth ("Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?"). To help explain this chapter of her life, Swift brings together a myriad of collaborators — from Stevie Nicks as fellow poetess, to duets with Florence Welch and Post Malone — and leans on real and fictional characters, like Clara Bow, Peter Pan ("Peter"), and Patti Smith.

In the same post, Swift declared that once she’s confessed all of her saddest stories, she’s able to find freedom. Yet The Tortured Poets Department (and its accompanying 15-track anthology) spends much time reflecting: she toys with her own lore, self-referencing past songs from albums like 1989 and poems from her reputation era. 

Fourteen years ago, Swift declared that she would never change, but she’ll never stay the same either. The Tortured Poets Department proves that in the throughline of Taylor Swift's many artistic eras is a commitment to exploration and a love of autobiographical lyricism.

Before this year, Chappell Roan had never even been to Coachella. Now, not only can she say she's attended — she's performed in the desert, too. 

Roan played an evening set on the Gobi Stage on April 12, and is set to return for Weekend 2. Fans clad in everything from cowboy boots, Sandy Liang-inspired bows and, perhaps most importantly, jorts, gathered to celebrate their shared love of Roan's radiance, karmic kink and gay cowgirl doctrine.  

Throughout her performance, bubbles breezed through the air as Roan belted out her infectious (and aptly titled) track "Femininomenon," which speaks to lover girls forced to live in an online-dating hellscape. "Ladies, you know what I mean?/ And you know what you need and so does he/ But does it happen? No!" Following collective screams of pure joy, the already enlivened crowd roused to match Roan beat-for-beat, shouting back in perfect unison, "Well, what we really need is a femininomenon!" 

In an era of bedroom pop and sad-girl music, Roan has been hailed by both critics and fans for bringing fun back to pop music. Along with her staunch sense of self, Roan's penchant for explicit lyrics that are equally parts introspective and horny makes her dance-pop anthems all the more infectious. 

Roan's ambitiously experimental debut album, 2023's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, cemented her status as one of the most exciting pop stars on the rise. While she only recently landed her first single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Good Luck, Babe!," her rapidly growing fan base — and an opening slot on Olivia Rodrigo's sold-out GUTS World Tour — indicate that she's on her way to superstardom.

Perhaps part of Roan's magic is that it was all on her own terms. After parting ways with her first label, Atlantic Records, she built a loyal following as an independent artist before signing with Island Records last year. Even as a major label artist, she's determined to only do things her way; her indefatigable commitment to her craft — as well as writing her own rules when it comes to fashion and makeup — is precisely why her fans are so enraptured by both her music and persona. 

Her fearlessness was on full display during her first Coachella set, where the words emblazoned on her bodysuit read "Eat Me." She talks the talk, and walks the walk (in fabulous, knee-high boots, of course), matching her unabashed aesthetic with equally bold career moves; for one, the openers for her headlining tour are local drag queens.

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With eyeliner winged to the heavens, near-perfect vocal stability and fiery curls ablaze, Roan's shimmering Coachella Weekend 1 performance proved that her stage presence is equally dynamic. And if she had any doubters, she had one thing to say to them: "B—, I know you're watching!" 

In between rehearsals for her Coachella debut, Roan took a look back on her journey to one of music's most coveted stages. Below, hear from Roan about five of the most impactful milestones in her career — so far. 

Releasing Her Debut Album, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess

I ended up signing [with Island Records in 2023] because this project honestly got too big to be independent anymore. I just wasn't willing to give up anything, any creative control or for any amount of money. 

Being an independent artist was really special because I proved to myself that I could do all these hard things that I had never done. I built it with an entire friend group and many, many years of work. So it wasn't just me, but it proved a lot to me.

It proved I can make it through hard circumstances — with no money. You truly can. You do not need a label to do a lot of what an artist's career requires. You don't need a label to put on your own show, or make a music video, or even write a song, or find creative people. You don't need that s—t. I mean, a label is just money, you know? You don't need a lot of money to do this. To make it grow is, I think, where it takes a lot of money. That's what was difficult.

Music allows me to express anything, even things that I've never experienced before. It allows me to express queerness, even if it was only daydreams at that point. It allows me to express parts of me that I'm not even ready to accept yet.

I don't give a f— if you don't  f— with the music. You don't have to come to the concert. That's the whole point of it. You don't have to like it. I think throughout the year, I'm like, "What can I get away with?" Because right now it's pretty tame for what it is like to be a gay artist. But I just want to push it to see how far can I go — with the most controversial outfits or things to rile people up. I'm not really afraid to do that.

Having a song [like "Casual] with the lyric, "Knee deep in the passenger seat/ And you're eating me out," and it's being considered to go to radio. That's kind of a big thing to get away with. 

It's not even that big of a thing. What's that song? Is it Flo Rida? That's like, "Can you blow my whistle, baby/ whistle baby." Okay, that's obviously about like a f—ing blowjob. [Laughs.] No one cares about that. To me, I'm like, Let's talk about eating out on the radio. I actually think it has to be bleeped, but still, if I can get away with it, that's cool.

Feeling Financial Freedom & Stability

Not making money at all just sucked. But I learned how to do my own makeup and bedazzle and sew a little bit. I think that the scrappiness came from [the idea that] it's scrappy if it's fun. 

I think that's what kept me going — because if this wasn't fun, I would not even be here. But it was scrappy and fun, and it was with my friends. It didn't feel dire. I was also just working at a coffee shop, and I was a nanny, and I was working at a donut shop. I was doing part time jobs all on the side too. So it was all just rough [in the beginning].

I have freedom because now [singing] is my full-time job. It provides for me now. As the project grows, I can do bigger shows and be like, I want outfit changes now, and I want more lights, and I want confetti. I can afford confetti now! 

It's about expanding the universe in a thoughtful way. And not just like throwing a s— ton of money at things to make things look expensive or wear all this designer s— for no reason. 

I just try to look at how we are starting to gain momentum financially and see how can I intentionally use that to, one, pay the team in a way where they're not bare bones anymore, and two, [ask ourselves] how can we honor this project and this album and the queer community? Can we pay drag queens more? Can we bring drag on the road? Now, financially, doors have opened where we can walk through them with love and intention. Just recklessly, throwing money at s— to see if it works. 

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Opening Olivia Rodrigo's Arena Tour

Olivia [Rodrigo] just asked. It was official, we went through our management. But I was like, Oh my God. 

Preparing a 40-minute set is a different vibe than headlining, obviously. You are going out to an audience that is not there for you and doesn't necessarily care if you're there or not.

This is, like, my fourth or fifth artist I've opened for. But for an arena tour, I just needed to gather my nerves. I think that's the difference between any other show. Like, F—, there's 20,000 people out there right now. I've never performed in front of that many people. I don't know what this emotion is, and I just have to tame it right now.

Standing Up For Herself Creatively, Even When There's Pushback

I stand up for myself, I would say, every day. Sometimes, you get this opportunity, a huge opportunity with a lot of money on the table. [Yet,] I'm just like, That just doesn't make sense creatively. That doesn't align with my values. I'm not doing that. 

One huge creative decision was I stood up and pushed the entire headlining Midwest Princess tour back to the fall. The album was supposed to come out while we were on tour. I was like, "This is a horrible idea!" 

That caused a big ruckus, but it ended up being fine, and I was right. I'm usually right. [Laughs.] It's like a mother with her kid — a mother knows best. I feel like [that] when it comes to the integrity of my project.

I know how it is to not be able to afford a ticket or even f—ing food. A concert ticket, a lot of times, means multiple meals for someone. I get it, I couldn't afford some artists' tickets. That's why it's really important to me to try to keep them as low as I can and my merch as low as I can. 

There's pushback of ticket prices being low and we're playing rooms that are so expensive. The fee to even play them is so expensive. So, you have to raise the ticket prices to just even be able to afford to play the room. There's always an argument [with my team] there, every tour. I'm in control of stuff and if I'm saying this is how it's going to be —- it's just going to be that way.

Performing At Coachella For The First Time 

[After the first weekend of Coachella] I am feeling very relieved. I was so stressed about many things. How is the outfit going to work? Will the crowd really be engaged? It went so well, I have no qualms with anything. I loved every second of it.

It feels like I am partying with [my fans]. I am not performing to them; I’m performing with them. [I want people to remember] a really fun, freeing show. Very campy but very meaningful too. 

4 Ways Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS World Tour Shows A New Side Of The Pop Princess

"All’s fair in love and poetry," Taylor Swift declared when she announced her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, at the 66th GRAMMY Awards. 

Taken from the proverb "All’s fair in love and war," the pop phenom gave us a fair warning: there’s no limit to what she’ll go through to achieve her ends. 

On the freshly released The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift has a few things to get off her chest — so much that it required a surprise second record, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, adding an additional 15 songs. The sprawling album is a masterclass in songwriting and so personal that it's analogous to performing a post mortem autopsy; The musical shapeshifter is here to exhume the tortured poets of her past and make peace with them. 

In an Instagram post, Swift called the record an anthology that reflects "events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time - one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure." With the release of Tortured Poets, "there is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed…our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page." 

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Describing Swift’s work as a collection of tracks about boys and break-ups has always felt underbaked and disingenuous, but much of The Tortured Poets Department is just that. In true Swiftian fashion, she plays on preconceived theories, opting to toy with the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance — after a break-up, bringing listeners along on a peregrination exploring the depths of her relationships and personal growth. 

Analyzing her feelings to craft songs is muscle memory at this point, but with every release Taylor Swift somehow does so with a refreshed and reimagined perspective. The stories she shares with her fans in TTPD might’ve made her feel like she died, but she’s a revenant no longer tortured by the whims and words of other poets.

With The Tortured Poets Department open for business, read on for five key points to consider when listening to Taylor Swift’s new album.

It's Much More Than A Break-Up Record

Although the record orbits around a break-up, The Tortured Poets Department demonstrates Swift's ability to shapeshift as a songwriter. A song about a break-up is layered, typically forcing Swift to unveil her own flaws while wearing her broken heart on her sleeve.

The fifth track on a Taylor Swift album is typically the most emotionally cutting, and "So Long London" is no exception. On the standout track, Swift views the loss of her lover and the breakdown of her relationship to Joe Alwyn through the lens of the city they once shared together. It’s a cathartic release for Swift who point-blank notes the pain they inflicted upon her and how, in turn, they ended up just as heartbroken as she is. 

The high-spirited "Down Bad" and subdued "The Smallest Man in The World" are two sides of the same coin. The former is hopeful that a love could be reignited, whereas the latter sees Swift at her grittiest, pointing the finger at her former lover. "Smallest" poses a series of questions, accusing her ex of being a spy who only wanted to get intel on her.

On piano ode "loml," Swift looks back at the "get-love-quick" schemes she first wrote about in "Why She Disappeared," a poem for reputation. The poem originally considered the death of her reputation and how its aftermath made her stronger while she was simultaneously nursing a new relationship. 

The track has a similar energy to fan favorite "All Too Well," but is even more accusatory — seemingly unlocking another level of her songwriting prowess as she teeters between seething rage and mourning with lines about picking through a "braid of lies" spewed by a partner who "claimed he was a lion" but is really a coward. While Swift is honest about never feeling a loss so deeply, she maturely accepts that the effort she put into keeping the relationship afloat was all she could do. It’s distinctly different from the battles she bravely fought in "The Great War," "Daylight" and "long story short."

She's Grappling With Fame & Owning Her Choices

That Taylor Swift struggles with her own celebrity and the public's perception is nothing new. On reputation’s album prologue, she stated, "We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them they have chosen to show us." 

On The Tortured Poets Department, Swift has never been more honest about her feelings towards those who claim to know better than she does. On "But Daddy I Love Him," she doubles down on these frustrations, taking aim at self-righteous "vipers" and "judgmental creeps" who condemn her choice of a lover. Swift holds nothing back, declaring "I'll tell you something about my good name/It's mine alone to disgrace."

Swift stated that her life sometimes feels like a public autopsy with people psychoanalyzing her every thought and feeling. Following the release of Midnights and her larger-than-life Eras Tour, Swift’s been in her "glittering prime" despite experiencing her long-term relationship ending and the media hysteria around it would make anyone feel the opposite. "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart" confirms fans' theories that the GRAMMY winner was indeed putting on a brave face.  

On "Clara Bow" — a song named for the silent film actress whose public life was so scrutinized that she admitted herself into a sanatorium — Swift sings "Beauty is a beast that roars/Down on all fours/Demanding, 'More.'" Again, Swift plays with the double-edged sword of fame, comparing herself to a performing circus animal — something she sings about in "Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?" 

Taylor Swift Gets By With A Little Help From Her Friends

Swift has always looked up to and honored the greats in her music and art, and Tortured Poets is no exception. She recruits rock icon and songwriter Stevie Nicks to help build TTPD’s world, and Nicks penned a poem featured in Swift’s physical album. Written in Texas, the poem is "For T and me..." and tells the tale of two ill-fated lovers. (Swift also namedrops Nicks in "Clara Bow," touching on the comparisons made between Clara, Nicks and herself.)

There are two additional guest appearances on TTPD: Post Malone appears on "Fortnight" and Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine is featured on "Florida!!!" (a surprisingly toned-down lead single). Swift particularly shines when paired with Welch, and the soaring "Florida!!!" sees their intertwined vocals creating a sound as infectious as the "drug" they sing about.

J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan inspired Swift on "cardigan" ("Tried to change the ending/Peter losing Wendy") but now the Lost Boy gets his own track on The Anthology’s "Peter." The ever-inquisitive Swift pleads, "You said you were gonna grow up/Then you were gonna come find me" and confronts this man who wouldn’t grow up. She even puts herself in the shoes of Wendy who waited for Peter Pan to return but has grown tired of waiting.

TTPS Is All Quill And Fountain Pen Songs

A few years ago, Taylor Swift categorized her songwriting according to three writing devices: glitter gel pens for fun tracks, fountain pens for songs using modern imagery and lyrics, and quill pens for tracks with flowery, figurative language. Although devoid of the glittery gel pen songs that comprise many of Swift's hits, TTPD and its accompanying anthology are steeped in fountain and quill writing. 

Most of The Tortured Poets Department are fountain pen tracks — thanks to 2024 Producer Of The Year Jack Antonoff’s sleek pop production and synth use. Tracks like "Fresh Out The Slammer" and "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" are sharp, snappy, tongue-in-cheek tales of love affairs about to begin and coming to an end with the same sonic exuberance of past Swift & Antonoff songs, like "Out of the Woods" and "Getaway Car."

Tracks on The Anthology, mostly produced by Aaron Dessner, are stripped-back, folk-tinged quill songs brimming with sorrow and harrowing thematics and dives even deeper into her chaotic psyche. "The Prophecy" sees Swift beg to change a prophecy that has been laid out ahead of her — likely stemming from the pressure of being a global superstar when all she wants is to be loved.

This Is The End Of An Era (Or A Chapter)

To her occasional disdain, Swift's highly personal songwriting has created a global obsession with her inner life.  Although she's tired of the "public autopsy," Tortured Poets offers her time to reflect on the "events, opinions, and sentiments" over a time that was equal parts transient and transformative. 

From her growth from the country-twanged teen singer on her self-titled debut to woman who is fearless in her pursuit of happiness, love, and peace, Swift has transformed time and time again. By viewing her work in eras — or, in this case, a chapter in a book of her life — it’s clear that Swift sees this current chapter of her life coming to a close, turning the last page and no longer longing to look back. 

One could argue that Swift is an unreliable narrator, only ever presenting her side of the story. But she says that while considering the pain described on TTPS, many now-healed wounds turned out to be self-inflicted. With these stories immortalized, Taylor Swift has spoken her saddest story and is now "free of it." The tortured poets and poems will no longer take up space in this next chapter of her life.

Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon