To truly understand Amy Winehouse, you have to be in tune with the unfiltered version of yourself. Through her whiskey-soaked vocals and lyrics that sang more like ripped diary pages, the singer pulled at heartstrings worldwide.

A Southgate, North London native, Winehouse first emerged onto the music scene with 2003’s Frank. Partly inspired by Frank Sinatra (one of her many influences), the debut album was an engaging collection of breezy, jazz-soul ditties that commented on everything from local gold diggers (the cheeky "F*** Me Pumps") to annoying boyfriends ("Stronger Than Me"). 

But the artist’s global breakout moment is attributed to 2006’s follow-up and final album, Back to Black. While Frank teased Winehouse’s innate talent, this sophomore record showcased a budding legend before the world’s very eyes. The album is unabashed in its rawness, with Winehouse triggering listeners with once-deeply hidden memories of the emotional rollercoaster that relationships bring: the distracting love bombing, the painful heartbreak and trying to pull yourself out of the pits. Back to Black’s foundation is honesty, reflecting the artist’s own personal life at the time — from her tumultuous relationship with then ex-beau and future husband Blake Fielder-Civil to her battle with addiction and the mobs of British paparazzi tracking her every move.

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Back to Black was a refreshing fusion of ‘60s girl group doo-wop, contemporary R&B, pop, reggae, and soul. The magic that Winehouse created with collaborators Mark Ronson, producer    Salaam Remi and Sharon Jones' band The Dap-Kings led to massive success. Back to Black took home five out of six GRAMMY Awards (including Record of the Year for "Rehab" and Best New Artist). Following her untimely death, Winehouse won best Pop/Duo Performance in 2011 for her "Body and Soul" collaboration with Tony Bennett, as well as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for Nas’ "Cherry Wine" in 2012.

Along with her gripping music, Winehouse made a stamp on pop culture through her nostalgic fashion style. A mix of ‘60s Motown, rockabilly and British ‘80s punk, she became known for her signature to-the-sky beehive hairdo, overly extended winged eyeliner, cherry-red lips, Monroe piercing and love for short cocktail dresses. In 2020, her style was commemorated in the GRAMMY Museum’s "Beyond Black – The Style Of Amy Winehouse" exhibit with assistance by her stylist Naomi Parry and longtime friend Catriona Gourlay. Winehouse’s legacy remains strong to this day: she paved the way for artists like Adele, Duffy, Estelle to cross over stateside, and also inspired a new generation of singers who admired her musical bluntness.

On the 10th anniversary of her passing today (July 23), GRAMMY.com honors Amy Winehouse with an industry round-table tribute featuring the artists, creatives and journalists she's inspired through her music and style.

The quotes and comments used in this feature were edited for clarity and brevity.

She Tapped Into Everyone’s Emotions

Alessia Cara (GRAMMY-winning Canadian singer/songwriter): I remember seeing the "Rehab" video for the first time and being glued to the television. She had big curly hair like mine, sitting on a stoop and singing with the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard. From then, I watched every video I could find on YouTube and learned every song. She made me want to learn the guitar, made me fall in love with jazz, and made me understand the undeniable power in simplicity and honesty. I saw so much of myself in her, in ways that I just couldn’t find in a lot of people on the radio at the time. To this day, if I write a lyric that feels a little too close for comfort, I think of her and how she would have said it anyway and it puts me right back on track. The real magic lies just past discomfort. It’s embedded in the truth. There is no one who did it more impactfully than her, but I always keep that sentiment in my pocket when speaking of my own feelings in my music; It’s shown me the reason for music in the first place. It’s an escape, a shoulder, a mirror. She never took it lightly and because of that  —  neither do I. 

Charlotte Day Wilson (Toronto singer/songwriter): Amy's music was soulful, unafraid and deeply personal. As a teen who was obsessed with Motown, I was instantly hooked when I heard Back to Black for the first time. Her swagger as a vocalist, her crass yet timeless lyrics, the production, everything just hit perfectly and I know those elements/ influences live in me in many ways as an artist. 

Suchandrika Chakrabarti (London-based journalist, comedian and performer of "I Miss Amy Winehouse" show): When I look back at my memories of the 2000s, so many of them are soundtracked by Amy’s music. I was born in the same year as Amy Winehouse – 1983 – and she’s six months younger than me. She was born in a suburb of north London, and I was born in a suburb of east London. We could’ve gone to the same school. She moved to Camden and made it her home in the 2000s; I worked and partied in Camden during the same period. 

Amy always felt three steps away, perhaps pulling pints in The Hawley Arms or listening to the after-hours rockabilly music in the backroom of Marathon Bar (a kebab shop that used to host late-night parties), or having a smoke as she invited a gang of people back to her Camden flat for an after-party. Yet, she was a record-breaking global mega-star that I somehow didn’t run into around Camden!

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The Amy I read about and saw in interviews was incredibly likable and unafraid of the media machine. Her kind of London accent wasn’t (and still isn’t) often heard on TV, and she would not play by the rules of a nice, media-trained pop starlet, choosing instead to criticize other acts, talk about her relationships and bare her soul, or storm off, depending on her mood. She could give as good as she got, particularly towards older male journalists who wanted to view her with an objectifying eye. 

Most of all, she was funny. Earlier on in her career, she could undercut the dramatically heartbroken image of herself that her songs suggested by just turning up to interviews and being her own sarcastic, quick-witted self. Amy entertained the public off-stage as well as on, and I always wanted to know what she would do next. I was always rooting for her. 

Lolo Zouaï (R&B/pop singer/songwriter): My favorite part about her music is her songwriting; her voice sounds so timeless but her lyrics have an edge to them. She doesn't filter what she wants to say which is such a beautiful contrast that I try to emulate in my lyrics.

Daya (GRAMMY-winning pop singer-songwriter): Amy’s ability to pick you up wherever you are and place you right in the middle of whatever she was going through was transcendent. To see the world through her lens has impacted me greatly as a person, songwriter and artist. What I love most about her as a person was her stubbornness and reluctance to compromise  —  she knew exactly what she wanted and didn’t care to cater to industry expectations or appeal to any specific audience. I constantly find myself trying to channel that energy when I’m met with resistance to my work. She’s easily one of the greatest artists that’s ever lived, and I feel lucky to have been alive at the same time as her.

Mike Spinella (Senior Director, Original Content at Pandora): I had the privilege to work with Amy in 2007 when she came to the United States to promote Back to Black. I had been booking talent and developing new content at AOL Music and became aware of the U.K. buzz surrounding her talent and instantly iconic voice. The record felt timeless immediately, it was brilliant — perfect, really. I had the opportunity to book Amy in our studio, where she gave a remarkable stripped-down performance, it was the first time I had seen her perform in person. Her extraordinary talent was undeniable at that moment. This was a very impactful moment in my career, being able to share her performance with the world. I am extremely proud to have played a role in reaching a large audience in the U.S. at that stage of her career with this timeless content.

Her Music Was Both Charming & Timeless

Alessia Cara (singer): Amy had this unmatched ability to tap into specific details of her life in a way that made you think of your own. She was brutally honest, sometimes to the point that made you uncomfortable. But it’s only that type of honesty that can hit a certain nerve in people —  one that feels like she’s holding a mirror right up to your face. The older I get, the more her lyrics shape-shift their meaning to me. She detailed the human experience (specifically sadness) in ways that if you didn’t relate to in the past, you eventually will. You can go back to those songs and think, "Wow I get it now." Her music is timeless because the shared experience of love and loss is timeless. 

Suchandrika Chakrabarti (journalist, comedian and performer): Her music is about the biggest things in life: love, sex, trust, pain, emotion. Amy’s songs manage to make each of us the "Main Character" in the imaginary film of our life, her dramatic soundtrack scoring our highs and lows, our sadnesses and our triumphs. That’s why she seemed like the perfect fit for a Bond theme; it’s a shame that it didn’t work out. 

I’ve been researching a lot of media from the time to write my show, and Mark Ronson’s quote about Amy writing the single "Back to Black" in two or three hours really stuck with me. Her lyrics could have been diary entries, polished into poetry and set to melodies that can make you jump onto the dancefloor or fall onto your bed in despair. Her pain was raw, and part of her processing it was to make it into music. That part made sense, but it was sharing it with the public that I think took its toll on her. 

The contrast between her stage presence and her "real" presence in interviews and on the streets of Camden was utterly fascinating. She didn’t need to try to capture our attention with a fancy home, designer clothes or perfectly prepared soundbites for headlines. The talent reeled us in, and we just wanted to know everything about the person who could make this music at such a young age. She burst into fame apparently complete, any apprenticeship in music already done and dusted. 

Daya (singer): Her honesty, pain and the blatant rawness with which she talked about the struggles of love, sex, drugs, addiction, and temptation cuts through. It’s timeless because it touches on universal human emotion and experiences that will exist and be shared as long as humans are alive on earth. She was completely unfiltered, politically incorrect and unconcerned with what others think, and I think that is and will always continue to be a refreshing take, especially now at a time when art/music can feel increasingly watered down or made "safe" to cater to whatever will work in a mainstream or commercial way.

Mike Spinella (Senior Director, Original Content at Pandora): What struck me right away was Amy's unique style. Her sound was modern and classic all at the same time. Having witnessed Amy perform several times, including in an intimate studio session, it was easy to see how her sheer talent and captivating presence would inspire musicians for generations to come. Beyond the music, what also struck me was her sincerity, love and appreciation for the artists who influenced her as well as her peers. Amy embodied the creativity of a true artist and it showed in her work. Her career will continue to inspire those who have not yet discovered her brilliance.

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Her Sense of Fashion Style Was Unapologetic

Nicholas Vega (GRAMMY Musem’s Curator and Director of Exhibitions, who helmed the "Beyond Black – The Style Of Amy Winehouse" exhibit last January): Amy’s style has proven to be timeless and has influenced a number of artists (and continues to do so). This is undeniable. There are certain elements of her style that other artists have adopted —  whether it is the beehive hairdo, eye make-up, tattoos, or fitted dresses. But the most influential attribute of her style has to be her sense of individualism. Her stylist and friends were influential in helping her develop her look, but ultimately Amy took bits and pieces of trends and styles that she admired to create her own look. This is so essential because she could have very well let her team tell her what and what not to wear. Her interest in fashion extended well beyond her own personal wardrobe, as this is clearly visible in her direct involvement in 2010’s Fred Perry campaign and the different looks she developed with her stylist Naomi Parry. When talking about Amy’s style or "look," this is what stands out the most to me.

Daya (singer): Her style and image were provocative in a way that really drew you in immediately. It was very "cool girl who doesn’t give a f***" while still alluding to glamour and opulence that kept it interesting and mysterious and elevated. She was beautifully extravagant without trying too hard, and she showed her body in a way that felt empowering and emboldening to me. Her general attitude toward style has influenced me heavily: she single handedly got me into eyeliner when I was a teen and it’s still my favorite item of makeup.

Opening night of the Beyond Black - The Style Of Amy Winehouse Exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles | Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

She Created Soulful Hits

Charlotte Day Wilson (singer): [Back to Black single] "Love Is A Losing Game" was an instant classic and remains one. It's a song I turn to when I need someone to echo my pessimism towards love & its potential for longevity. 

Nicholas Vega (GRAMMY Musem’s Curator and Director of Exhibitions): My all-time personal favorite Amy Winehouse song is "In My Bed" off the Frank album.  Sampling Nas’ [2002 hit] "Made You Look" was genius! Sampling is such a huge part of hip-hop and the beat from "Made You Look" was actually lifted from the Incredible Bongo Band’s “Apache” from 1973. There are few instances where hip-hop beats are used by artists from other genres of music  — it’s usually the other way around. With a hip-hop beat serving as the record’s backbone, combined with her soulful voice and emotionally raw lyrics, Amy’s creativity is certainly on full display. 

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Suchandrika Chakrabarti (journalist, comedian and performer): "Tears Dry On Their Own" is my favorite song and video. From the sample of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's soaring "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" from 1967 to the lyrics speaking of growing up, changing her ways and being her own best friend, this should be Amy’s anthem rather than "Rehab." The sample draws a direct comparison between the two songs: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is about two people whose love cannot be dimmed by distance, whereas "Tears" is about one codependent person finding the strength to walk away, no matter the imagined obstacles, or the urge to try just one more time. 

The other songs on Back to Black are about the pain and of surrendering to one’s own destructive patterns in love, but "Tears" is a manifesto for change. There’s much more hope in the lyrics, even though it can sound more downbeat in the melody than "Rehab" or "You Know I’m No Good." That’s the sly secret at the heart of Amy’s songs: the lyrics and the melody work beautifully together, but they each provoke two different emotions in us. 

The video has always struck me as being inspired by two memorable Richard Ashcroft videos from the Britpop era. The obvious one is his strut down East London’s Hoxton Street as the frontman of The Verve in 1997’s "Bitter Sweet Symphony." Amy, being a woman and (despite the beehive, only 5’3") emulates on Hollywood Blvd.

The quieter scenes with Amy in a hotel room call to mind Richard Ashcroft’s "A Song For The Lovers" in 2000. While he moves around his large hotel room with a sense of joy, Amy longingly sits alone in her small room. I think that we would have got more songs like "Tears Dry On Their Own" as Amy got into her 30s. There’s self-acceptance and maturity that makes it stand out from the other tracks on Back to Black. Plus, it’s just a great song to belt out at karaoke.

Lolo Zouaï (singer): I love so much of her music but the song "Wake Up Alone" is my favorite. I love to listen to her music in the morning because of the way it makes you feel so present.

Daya (singer): You Know I’m No Good" holds a special place in my heart because it was my favorite song to sing when I was 10 and still is one of them now. I used to cover it on the ukulele all of the time, and I was always drawn to the seduction and provocation of it without even knowing it at the time. It’s interesting to fully comprehend the layers of the lyrics as an adult now. It also really made me want to work with a big band at some point in my career.

Mike Spinella (Senior Director, Original Content at Pandora): It is hard to have a favorite song when Amy made so many perfect ones. But I will choose the song I probably have listened to most: "Tears Dry on Their Own." It encapsulates everything I love about Amy's music: an ear-worm tune that showcases Amy's one-a-kind vocals, blending struggles, heartbreak and truth into a candy-coated melody, all while paying homage with an interpolation of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

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She Was A Budding Icon Gone Too Soon

Alessia Cara (singer): I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. It was my second year of high school, so I was sitting on my bed writing an essay on my laptop. My mom came in, sat on my bed with me, and told me. I remember feeling my heart sink. One of my first thoughts after the initial questions of how, why, and where, was selfishly: "Oh my God. I will never meet her." Looking back, it’s kind of an ambitious thing to say. The thought that me, a high school student from Brampton, would have definitely met her had it not been for her passing was so far-fetched, yet it was crushing. As long as she was alive, there would still be the one percent chance that I’d run into her and get to tell her what she meant to me. But this solidified that I would never have that chance. 

That moment sparked so many devastating truths. She was never going to write a song again. We will never hear her sing again. How was someone so poignantly human, with an endless stream of emotions, never going to feel a single emotion again? It felt like she was robbed of the chances she was supposed to have. I felt her pain through her words and the thought that her life ended within that pain felt so wrong. Death never feels right, but this felt especially wrong. 

Thinking back now, her passing ultimately taught us all the true purpose of songwriting and how music lives on despite any circumstances. Her words continue to touch whoever hears [them]  — even 10 years later  —  and will continue to for generations. She’s still very much alive within that. I didn’t get to know her, but her art makes us all feel like we do. Her spirit is transcendent and her heart is still on earth, every time we dance around our kitchens to "Tears Dry On Their Own" or ugly cry to "Love is a Losing Game." Through her beautiful work and the awe she continues to leave us in, Amy will always be here.

Suchandrika Chakrabarti (journalist, comedian and performer): It was a Saturday lunchtime when the news broke. I was at home in Finsbury Park, which is about a 10-minute drive from Camden. I couldn’t tell you which medium brought me the news first  —  radio, TV, or online  —  but the moment I knew, I was on all three at once, trying to find out more. 

I was utterly shocked. Amy had been photographed walking around London just two days earlier, looking much healthier and stronger than she had in a long time. I genuinely thought that she would be able to turn things around. She was only 27, six months younger than me. Of course, there would be more songs, there would be more sightings of her around Camden, she would shepherd her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield into a promising music career of her own... 

I was working in broadcast news at the time and two days after her death, I was sent down to the scene outside her flat to collect interviews. It was an extraordinary scene. The buildings on Amy’s streets are gorgeous mid-19th-century townhouses arranged around a large rectangle of grass, and every inch of it was covered in mourners. 

These were teenagers, not 20-somethings like Amy or myself. They had created their own festival outside Amy’s home: drinking, smoking, and smearing their black eyeliner with their tears. It seemed like a strange tribute to a singer who had probably died due to drugs or alcohol  —  at this point we didn’t know for sure  —  and I still wonder now what those fans got from being there. I suppose they felt that they were being witnesses to the private, lonely death of such a public, much-photographed star. 

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Her Artistry Impacted A New Generation

Charlotte Day Wilson (singer): Just that the world of music was a better place with her in it. There will always be an empty space where she should've remained.

Nicholas Vega (GRAMMY Musem’s Curator and Director of Exhibitions): As I closely worked with her family and friends to develop the "Beyond Black – The Style of Amy Winehouse" exhibition, it became immediately clear that there are so many rich layers to her story. Having been able to hear first-hand accounts from those who knew her best and to be able to examine and analyze different objects from her personal collection, I learned that she was truly dedicated to her craft. Her passion for music and [music-making] was such a huge part of her DNA. Although she was blessed with a beautiful and soulful voice, she did not take that for granted. This really stands out as something special, as many people do not know this side of her story.  

Suchandrika Chakrabarti (journalist, comedian and performer): While Amy’s music is timeless, she lived in a very specific age. One in which her obvious difficulties were met with mocking headlines, cruel jokes on TV and a lack of support. We watched a career and life unfold, blossom and then end in real-time. So much more has to be done to care for people in her position. It would be nice to think that future generations of fans will find the values of the 2000s archaic, and that Amy’s sad trajectory in full view of the world won’t be repeated. 

Lolo Zouaï (singer): She was always authentically herself and just wanted to make music because that was her way of coping with her life, which was not easy. She never wanted to be famous, she was just born an artist and felt everything so deeply. 

Daya (singer): I would hope that her addiction and death don’t cast a shadow on everything that she was and everything she contributed to the world. I hope her legacy continues to live on as one of the most important and brilliant songwriters and pop culture influences who’s ever lived. She was undergoing heavy personal battles and the people around her  —  combined with the industry/media  —  continued to manipulate and exploit her for their own monetary or social gain. It was completely unfair and tragic what happened to her, which shouldn’t at all take away from the beautiful artist and person she was.

Big Voices, Ballads and Blockbuster Hits: How 1996 Became The Year Of The Pop Diva

"...and you're watching Disney Channel!" For anyone who grew up in the 2000s, those five words likely trigger some pretty vivid imagery: a glowing neon wand, an outline of Mickey Mouse's ears, and every Disney star from Hilary Duff to the Jonas Brothers. 

Nearly 20 years later, many of those child stars remain instantly recognizable — and often mononymous — to the millions of fans who grew up with them: Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. Nick, Kevin and Joe. 

Each of those names has equally memorable music attached to it — tunes that often wrap any given millennial in a blanket of nostalgia for a time that was, for better or for worse, "So Yesterday." And all of those hits, and the careers that go with them, have the same starting point in Hollywood Records, Disney Music Group's pop-oriented record label.

This time in Disney's history — the core of which can be traced from roughly 2003 to 2010 — was impactful on multiple fronts. With its music-oriented programming and multi-platform marketing strategies, the network launched a procession of teen idols whose music would come to define the soundtrack to millennials' lives, simultaneously breaking records with its Disney Channel Original Movies, TV shows and soundtracks.

Now, two decades later, Disney Music Group launched the Disney 2000s campaign, honoring the pivotal, star-making era that gave fans a generation of unforgettable pop music. The campaign will last through August and lead directly into D23 2024: The Ultimate Fan Event with special vinyl releases of landmark LPs and nostalgic social media activations occurring all summer long. April's campaign activation was Disney 2000s Weekend at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, which featured special screenings of 2008's Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert and 2009's Hannah Montana: The Movie and Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.

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But before Miley and the JoBros, Hollywood Records' formula for creating relatable (and bankable) teen pop stars began with just one name: Hilary Duff. At the time, the bubbly blonde girl next door was essentially the face of the network thanks to her starring role in "Lizzie McGuire," and she'd just made the leap to the big screen in the summer of 2003 with The Lizzie McGuire Movie. In her years with Disney, Duff had dabbled in recording songs for Radio Disney, and even released a Christmas album under Buena Vista Records. However, her first album with Hollywood Records had the potential to catapult her from charming tween ingénue to bonafide teen pop star — and that's exactly what it did.

Released on August 26, 2003, Duff's Metamorphosis sold more than 200,000 copies in its first week and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The following week, the bubblegum studio set performed the rare feat of rising from No. 2 to No. 1, making the then-16-year-old Duff the first solo artist under 18 to earn a No. 1 album since Britney Spears.

The album's immediate success was no fluke: Within a matter of months, Metamorphosis had sold 2.6 million copies. Music videos for its radio-friendly singles "So Yesterday" and "Come Clean" received constant airplay between programming on the Disney Channel. (The latter was eventually licensed as the theme song for MTV's pioneering teen reality series "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County," giving it an additional boost as a cultural touchstone of the early '00s.) A 33-date North American tour soon followed, and Hollywood Records officially had a sensation on their hands. 

Naturally, the label went to work replicating Duff's recipe for success, and even looked outside the pool of Disney Channel stars to develop new talent. Another early signee was Jesse McCartney. With a soulful croon and blonde mop, the former Dream Street member notched the label another big win with his 2004 breakout hit "Beautiful Soul."

"When 'Beautiful Soul' became the label's first No. 1 hit at radio, I think that's when they really knew they had something," McCartney tells GRAMMY.com. "Miley [Cyrus] and the Jonas Brothers were signed shortly after that success and the rest is history.

"The thing that Disney really excelled at was using the synergy of the channel with promoting songs at pop," he continues. "I did appearances on 'Hannah Montana' and 'The Suite Life of Zack & Cody' and my music videos were pushed to Disney Channel. The marketing was incredibly brilliant and I don't think there has been anything as connected with an entire generation like that since then."

By 2006, Disney had nearly perfected its synergistic formula, continually launching wildly popular tentpole franchises like High School Musical and The Cheetah Girls, and then giving stars like Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu recording contracts of their own. (Curiously, the pair's HSM co-star Ashley Tisdale was never signed to Hollywood Records, instead releasing her first two solo albums with Warner.) 

Aly Michalka showed off her vocal chops as sunny girl next door Keely Teslow on "Phil of the Future," and fans could find her off-screen as one half of sibling duo Aly & AJ. In between their 2005 debut album Into the Rush and its electro-pop-charged follow-up, 2007's Insomniatic, Aly and her equally talented younger sister, AJ, also headlined their own Disney Channel Original Movie, Cow Belles. (Duff also helped trailblaze this strategy with her own early DCOM, the ever-charming Cadet Kelly, in 2002, while she was simultaneously starring in "Lizzie McGuire.")

Even after years of proven success, the next class of stars became Disney's biggest and brightest, with Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers all joining the network — and record label — around the same time. "Hannah Montana" found Cyrus playing a spunky middle schooler by day and world-famous pop star by night, and the network leveraged the sitcom's conceit to give the Tennessee native (and daughter of '90s country heartthrob Billy Ray Cyrus) the best of both worlds. 

After establishing Hannah as a persona, the series' sophomore soundtrack introduced Miley as a pop star in her own right thanks to a clever double album that was one-half Hannah's music and one-half Miley's. It's literally there in the title: Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus.

From there, Cyrus' stardom took off like a rocket as she scored back-to-back No.1 albums and a parade of Top 10 hits like "See You Again," "7 Things," "The Climb," "Can't Be Tamed," and the ever-so-timeless anthem "Party in the U.S.A."

At the same time, Gomez had top billing on her own Disney Channel series, the magical (but less musical) "Wizards of Waverly Place." That hardly stopped her from launching her own music career, though, first by fronting Selena Gomez & the Scene from 2008 to 2012, then eventually going solo with the release of 2013's Stars Dance after the "Wizards" finale aired.

For her part, Lovato — Gomez's childhood bestie and "Barney & Friends" costar — got her big break playing Mitchie Torres in Camp Rock alongside the Jonas Brothers as fictional boy band Connect 3, led by Joe Jonas as the swaggering and floppy-haired Shane Gray. Much like Duff had five years prior in the wake of The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Lovato released her debut solo album, 2008's Don't Forget, just three months after her DCOM broke records for the Disney Channel. 

Building off their chemistry from the movie musical, nearly the entirety of Don't Forget was co-written with the Jonas Brothers, who released two of their own albums on Hollywood Records — 2007's Jonas Brothers and 2008's A Little Bit Longer — before getting their own short-lived, goofily meta Disney series, "Jonas," which wrapped weeks after the inevitable Camp Rock sequel arrived in September 2010.

As the 2000s gave way to the 2010s, the Disney machine began slowing down as its cavalcade of stars graduated to more grown-up acting roles, music and careers. But from Duff's Metamorphosis through Lovato's 2017 LP, Tell Me You Love Me, Hollywood Records caught lightning in a bottle again and again and again, giving millennials an entire generation of talent that has carried them through adulthood and into the 2020s.

To commemorate the Disney 2000s campaign, GRAMMY.com crafted a playlist to look back on Disney's golden age of pop with favorite tracks from Hilary Duff, Vanessa Hudgens, the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and more. Listen and reminisce below.

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.

When the Backstreet Boys released "I Want It That Way" on April 12, 1999, they likely had no idea how beloved their smash hit would still be a quarter-century later.

Written by the Swedish powerhouse team of Andreas Carlsson and Max Martin, "I Want It That Way" is undoubtedly BSB's signature hit, particularly thanks to its memorable undulating melody and its long-debated cryptic meaning. But perhaps the most surprising part of the song's legacy is how it has resonated across genres — from a TikTok cover by Korn to a hip-hop sampling by Lil Uzi Vert.

As the Backstreet Boys celebrate the 25th anniversary of "I Want It That Way," take a look at how the song has been diversely covered, lovingly lampooned and karaoke jammed by an array of voices in the business.

Weird Al Yankovic (2003)

When the king of parody songs selects one to skewer, you know it's an iconic song. Weird Al Yankovic paid tribute to the largeness of the Backstreet Boys classic when he used "I Want It That Way" as the basis of a song called "eBay" in 2003.

Yankovic's chorus replaces the original's with, "A used pink bathrobe/ A rare mint snow globe/ A Smurf TV tray/ I bought on eBay." The Backstreet Boys send up appears on Yankovic's album Poodle Hat, which won Best Comedy Album at the 2004 GRAMMYs.

One Direction (2013)

Three years One Direction formed on "The X Factor," the five lads — Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson — included a cover of "I Want It That Way" on their 2013 concert set lists, the young boy band paying homage to the ones that came before them. Though their English accents poked through at times, their version was loyal to the original, and got their crowds singing along.

"Glee" (2013)

Poking fun at the presumed rivalry between *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, a medley of the former's "Bye Bye Bye" and "I Want It That Way" was featured in Season 4, Episode 16 of "Glee." In the episode — aptly titled "Feud" — choir director Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and glee club heartthrob Finn (Cory Monteith) face off in an epic boy band battle, which ultimately proved the groups' respective music was more cohesive than divisive.

Brittany Howard and Jim James (2016)

The lead singers of Alabama Shakes and My Morning Jacket covering a boy band classic. It doesn't sound real, but Brittany Howard and Jim James did just that in 2016 when they recorded "I Want It That Way" for an animated short cartoon called "A Love Story."

Released by the fast food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, the clip was part of a creative campaign to showcase the company's focus on natural ingredients. Howard and James highlight the poignancy and versatility of the song by adding lush string arrangements and dramatic beats.

Backstreet Boys x Jimmy Fallon and The Roots (2018)

The 2018 live performance of "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for "The Tonight Show" is arguably the sweetest rendition of the song — and not just because they're using a mini xylophone, baby tambourine and other toy classroom instruments. It's even more endearing than the previous collaborations between Fallon and Backstreet Boys: a barbershop singing version of Sisqo's "Thong Song" and a "Bawkstreet Boys" version of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," with everyone dressed like fluffy birds.

The 1975 (2020)

British rockers The 1975 performed a fairly faithful cover of "I Want It That Way," hitting all the high notes at several of their 2023 world concert tour stops. But it's not the first time frontman Matty Healy has hinted at the Backstreet Boys' influence on his band: he told Pitchfork in 2020 that "College Dropout-era Kanye West meets Backstreet Boys" was part of their veritable moodboard at the time when working on their own song called "Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)."

Lil Uzi Vert (2020)

In 2020, Lil Uzi Vert released a rap song called "That Way" that includes a refrain of "I want it that way" sung to the tune of the Backstreet original, but with an AutoTune twist. From there, the lyrics become quite a bit naughtier than anything the BSB guys have uttered in any song.

"I don't know how [the idea of] Backstreet Boys got involved in this song, I really don't," the song's producer Supah Mario told Splice at the time. "I think it was all Uzi. But it was a game changer."

The interpolation was so good, in fact, that Nick Carter even invited Lil Uzi Vert to collaborate: "Now you're gonna have to be featured on our next album bud," he tweeted upon the song's release.

Korn (2022)

Fans of Korn know that the nu metal band has a sense of humor, but few could've expected that Jonathan Davis and crew would post a TikTok of themselves singing "I Want It That Way" in 2022.

"I never wanna hear you say… 'Worst Is On Its Way,'" reads the caption on the post, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Korn's 2022 song of the same name.

Backstreet Boys responded on the app via a hilarious Duet video with Nick Carter. In the video, Carter — who sports fabulous metal eye makeup and a long silver wig — doesn't actually say or sing anything, he just drops his jaw in amazement.

Backstreet Boys x Downy (2022)

Downy hired the Backstreet Boys to poke fun at "I Want It That Way" with the now-viral "Tell Me Why" commercial in 2022. All five members — Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson — appear as a Backstreet Boys poster on the wall that comes to life, using the "tell me why" hook of their hit to engage a woman doing laundry in a conversation about washing her clothes.

As Saatchi group account director Jen Brotman told Muse at the time, the nostalgic ad also spawned some memories for the folks working on the ad campaign.

"The moment [BSB] stood in front of the camera, they rehearsed 'I Want It That Way' just to get the notes right, and we felt like we were getting serenaded on set," Brotman recalled. "We couldn't believe how emotional we all got — there may or may not have been tears in some eyes. The song has always been a karaoke favorite of the team, so we knew which 'tell me whys' we wanted them to hit, and we still can't get it out of our heads."

Ed Sheeran (2023)

When he fancies singing a bit of karaoke, Ed Sheeran loves leaning on "I Want It That Way," as the star showed at his favorite Nashville bar in July 2023. A patron caught him on camera and his happiness level is undeniable when belting out this enduring pop classic.

As Sheeran told CBS News a few months later, he grew up on the pop hits of everyone from Backstreet Boys to Britney Spears. But what he said about "I Want It That Way" specifically may be the best way to describe its long-lasting impact: "You can't be in a bar, a couple of beers in, and 'I Want It That Way' comes on and not be like, 'This is a good song.' You can't."

24 Songs Turning 20: Listen To 2004's Bangers, From "Yeah!" To "Since U Been Gone"

The dawn of Taylor Swift's "tortured poet" era is upon us. The reigning Queen of Pop is set to release her highly anticipated 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, on Friday, April 19. 

Ever since she announced the new album during the 2024 GRAMMYs — while accepting her lucky 13th GRAMMY Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights —- Swifties have been meticulously analyzing every detail of her existence for clues about the release of The Tortured Poets Department.

Fortunately, Swift has been serving a lot of information to snack on. After revealing the cover art in an Instagram post before accepting her record breaking fourth win for Album Of The Year, she didn't stop the feast. From the full track list to a five-stage breakup playlist — and, of course, all the bonus tracks and special editions — here's all the breadcrumbs GRAMMY.com collected in preparation for The Tortured Poets Department. 

All The Art Is Black And White

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The cover art for The Tortured Poets Department displays a black-and-white inset photo of Swift in repose on a stack of white pillows, with the album's title in uppercase white letters above her. The photography accompanying the album, including back covers and special editions, captures Swift in reflective solitude: standing before a body of water wearing an oversized white button-up, and in a pensive self-embrace against a stark black backdrop.

The photography for the album was shot by Swift's photographer since 2020, Beth Garrabrant, who also shot the covers of Swift's folklore, evermore, Fearless (Taylor's Version), Red (Taylor's Version), Midnights, Speak Now (Taylor's Version), 1989 (Taylor's Version). She's known for using a medium-format film photography that evokes an emotional closeness to her subjects — especially fitting for an album titled The Tortured Poets Department.

The Album Features Two Notable Collaborations

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On GRAMMY night, alongside the album announcement, Swift posted the complete track list on her Instagram. The post included a photo of the album's back cover, showing a close-up of Swift with her hand on her forehead, overlaid with the text "I love you, it's ruining my life" in all-caps. 

The 16-track release has been split into four sides and also features collaborations with Post Malone on Side A opener "Fortnight" as well as Florence + The Machine on Side B's "Florida!!!" 

Check out the full track list:

**Side A**
“Fortnight” (feat. Post Malone)
“The Tortured Poets Department”
“My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
“Down Bad”

**Side B**
“So Long, London”
“But Daddy I Love Him”
“Fresh Out the Slammer”
“Florida!!!” (feat. Florence + the Machine)

**Side C**
“Guilty As Sin?”
“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
“I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
“loml”

**Side D**
“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
“The Alchemy”
“Clara Bow”

Bonus Tracks:

“The Manuscript”

“The Black Dog”

"The Albatross"

The Album Title Hints At Another Ex 

Mere moments after Swift dropped The Tortured Poets Department album name, the internet was ablaze with viral speculation that the title is derived from a play on ex Joe Alwyn's group chat, "The Tortured Man Club" with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott. 

Alwyn and Mescal revealed their "club name" during an interview with Variety in December 2022 and it didn't take long for fans to connect the dots. Upon unearthing the tie-in, Swifties rushed to share memes and comment on the original interview across various social channels.

There Are Three Bonus Tracks (So Far)

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Swift has revealed at least three bonus tracks for different editions of the album, each marked with its own "file name." The initial track list release, referred to as "The Manuscript," includes a bonus track sharing this name.  

On Feb. 23, Swift posted a slideshow on Instagram to promote a special edition named "The Albatross." It featured the bonus tracks and revealed the back cover, which presented a track list alongside a contemplative close-up of Swift overlaid with the question, "Am I allowed to cry?" 

Then, on March 3, she introduced the bonus track “The Black Dog” through a similar post that showcased new cover art, with the album's reverse side portraying Swift and the haunting text, "Old habits die screaming." 

Lyrics Have Already Been Shared

Unlike her previous album campaigns, Swift hasn't unveiled any music ahead of The Tortured Poets Department’s release — but she has dropped plenty of hints at the subject matter to come. Handwritten lyrics first appeared in the album announcement post, in a stack of papers inside a folder tabbed with a monogram of the album's name.

"And so I enter into evidence/ My tarnished coat of arms/ My muses, acquired like bruises/ My talismans and charms/ The tick, tick, tick of love bombs/ My veins of pitch black ink," is written above the sign-off, "All's fair in love and poetry… Sincerely, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department."

Then, in an Instagram story posted on April 8 — the date of the total solar eclipse — Swift shared an image of a typewriter loaded with a sheet of paper stamped with the words, "Crowd goes wild at her fingertips/ Half moonshine, Full eclipse." 

Swift Created Five Playlists To Mirror The Stages Of A Breakup

Gearing up for the release, Swift dropped a 5-part playlist series on Apple Music on April 5 featuring previously released work arranged in playlists that reflect the five stages of grief. The playlist for "Denial: I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life Songs," features hits including Midnight's "Lavender Haze," and Lover's "Cruel Summer" and "False God." 

The other playlists run through the emotional gamut with titles like "Anger: You Don’t Get to Tell Me About Sad Songs," the midpoint "Bargaining: Am I Allowed to Cry? Songs," "Depression: Old Habits Die Screaming Songs," and finally "Acceptance: I Can Do It With a Broken Heart Songs." Each one takes listeners on a Taylor Swift escapade through love won and lost, representing what many believe to be a musical voyage through Swift's stages of grief following the end of her relationship with ex Joe Alwyn. 

Each playlist also includes a description from Swift. For "Denial," it says, "This is a list of songs about getting so caught up in the idea of something that you have a hard time seeing the red flags, possibly resulting in moments of denial and maybe a little bit of delusion. Results may vary.”

As April 19 nears closer, take a deep dive into everything Swift has unleashed so far — and get ready for a lot more divulging once The Tortured Poets Department arrives.