Just 2 hours after the general release of her new album The Tortured Poets Department with 15 songs was officially released, Taylor Swift suddenly released an extended version of this record with 16 songs, increasing the total length of the entire disc. music up to 31 songs. This can be said to be a risky step for the female singer, because not only did it create a surprise, but on the other hand, the length of up to 2 hours of this record is also not suitable for today’s consumer standards. consume short content.

Because of this, the new album, in general, is not too popular with critics. Music review site Pitchfork gave the extended version of the entire record a score of 6.0 – the lowest among Taylor Swift’s projects – with the explanation being that the album is too long, lacking a climax and highlight. If compared to the popular version, which received a score of 6.5, the length of more than 2 hours does not make the album better, but also reduces the listening quality.

In addition, many articles from many magazines such as The Guardian, The New York Times, The Rolling Stone … also compared this album with the music of artists such as Adele, Olivia Rodrigo… making fans of Taylor Swift feels dissatisfied that their favorite artist is now presented as a “prey” to attract the media instead of focusing on the main quality.

Many people also pointed out that the above reviews are one-sided, because the reviews appeared very quickly after the album’s official release. This may be reasonable for the standard version, but with 16 additional songs, the lack of caution in the rushed time frame also makes fans feel frustrated.

Not only from major articles, but also on fan review sites, there were also many negative comments just a few hours after the album’s release. Even though there are comment filtering systems, one-sided reviews are still appearing more and more.

However, according to many experts, by releasing as mentioned above, Taylor Swift is trying to get closer to her fans than ever. For example, when listening to this new record for the first time, a large number of fans, besides enjoying the music, also look for clues to answer questions such as: who is this song about – 2 ex-lovers or current athlete?, is this verse connected to other songs?, or is there anything new in the production?…

These questions are certainly a product of the relationship Taylor Swift has built with her audience, but they should only arise after fully enjoying the album. The fact that reputable review sites also participate in the decoding game, bringing an artist’s personal life into their reviews, according to fans, is lowering the listening experience and reducing the nuance in the creations. created by scholars.

Many people who love the female singer are also calling on other listeners to ignore the reviews and rumors about the song’s intended audience and listen to the real music, by paying attention to what the song is about. not only is it detrimental to the artist, but it also harms the enjoyment of their product.

Through the above incident, it can be seen that Taylor Swift is not only a talented songwriter, but the singer’s personal life is also a source of much discussion. However, it also needs to be separated from the enjoyment process. This incident also raises another question: should we enjoy an artist’s creativity, or try to find hidden things about their personal life through that creativity?