Music
Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ album slated for July release
Swift announced the release date for the re-recording of her 2010 ‘Speak Now’ album.
While performing one of three scheduled shows at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville – Taylor Swift’s hometown – Swift announced that the re-recording of her 2010 album, now dubbed ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),’ is scheduled to release July 7, 2023.
The re-release of ‘Speak Now’ will feature an additional six tracks among the album’s original songs like ‘Enchanted’ and ‘Mean’.
After making the announcement to a full stadium, Swift relayed the news to the rest of her fans via Twitter.
“It fills me with such pride and joy to announce that my version of Speak Now will be out July 7 (just in time for July 9th, iykyk) I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20,” Swift wrote. “The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness.
“I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crying… and living to speak about it. With six extra songs I’ve sprung loose from the vault, I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) with you on July 7th.”
Why is Swift re-recording her albums?
With a total of 10 studio albums, the 33-year-old singer has already released re-recordings of her 2008 album ‘Fearless’ and her 2012 album ‘Red’. These re-recordings don’t change the lyrics or production much, but often feature unreleased or scrapped tracks.
At 14-years-old, Swift signed a deal with Big Machine Records in 2005 and, according to Swift, her old manager, Scooter Braun, bought the ownership of her first six albums in 2020. However, by signing with the company, she relinquished her masters’ rights.
The pop singer has since accused Braun of bullying her throughout the years and believes he has set out to “dismantle” her work.
Swift later signed with Republic Records in 2018 and the company has allowed her to keep the rights to her new music. By re-recording her old songs under a new contract, Swift is able to claim ownership of her old music.