Taylor was chosen as Popdust’s Artist of the Year! She sat down with them for an exclusive interview, so be sure to read it! It’s really nice, just talking about her life and about some of her favorite lyrics from “Red!”
Taylor Swift sold so many records in 2012, the only people who didn’t buy one are probably named Jake and John. Her fourth album, Red, is yet another blockbuster, selling 1.2 million copies in its first week, far outpacing every other week-one sales tally for 2012. (Mumford & Sons’ Babel placed a distant second with 600,000). But Red is far from a safe record for Swift. She stretched her sound by co-writing with Swedish hit mafia Max Martin and Shellback and dueting with moon-eyed British folkies Ed Sheeran and Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, and tackled assorted adult subjects with the same precision she previously saved for high-school crushes. Don’t let the off-white sundresses and kitty-cat Instagrams fool you. At 22, Swift is clearly no innocent: She’s in charge of her career to a degree that few artists can dare match, and she’s an exceptional songwriter who still hasn’t peaked at her craft. We spoke to Swift by telephone while she was in Los Angeles for a TV appearance and video shoot.
As Popdust’s Artist of the Year, how would you categorize your 2012?
My year was more like a two-year process, actually, culminating in a surprisingly pleasant reception for Red.