Swifties, including me, cannot remain perfectly fine after listening to the new and improved “Fearless” album. Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her re-recording of her second studio album “Fearless” on April 9 this year. The newly recorded album, now titled “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” includes all of her original songs from the 2008 album, plus the single “Today Was a Fairytale” and six songs “From the Vault.”

The songs “From the Vault” are all songs written by Swift at the time of Fearless’s original release, but did not make it on the final recording. Now that Swift has control over what songs she will include in her album (which she now owns), she decided to release the six never-before-heard songs, giving Swifties 23 additional minutes of pure bliss.

As a Swiftie myself, I admit, I am partial, and I adore all of her songs, but trust me when I say: The six new ones are all truly incredible. It was nostalgic listening back to the old songs, but the newly introduced tracks added to the experience of excitement and anticipation of a new Taylor album. 

From the upbeat “That’s When” to the slower, melancholic “We Were Happy,” Swift demonstrates her extensive range and ability to express her emotions musically, even when she was just 18 years old. 

What makes this album so unique and even more emotional is the fact that Swift is doing this so she can finally own her music. Her first six albums—from “Taylor Swift” to “Reputation”—are owned by Scooter Braun. However, Swift’s contract states that she can re-record her first five albums starting November 2020.

Although Swift kept the songs as true to the originals as possible, the growth in her voice and instrumentals is recognizable. Some aspects of the songs sound a little less like the classic guitar and vocals and a bit more like pop. While I definitely do not mind this and think it still sounds beautiful, I sometimes miss hearing Swift’s voice as it was when she was still a young teen. The new cover is also slightly different, while still retaining the same concept as the 2008 cover.

To top it all off, the re-recorded album has Swift breaking and making records. “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it her ninth No. 1 album. Even more impressive is that with this album, Swift is the first woman to release three No. 1 albums in under a year. It also is the first-ever re-recorded album to reach No. 1. Needless to say, the world owes Swift for bestowing the gift that is her music to us this past year.

Swift, previously known for drawn-out album reveals, has recently changed her style so that hints are dropped mere days before the album or song release. Prior to the release of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” Swift released two songs “From the Vault” and posted a video with a word scramble of all the song titles of each of the unreleased songs.

In the future, Swift will continue to release her re-recordings of other albums. As of right now, she still has not announced what the next album will be, although fans have tried to decode easter eggs hinting at which one it will be. 

Regardless of what the next re-recorded album will be, I can’t wait; and until then, I will be just another wide-eyed girl, waiting for my superstar to release her next album.