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On 15th anniversary of Kanye’s VMAs interruption, will Taylor Swift re-release ‘Reputation’ as ultimate rebuttal?

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On 15th anniversary of Kanye's VMAs interruption, will Taylor Swift re-release 'Reputation' as ultimate rebuttal?

As a long-time fan of Taylor Swift, I must say that her journey has been nothing short of captivating. From her humble beginnings to her current status as a global superstar, she has shown an unparalleled resilience and creativity that is truly inspiring.

As a devoted movie buff, when I ponder over iconic pop culture moments, it’s hard to forget Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. His words, “I’mma let you finish,” followed by claiming Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” should have won, resonate just as loudly today as they did 15 years ago. It’s still a classic moment!

Later in the show, I had the pleasure of witnessing Queen Bey winning Video of the Year. She graciously invited Taylor Swift back on stage to bask in her well-deserved limelight too.

19-year-old Swift, with sparkling eyes, wore a shimmering, off-the-shoulder Kaufmanfranco dress adorned with sequins. She made her grand entrance on the red carpet, arriving in a carriage shaped like a pumpkin, pulled by horses.

Prior to that moment, Swift was primarily a country artist known for writing songs. However, she started transitioning into pop music, a shift solidified by the achievement of her second album, “Fearless,” which won Album of the Year at the Grammys and produced popular tracks like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.

In my write-up for “Taylor Swift Style,” set to release on October 8 (a sequel to her well-loved Instagram series), I note that Taylor Swift frequently embraces roles such as a damsel in distress or an underestimated romantic interest, utilizing theatrical wardrobe.

As a diehard fan of pop culture, I’ve been eagerly waiting for the VMAs this year, especially with its anniversary approaching. Could Taylor Swift be planning an epic comeback by releasing the much-anticipated remake of her “Reputation” album, titled “Taylor’s Version,” to make a grand statement for the event? Only time will tell!

It’s not a mere coincidence that several books about Taylor Swift, such as Rob Sheffield’s “Heartbreak Is the National Anthem,” Nicole Pomarico’s “Long Live: The Definitive Guide to the Folklore and TopMob of Taylor Swift,” “Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift” edited by Kristie Frederick Daugherty, and a Hearst Home gift book are being published around the time when West claims he made her famous. This is in reference to the lyrics of his song “Famous,” released in 2016, which mention this event. The video for the track went viral and featured wax figures of Swift, West, his then-wife Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump, and others in a bed together. As Sheffield puts it in “Heartbreak Is the National Anthem,” West and Trump are two among many who have singled her out and made her a personal pursuit. Notably, Trump recently posted a fake presidential endorsement from Swift.

Ever since West’s imprudent choice to gatecrash Swift’s party on that memorable night in 2009 propelled her into a higher sphere of celebrity (as Sheffield queries in the book, “Who was Best Female Video winner the year before Swift or the year after?”), their lives have remained connected, frequently whether they wanted it or not.

The following year at the MTV Video Music Awards, Swift sang “Innocent”, a song that seemed to forgive West for both tarnishing her moment and boosting her career profile simultaneously.

Back in 2015, it seemed like Taylor Swift and Kanye West had put their past differences aside, and here’s an interesting turn of events – she even bestowed the Video Vanguard Award upon him at the VMAs! Taylor was basking in the glory of her successful pop debut, “1989,” and honestly, I think everyone could use a break from me, as I seemed to be everywhere back then. As quoted in NME magazine in October 2015.

The break between West and Swift wasn’t entirely voluntary: After West released “Famous,” Swift openly disagreed with the song. On Instagram, she stated, “I really want to be left out of this story, one I never asked to be part of since 2009.” Kardashian responded by sharing edited snippets of a phone call between West and Swift on Snapchat, where it seemed Swift agreed with the content of the song. However, the full recording of their conversation leaked in early 2020, supporting Swift’s claim that she wasn’t aware of the controversial “I made that b— famous” line. Public opinion quickly turned against Swift, leading her to isolate herself and create “Reputation,” an album often perceived as revengeful, filled with symbols of snakes, recurring personas she would later revisit in the “Anti-Hero” video and the Eras tour, and a controversial music video for the lead single “Look What You Made Me Do” that depicted Swift making finger guns in a bathtub full of diamonds. This was significant because Kardashian had been robbed at gunpoint in Paris the previous year, with her attackers confining her in a bathtub.

I find it fascinating how Swift’s persona and artistic flair are so intertwined, often described by Sheffield as “the petty Taylor.” This term captures the nuanced complexity of her work, encompassing both her intricate songwriting and the relatable, sometimes petty aspects of her character.

He shares with The Times that there’s something about her which some of us might not readily associate with, yet many still find themselves doing so. He also points out that she often displays intense emotions that listeners may not always wish to resonate with.

Later on, Swift rebounded with renewed strength, initiating a remaking project to regain control over her early albums and also experiencing a high point of creative productivity. This resulted in the release of five original studio albums between 2018 and 2024, two of which (“Folklore” and “Midnights”) were awarded Album of the Year at the Grammys, further boosting her existing accolades for “Fearless” and “1989”, making her the only artist to win this honor four times. Now, Swift is approaching dangerously high levels of publicity due to her record-breaking Eras tour, recent Grammy wins, the release of double album “The Tortured Poets Department” earlier this year, and her highly visible relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Indirectly, “Reputation” continues to be the only album from her discography that deserves a “Taylor’s Version.” It seems plausible that the woman who displayed a picture of their altercation in her living room, labeled with her own words as “Life is full of little interruptions,” might be holding onto her anthems of retaliation against West for a special occasion. Given that it happened on the 13th, a number she’s previously associated with significance, this could very well be the case.

Sheffield chuckles, noting that her deliberate postponement of the ‘Reputation’ release showcases a mischievous and somewhat devious aspect of her character.

According to Pomarico, it’s not wise to delve too much into the subtle references or “Easter eggs” that Taylor Swift includes in her lyrics, visuals, outfits, and liner notes, as some fans might do. He noted that Swift stopped engaging in such speculation with her album “Reputation,” and we should not expect the anniversary of this album to reveal a new version titled “Reputation (Taylor’s Version).

She confides in The Times that after being disappointed so many times by the delay in releasing “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)”, she’s hesitant to express her speculations for fear of jinxing it. However, she admits that there’s a thrill in predicting and discussing potential outcomes with fans, even when one turns out to be incorrect – the real joy lies in the anticipation and excitement of seeing if our theories come true.

Claiming that Taylor Swift is perpetuating the storyline she initially wanted to distance herself from doesn’t diminish her dedication and talent. Swift was already skillfully drawing upon her personal experiences for her art long before Kanye West took the microphone from her 15 years ago, and it’s likely she would have still achieved a comparable level of success even without him. The last five albums she’s released since “Reputation” have no connection to West, except perhaps her recent song “thanK you aIMee,” which has been re-titled “thank You aimEe” (with capitalized YE instead of KIM) in response to the release of West’s album “Vultures 2.

From my perspective as a devoted admirer, I’d like to rephrase Pomarico’s point: “Is it fair for anyone to pass judgment on her, given how she expresses that experience through her music?” This way, the sentence is written in the first person and maintains a natural and easy-to-understand flow.

Unveiling the highly anticipated single from her re-recording (leaving her self-titled debut yet unreleased) will serve as a powerful response to that significant event, much like she stated when “Reputation” was initially released: “There’ll be no more explanations. There will just be reputation.

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2024-09-10 13:33

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