Taylor Swift may have wrote her surprise 2020 album Folklore with the help of Aaron Dessner, but the singer took a lot of creative control over the project. In fact, she even did her own hair and makeup for the album cover’s photo shoot. Swift discussed her creative freedom in a recent interview, mentioning which track in particular she was the most proud of.
Swift recently sat down for a conversation with People about her six Grammy nominations this year. During the interview, Swift explained why a particular line on “The Last Great American Dynasty” made her the most “proud” of her songwriting:
“I’m really proud of ‘She had a marvelous time ruining everything’ from ‘The Last Great American Dynasty’ because it’s about what happens when women step out of their cages and run. It can be a real pearl-clutching moment for society when a woman owns her desires and wildness, and I love the idea that the woman in question would be too joyful in her freedom to even care that she’s ruffling feathers, raising eyebrows or becoming the talk of the town. The idea that she decided there were marvelous times to be had, and that was more important.”
Elsewhere in the interview, she discussed the “revelations” she had while making the album: “I think one of the revelations from this time that I’ll take with me moving forward is that oftentimes less is more. An album photo shoot can really be as simple as walking out into a field with one photographer at your friends’ farm and you can do your own hair and makeup for it. […] I feel proud of the DIY elements of these albums and in the future I will always explore that option before adding any other layers to a project. If I can do it myself, I will.”
In other Swift news, the singer’s two 2020 albums helped contribute to her being the second best-selling artist of 2020. Swift took first place in 2019, but was out-run by BTS’ global domination last year.
Folklore is out now via Republic. Get it here.