Taylor Swift has been known to change her styles in the past, shocking critics with her bold move from country to pop back in early 2010s, but nothing has been as drastic as what may come next. According to The Sun, which isn’t necessarily the most reputable of sources, T Swizzle is exploring a “new urban sound” alongside the current king in the scene Drake.
The unnamed source in the article went on to say, “Taylor is always looking at ways to grow as an artist…she’s not afraid of experimenting so is working with a lot of different faces to see if she suits a new sound.
Well, okay then.
The source went on to explain that Drake is both producing and featuring his own vocals, making for “a real mix of edgier hip-hop and R&B sounds”, which they compared to her 2014 hit Bad Blood. “[It] had a less pop vibe, especially once Kendrick Lamar featured on it, and was a big hit, so she thinks her fans will like her going in this direction.”
At this point in her career Taylor Swift could do literally anything and sell it for millions. Now, we hardly think she’s going to start spitting bars and appropriating culture a la Iggy Azalea (we hope not, anyway), but this isn’t great news. And we probably don’t need to explain why.
Regardless of our, or your, opinion of this fateful coming together, Taylor Swift and Drake are the biggest artists in the world. If they do indeed release music together, it will be fucking huge. Both artists are inexplicably endlessly popular, with billions of streams and dollars between them. Whether or not their music will be any good remains to be seen, but it sure as hell will be unavoidable.
We do not want an urban Taylor Swift album.
Earlier this year Taylor Swift was seen rapping Future and Drake’s Jumpman in an advertisement for Apple Music, prompting sales to increase by a whopping 431%. Considering Drake’s relationship with Apple, it may well be possible that they’ve been working on a new ad rather than a new album. We’re hoping so, anyway.
Image: Stereogum