Swift posted the news on social media, revealing that her breakthrough 2008 album (her first No.1) will be "with you soon," and that the re-recorded version her hit single "Love Story," which was teased in a Match.com commercial in December 2020, will be released on February 11.
"This process has been more fulfilling and emotional than I could've imagined and has made me even more determined to re-record all of my music," Swift wrote. "I hope you'll like this first outing as much as I liked traveling back in time to recreate it."
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In addition to the 20 original Fearless songs, Swift said that the new version will include six "never-before-released songs from the vault" that she wrote between the ages of 16 and 18 that ultimately didn't make it onto the album.
I’m thrilled to tell you that my new version of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is done and will be with you soon. It has 26 songs including 6 never before released songs from the vault. Love Story (Taylor’s Version) will be out tonight. Pre-order now at https://t.co/NqBDS6cGFl 💛💛 pic.twitter.com/Vjyy2gA72O
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) February 11, 2021
The reason Swift has re-recorded her first six albums is part of a plan to bar record executive Scooter Braun — Braun bought her masters in 2019 and then sold them to an investment firm the next year for $300 million USD — from profiting off of her work. She'll be able to have new versions of her songs for fans to purchase as well the licensing rights, meaning she'll be in control of anyone who would want to use one of her songs in a commercial, movie, or show.
While Swift didn't explicitly say when Fearless (Taylor's Version) would drop, fans think they've already cracked the code. In Swift's note, she capitalized random letters in the text, that when strung together spell out "APRIL 9." That would especially make sense because 4+9 = 13, the singer's lucky number. In fact, her announcement came on February 11 (2+11 = 13). And what's more, 2021 marks 13 years since the original Fearless was released. Her mind.