Why is Taylor Swift re-recording all her old albums? When did 1989 come out, what happened with Scooter Braun?

Taylor Swift has announced the highly-anticipated release date of 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

The megastar revealed the release date during her final Eras Tour US performance in Los Angeles, sharing with fans that the new album which includes hit songs like “Shake It Off” and “Style” would be coming out soon.

Announcing the news on social media, she told fans it was her “favourite” album to re-record: “The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways”, adding: “To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the 5 From The Vault tracks are so insane. I can’t believe they were ever left behind. But not for long.”

Swift first released re-recorded versions of her albums in 2021. So, why is Taylor Swift re-recording all her old songs, when did 1989 come out and what happened with Scooter Braun? Here’s everything you need to know.

Why is Taylor Swift re-recording all her old albums?

Swift first released re-recorded versions of her album in April 2021 with Fearless (Taylor’s Version). The 12 time Grammy Award winner began re-recording her albums in 2019 after her old record label Big Machine Records, which she left in 2018 was sold to Scooter Braun, who previously worked with Kanye West.

The sale gave Braun the rights to the master recordings of six of Swift’s albums, meaning that if anyone wanted to use her songs they would pay Braun for the privilege. To combat this, Swift is re-recording the six albums she made whilst at Big Machine Records, so that her music “can live on”.

In an interview with Billboard in 2019, she explained: “We need to think about how we handle master recordings, because this isn’t it. When I stood up and talked about this, I saw a lot of fans saying, ‘Wait, the creators of this work do not own their work, ever?’”

Swift continued: “The reason I’m rerecording my music next year is because I do want my music to live on. I do want it to be in movies, I do want it to be in commercials. But I only want that if I own it.”

What happened with Scooter Braun?

In 2018, the master recordings of Swift’s six albums were sold to Braun by her former record company Big Machine Records. The artist described the sale as the “worst case scenario” in a post on Tumblr and accused Braun of “bullying” her throughout her career, referencing his connection to West.

When did 1989 come out?

Swift’s fifth studio album, 1989 was released on 27 October, 2014, the re-recorded version will be released on the same date but in 2023.

The album includes some of Swift’s most well known hit songs including “Shake It Off”, “Bad Blood” and “Blank Space”. It’s rumoured that it is about former One Direction singer Harry Styles, with the third song, “Style”, referencing Swift being in “a relationship with a guy who has “slicked-back hair”.

What albums are Taylor Swift re-recording?

Swift is slowly re-recording her past albums, the first released was Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in April 2021, followed by Red (Taylor’s Version) in November 2021. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is the most recent, released in July 2023.

1989 (Taylor’s Version) will be released on 27 October, 2023 and will be the fourth album the megastar has re-recorded. There are two more albums left to go, her first album Taylor Swift which was released in 2006 and Reputation from 2017.

As of yet, there is no information as to when the last albums will be revealed. Swift fans will have to pay close attention to the singer who is known for revealing Easter Egg teasers in her music videos and whilst on tour.