When Taylor Swift released folklore and evermore in 2020 and 2021, the two surprise masterful bodies of work weren’t just a testament to Swift’s uncanny writing ability but they were also a precursor to the artist’s massively successful Taylor’s Version era.
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If we zoom in specifically on evermore, Swift’s last “new” project before gifting the world reworked and reclaimed recordings of some of her most beloved albums, it is apparent that she closed her surprise double album folk era with a bang.
The two projects catapulted Taylor to even further heights, that even the most committed of Swifties could not have foreseen. Prior to folklore and evermore, Swift had flexed her Country music muscles with historic songs like “You Belong With Me” and “Our Song.” And then, of course, she famously dominated Pop music with mega tracks like “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “Shake It Off.” Swift even took home Album Of The Year GRAMMYs for Fearless and 1989. However, when she released folklore and evermore, a move to folk music that felt like a gamble as much as a natural next step, the projects cemented Swift as one of the greatest songwriters of our generation.
In a social media post discussing her choice to travel deeper into her folksy journey Swift wrote, “to put it plainly, we just couldn't stop writing songs. To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music."
evermore works in tandem with folklore while still dominating on its own. Stacked with enviable artist features and overflowing with Swift’s mysterious yet on-the-nose imagery, the project is yet another golden notch in Taylor’s acclaimed discography.
The project features gems like “No Body, No Crime” which finally sees Swift and HAIM combine their forces to deliver what feels like an intense true-crime storyline turned into an addictive earworm. On the album’s title track, Taylor and Bon Iver deliver a cinematic ballad that captures Swift’s iconic heartbreak narrative as she employs imagery from the autumn and winter seasons and sings the line “I had a feeling so peculiar/ That this pain would be for/ Evermore.”
folklore earned Swift her third Album Of The Year GRAMMY at the 63rd Annual ceremony. Now, evermore carries the potential to deliver Swift an unprecedented fourth AOTY trophy, allowing the “Gold Rush” singer to become the most decorated female artist in the highly sought-after category.
The 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards happen live from Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3, featuring performances from Olivia Rodrigo, BTS, Billie Eilish and more. Stay with Audacy for more exclusive coverage of music's biggest night at audacy.com/grammys.
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