Taylor Swift’s “1989,” her fifth album, was much awaited by fans. Famous for her country accent, curly locks, and relatable songs, Swift has turned away from Country to craft her first Pop album. Although her songs have a more edgy beat and her hair is straightened, her songs still hold a wide appeal.
      Upon hearing Swift was releasing her new album, following the major hit “Red”—winner of the “Best Country Album”—I could barely contain my excitement at hearing her creations with lyrics that so accurately portrayed my feelings. However, I was a bit skeptical about it being Pop, fearing that the lyrics would be meaningless. Out of the 13 tracks, some retain true to her style of connecting to the audience; yet, others fell short. 
The highlights of the album include “I Wish You Would,” a song that invites you to sing along while managing to make listeners nostalgic. “Shake It Off,” her first single, has already become with a major hit. Meanwhile, “I Know Places” demonstrates the maturity of Swift as she deviates from her fairy-tale stories to more realistic happenings.
      While all songs had a nice beat easy to follow on a dance floor, other songs had repetitive lyrics that not only didn’t display the full, confident vocals of Taylor and characteristic instrumentals, but were also purely meaningless. One of the most noticeable examples of this is “Welcome to New York.” Although it is nice to know how much Taylor enjoys her new home, the song contains none of her usual insightfulness. A further example of this is “Bad Blood” in that while it does show more maturity in theme, it has a few lines repeated over and over again.
      Overall, this album is her full transition from Country to Pop. If you, like me, are looking for simplistic, heartfelt lyrics similar to those of her previous songs, I would not recommend buying the entire album; instead, buy some select songs. However, if you truly enjoy diverse styles of Pop that range from heartfelt to dance songs then this is the perfect album for you. No doubt, no matter one’s taste, Taylor has again managed to appeal to a wide audience with her emotional and enthusiastic voice and stay in the spotlight of the music industry.