By Miles Scroggins, Staff Writer

Many Taylor Swift fans know what to expect from her songs. They are catchy, country pop songs with realistic storylines and feisty slams to the ones who did her wrong. While most of her songs have served as anthems for ex-lovers, her new album “Reputation” takes her musical stylings to a whole new level.

“Reputation” marks singer-song writer’s sixth studio album. It was released on Nov. 10, and now it is the year’s bestselling album in the country, with over 1 million copies sold in the U.S. during the first four days of release. The album is a collection of fifteen songs, and it includes hits like “Look What You Made Me Do,” “I Don’t Want To Live Forever” and “… Ready For It.” However, this is more than just an album; fans get to listen to a new side to the 27-year-old pop sensation. Now “Reputation” fans are offered a dark and more intense sound in which Taylor retaliates against these heartbreakers, haters, backstabbers and trash talkers.

Many of the songs in “Reputation” contain lyrics that portray the various issues in her life that built her fame, and this is where the album gets its title. Fans get a chance to listen to the flawed and vulnerable side of the pop queen which seems to be the trend in music today. Pop music artists like Halsey, Lorde and Tove Lo wear their flaws and imperfections with pride, and they use it to fuel the fire in their music. Since Swift’s last album, “1989,” “Reputation” is a way for her to keep up to date after a three-year hiatus.

Swift is trying something new with this album, and so far, it seems to have worked. Who knows how long it will last, though? She may have changed her sound, but it might end up changing her image in a way people may not expect. Fans expect to hear the classic sweet and sassy Taylor Swift when they are rocking out in their living rooms. Instead, fans are going to be listening to Taylor, the pop avenger. This new album takes everything we know about pop music today and cranks it up by ten or twelve notches. From her feud with Nicki Minaj or Kanye West to her legal troubles, her private life becomes exposed through this album and is used to fuel her music and her loyal fans. Which only leaves one question: Are pop fans ready for the change in Swift?

This article first appeared in the Friday, November 17, 2017, Edition of The Echo.