On Nov. 11, 2008, a then-18-year-old Taylor Swift released her blockbuster sophomore album Fearless, which would go on to earn the country-pop singer her first No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, where it spent 11 nonconsecutive weeks at the top.
Fearless also led Billboard’s Top Country Albums tally for 35 weeks, the second-longest run by a woman and the fifth-lengthiest overall. It became the best-selling album of 2009, gained diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and scored Swift her first album of the year win at the 2010 Grammy Awards.
Now, 13 years later (very on brand for her), on Friday, Swifties will stay up late and relive the magic behind the LP that first hinted at the 31-year-old superstar’s remarkable crossover from country to pop when she releases Fearless (Taylor’s Version), her first re-recorded album of six. “I’m counting down the minutes til we can all jump into this brave world together, filled with equal parts nostalgia and brand newness. Head first, Fearless,” she wrote on Twitter while announcing the track list on April 3.
There will be something old, something new, something borrowed and maybe something blue on the latest edition of Fearless, but before Romeo even kneels to the ground and pulls out a ring like on “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” the first re-recorded song she released from the upcoming album, Billboard has you covered on everything we know so far about Fearless (Taylor’s Version).
Release Date
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) will be released on April 9, 2021, via Republic Records. She hinted at the specific date via strange capitalizations in her letter to fans on Feb. 11 about traveling back in time to re-record Fearless.
“When I think back on the Fearless album and all that you turned it into, a completely involuntary smile creeps across my face. This was the musical era in which so many inside jokes were created between us, so many hugs exchanged and hands touched, so many unbreakable bonds formed. So before I say anything else, let me just say that it was a real honor to get to be a teenager alongside you,” she wrote. “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. I hope you’ll like this first outing as much as I liked traveling back in time to recreate it.”
New Collabs
The first song she released “From the Vault” was “You All Over Me,” featuring Maren Morris, on March 26. The song was written back in 2008 during the sessions for Swift’s Fearless album. The rest of the “From the Vault” offerings give Swift the freedom to “experiment, play, and even include some of my favorite artists,” she wrote on Twitter while announcing their collab.
“You All Over Me” earned Swift her 25th top 10 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart (dated April 10) and Morris her seventh top 10 with its No. 6 debut. Her first offering from Fearless (Taylor’s Version) that she released on Feb. 12, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” marked the singer’s first No. 1 debut on the airplay-, sales- and streaming-based tally dated Feb. 27.
Keith Urban contributed to two of the new songs, “duetting on That’s When and singing harmonies on We Were Happy,” Swift wrote while announcing the entire track list on Twitter. “I was his opening act during the Fearless album era and his music has inspired me endlessly.”
Swift’s forthcoming album includes re-recordings of the original 19 songs from the platinum edition of Fearless and “Today Was a Fairytale,” which she wrote and recorded for the 2010 star-studded rom-com Valentine’s Day. Six never-before-released “From the Vault” songs are added to the mix: “You All Over Me,” featuring Morris; “Mr. Perfectly Fine;” “We Were Happy;” “That’s When,” featuring Urban; “Don’t You” and “Bye Bye Baby.” The dancefloor-ready “Elvira Remix” of “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” is included as a bonus track, bringing the total number of songs to 27.
A day prior to unveiling the entire track list, Swift challenged fans to decode the new song titles with a crytic teaser clip full of Easter eggs just in time for the Easter holiday. “The vault door is about to be as unhinged as you’ll think I am after you watch this video,” she tweeted. “Level: Expert. Happy decoding!”
Reason Why She’s Re-Recording Fearless
Swift announced her intention to re-record her first six albums — released between 2006 and 2017 by Big Machine Label Group — in 2019, following the acquisition of her master recordings by Scooter Braun. Swift had tried to buy back her masters for years prior to the sale, and began re-recording her back catalog last November. Read here for a full timeline of the sale of Swift’s catalog and how in 17 months, ownership over her first six albums has changed hands twice.
“It’s going to be fun, because it’ll feel like regaining a freedom and taking back what’s mine,” Swift told Billboard in 2019 of rerecording her catalog. “When I created [these songs], I didn’t know what they would grow up to be. Going back in and knowing that it meant something to people is actually a really beautiful way to celebrate what the fans have done for my music.”
