1989 (Taylor Swift album)

1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 27, 2014, by Big Machine Records. After music critics questioned her status as a country musician following her pop and electronic-influenced fourth studio album Red (2012), Swift was inspired by 1980s synth-pop to recalibrate her artistry from country to pop music. On 1989, titled after her birth year to signify her symbolic artistic rebirth, Swift enlisted Max Martin as co-executive producer.
The album's synth-pop sound is characterized by heavy synthesizers, programmed drums, and processed backing vocals. The songs, expanding on Swift's songwriting practice taking inspiration from her personal life, express lighthearted perspectives towards failed relationships, departing from her previous hostile attitude. Swift and Big Machine promoted the album extensively through product endorsements, television, radio appearances and social media. They pulled 1989 from free streaming services such as Spotify, prompting an industry discourse on the impact of streaming on music sales.
After the album's release, Swift embarked on the 1989 World Tour, which was the highest-grossing tour of 2015. The album was supported by seven singles, including three US Billboard Hot 100 number ones: "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood". Critics praised 1989 for its emotion and melodies but a few were concerned over the synth-pop production, as they felt it eroded Swift's authenticity as a songwriter due to pop music's capitalist nature. The album appeared on several publications' lists of the best albums of the 2010s and featured in Rolling Stone's 2020 revision of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
At the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016, 1989 won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, making Swift the first female solo artist to win Album of the Year twice. In the US, 1989 spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200 and was certified ninefold platinum the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also earned multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, and the UK, and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Retrospective commentaries regard 1989 as a key success in transforming Swift's image to that of a pop icon, but also highlighted how her artistic integrity and public image suffered from increasing media scrutiny. Various publications listed 1989 as one of the best albums of the 2010s decade, with Rolling Stone and Consequence ranking it amongst the best of all time.
Category:CDs