Taylor Swift has revealed that her sophomore album, "Fearless," will be the first release in the rollout of her rerecorded catalog.
The singer announced Thursday morning that she would be releasing "Taylor's Version" of the popular 2008 album, which included some of her most popular tracks like "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me." The new version will include six "never before released songs from the vault," according to her social media posts.
A rerecorded edition of "Love Story" will be released first on Thursday at midnight.
In November, Swift confirmed that she would be rerecording her first six albums, which were produced with her former label, Big Machine Records. In 2019, Big Machine Records was acquired by a music group led by talent manager Scooter Braun, meaning that the rights to her music were sold. A public feud between Swift and Braun ensued, with Swift claiming she was "denied the chance to purchase (her) music outright" and accusing the purchasers of keeping her from performing the songs that they owned in televised appearances.
"i've spoken a lot about why i'm remaking my first six albums, but the way i've chosen to do this will hopefuLy help illuminate where I'm coming from," wrote Swift in a statement posted on Instagram Thursday. (The statement is written in lowercase with random letters capitalized in a trope Swift is likely revisiting from her older albums. The capitalized letters in her CD booklets spell out hidden messages.)
Swift also explained that the six new songs featured on "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" include ones she "absolutely adored" that ultimately didn't make the cut with the first edition.
"i've decIded i want you to have the whole story, see the entire vivid picture, and let you into the entire dreamscape that is my fearless album," she wrote. "written when i was betweeN the ages of 16 and 18, these were the (songs) it killed me to leave behind."
While Swift did not share a release date for the rerecorded "Fearless," some eagle-eyed fans noticed that the randomly capitalized letters throughout her statement spelled out "APRIL NINTH," leading to speculation about the release date.
In her statement, Swift also thanked the fans who had been with her since the album's initial release more than a decade ago.
"when i think bAck on the fearless album and all that you turned it into, a completely involuntary smile creeps across my face," she wrote. "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."
Swift also welcomed new fans who may be less familiar with her early music.
"for those of you i've come to know more recently than 2008, i am ecstatic that i'll get to exPerience a bit of that feeling with you in the very near future, now that i can fully appreciate (the album) in its whimsical, effervescent, chaotic entirety," she wrote.
In the last words of her statement, Swift confirmed again that she would be rerecording and releasing her previous albums.
"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."