Taylor Swift is putting a fresh coat of paint on some old classics — and bringing some unheard tracks out of "the vault."
The pop star is set to release a re-recorded version of her second studio album Fearless, which she announced Thursday will include six previously unreleased songs. Swift is calling this "Taylor's version" of the hit 2008 album, and the re-recorded version of her song "Love Story" will drop at midnight.
Swift previously announced plans to re-record her old songs to gain ownership over their master recordings amid a feud with Scooter Braun, the music manager who obtained the rights to her first six albums' masters and whom she has accused of "incessant, manipulative bullying." Braun sold the masters to an investment fund in November, which Swift described as the "second time my music had been sold without my knowledge."
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Last year, Swift announced she had started re-recording her old songs, saying this would "diminish the value of my old masters" but allow fans to "listen to those albums without feelings of guilt for benefiting Scooter," as well as help her to regain "the sense of pride I once had when hearing songs from my first six albums." In doing so, The New York Times explains, she "cannot only urge her loyal legions of fans to stream and buy the versions she owns, but may also encourage brands, filmmakers and other potential corporate partners to avoid using the originals."
On Good Morning America, Swift said the six additional tracks are "songs from the vault" that "almost made the original Fearless album, but I've now gone back and recorded those." She also said "artists should own their own work for so many reasons, but the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work."
The "Taylor's version" of Fearless is set to be released on April 9. Brendan Morrow
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