If you have a pulse, you’ve already heard Taylor Swift’s blockbuster hit “Look What You Made Me Do,” in which she declares the “Old Taylor” is dead.
The meaning behind the lyric is still a mystery to many and we’re still trying to figure it out. Many fans believe Swift’s reasoning behind the lyric references the #TaylorSwiftisOver and #TaylorSwiftisdead hashtags on Twitter or it could be referencing how the old Taylor would’ve sat back and ignored the tabloids and what the haters were saying about her but the new Taylor is firing back and she’s having her say. She’s standing up for herself in a form of an album. If that’ the case, it’s a courageous statement to make.
But perhaps ‘Old Taylor’ doesn’t have a hidden meaning. This is what Swift’s video director and a friend told Variety in a new interview. He states that Swift is consistently the same in who she is, which means the old and new Taylor are actually the same.
“Taylor is Taylor,” Kahn said. “She’s so consistent in who she is. Her imaging may be changing depending on what the thematics of the art is that she’s producing, the person remains the same. There’s a core person there that’s really a fantastic human being.”
In other words, Swift is simply reinventing herself, which is something artists do every few years. She’s adapting her public image and fitting it into the story she is telling. Her former self isn’t dead. She’s still the same person who’s creating art and reinventing who she is as an artist.
So for those who are afraid that Swift is no longer going to herself, think again. She’s still the same Taylor we all know and love. It’s about time we stop dissecting and start loving her for the artist and creative genius she is. The old Taylor isn’t dead, she’s just evolving.
Taylor Swift’s sixth studio album reputation is set to hit stores on November 10.