Taylor Swift is no longer a country music artist.
Even if the twerking in Taylor’s new music video didn’t convince me, the songs from her new album, 1989, did.
The “Shake If Off” video released in August shows Swift attempting a number of different dance styles, including twerking and ballet. The song became America’s top single before getting unseated by Meghan Trainor’s “All About that Bass.”
Now, Swift is back at the center of attention. Her new album hit the market Oct. 27. Titled “1989” in honor of her birth year, the album has 13 new songs that were inspired by 1980s pop. At just 24 years old, Swift has released five albums, and “1989” is the first to be considered pop by iTunes.
Don’t expect all the new recordings to be like the “Shake It Off” song you hear on the radio. “Shake It Off” is no doubt the most upbeat song on the new album. The other 12 tracks all sound more moody, similar to some of the songs on Swift’s “Speak Now” album from 2010.
For a long-time Taylor Swift fan, the change in style is, at this point, a little hard to grasp. Although Swift’s music has become more and more like pop over the years, listening to the new songs still came as a shock.
Regardless, I fully expect to have warmed up to the new album in a few weeks. And even if some haters don’t approve of the change in style, Swift won’t mind. She’ll just shake it off.

1989 songs
1. Welcome To New York
2. Blank Space
3. Style
4. Out of the Woods
5. All You Had To Do Was Stay
6. Shake It Off
7. I Wish You Would
8. Bad Blood
9. Wildest Dreams
10. How You Get the Girl
11. This Love
12. I Know Places
13. Clean