Inevitably, a celebrity breakup involves at least some tabloid stories. But the public interest in Robert Pattinson’s split from Taylor Swift is different from that of previous celebrity breakups. While there were always articles about Taylor Swift dating black musicians and movie stars, up until now, most of the interest has been in the former couple’s private life. However, a week after the split was announced, the tabloid press had shifted gears, and we’re now privy to a treasure trove of information about who influenced, changed, and inspired Taylor Swift after all those years together. Here are some interesting tidbits about Taylor’s past relationships and upcoming music projects that come from the trove of public records that were made available as a result of the breakup.
Who Inspired Taylor Swift To Start Writing And Making Music?
Before she was dating Robert Pattinson, Taylor Swift was already a renowned and accomplished songwriter and performer. She wrote her first song at the age of six, and by the time she was in high school, she had released two independent albums. In 2014, Billboard positioned her as the 23rd-most popular artist in music industry history, based on her estimated total album market share. So it’s little wonder that she decided to take the plunge and become an independent contractor (in name only), since, as she told the New York Times, “I have so much confidence in my own songwriting and I feel like there’s so much more I can offer the world as an artist.”
According to Taylor’s songwriting credit on her album, the 1989 World Tour, the English musician and songwriter James Dean Bradfield is responsible for the song “Style.”
Bradfield was one of the founding members of the rock group the Jam, and went on to become a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar and piano. He also co-wrote two of the songs on the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour album, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Baby Don’t Cry,” and co-wrote and produced the 1986 hit single “Just Say No More” for the Irish singer Cliff Richard. In 2015, he released an album, Post-Pandemic Life, which consists of covers of famous songs and anthemic pop-rock tunes from the 1960s and ’70s.
The Jam released its final album, Everything Sorrow, Everything Joy, in 2017. This year, they announced that they were breaking up, and Bradfield is focusing on solo projects while continuing to write with former bandmate, and producer, Mike Spencer.
Who Was Taylor Swifts’ First Serious Relationship?
During the height of her romance with Robert Pattinson, Taylor Swift dated English soccer player Joe Swifts, whom she met while filming the movie, The Last Song. They became engaged in 2014, and married in a private ceremony in France in May 2018. However, their dating life was far from over, as they continued to collaborate on music and are still expected to release new music this year.
It’s interesting to note that, before Taylor met Joe, she had already released two successful solo albums, 1989 and 2010, and had been featured on Billboard’s 100 Most Downloaded Songs of All Time list five times.
Who Helped Taylor Swift Write And Record Her First Album?
While working as an assistant for a music company, Swift met Ed Sheeran, and the two became fast friends. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Sheeran said he was instrumental in helping Swift get her career off the ground by providing her with instrumental music and background vocals for her first two albums.
Speaking of those first two albums, Swift revealed to Rolling Stone that she wrote and recorded them in the span of just six weeks. This is quite an accomplishment for a self-proclaimed perfectionist who has a very specific, detailed studio process that she follows when writing and recording songs.
She also admitted that she has a very intense and driven work environment, which she credits for her prolific songwriting and recording output. “I have a lot of energy, and when I’m in the studio or writing songs, I don’t have time to be distracted,” she told Rolling Stone.
Who Produced Taylor Swift’s First Two Albums?
As noted, Taylor Swift wrote and recorded her first two albums in the space of six weeks. Naturally, she took the opportunity to see what she could do with a little bit of help. And what she did was to team up with a number of producers, including Max Martin and Shellback, for whom she has written and recorded songs. (Martin produced Swift’s entire catalogue, while Shellback produced her first album, the independently released, Fearless, and co-produced the rest of her albums.)
According to Martin, the English producer and songwriter, his working relationship with Swift dates back to 2007, when she was signed with Big Machine Records and he was producing her debut album. Since then, Martin has produced or co-produced all of the projects that Swift has released (except one, the soundtrack to the movie, The Jungle Book, which was co-produced by Jonny Buckland).
As for Shellback, he has produced a number of platinum-selling albums, and has worked with some of the biggest stars in the music industry, including Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey, and Usher. He’s also worked extensively with Swedish singer, Lali, and has produced five of her albums.
What Role Did The Managed Crowd Play In Taylor Swift’s Success?
One of the fascinating aspects of Taylor’s story is how closely her career has paralleled the public’s interest in her private life. Naturally, this is partially because she is such a prominent figure in the world of music and partially because she has always taken an interest in relating her personal life to her art. (One of the most poignant examples of this came in the 2017 documentary, Miss Americana.)
In addition to the two previously discussed albums, Swift has also released two holiday-themed albums, 2010’s, Christmas and 2014’s, Holiday. While the albums don’t represent a massive change from her usual sound, they do feature a number of new collaborators and styles.
Swifties, as fans are known, have played an important role in supporting and encouraging the singer throughout her career. Many of them are responsible for spreading the word about her music and helping to drive album sales. In 2009, Swift was the fourth-best-selling album artist in the world, with 450,000 copies of her album, the independently released, Speak Now, sold worldwide. (As of December 2019, the album is still in print and has sold over a million copies.)
And speaking of selling records, it’s interesting to note that, along with her album sales, Swift has also accrued some impressive sales figures for songs. In March 2020, she became the first-ever female artist to achieve five million copies sold between all of her recorded material, when her song, “You Need to Believe in Me,” (from the album, Speak Now) reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. (The song has sold over 525,000 copies in the U.S. as of December 2019.)
Did Taylor Swift Influence The Manic Street Preachers’ ’80s Revival?
Another interesting facet of Taylor Swift’s story is the influence that she has had on musicians of her generation. One of the more interesting projects of 2019 was the English rock band, the Manic Street Preachers’, return to form, with the album, Everything Must Go. The album marks a sharp stylistic departure from the band’s earlier work, and the change in sound has delighted fans and attracted new ones to the group’s music. (The album has also been compared to the works of, and attracted the interest of, Scottish rock band, the Small Faces.)
While the members of the Manic Street Preachers had been working on their solo material for years, it wasn’t until 2019 that they finally decided to work together as a band. In an interview with Rolling Stone, James Dean Bradfield revealed that they’d been hanging out and writing together for years, and that Taylor Swift’s music had helped inspire them to reunite and release new music.
Bradfield said: “We’ve been trying to do this for years, but her music was always on. We’ve always loved her music, and it was always very inspiring when we were trying to write songs.” (He also credited Swift with helping to give guitar music a new lease of life.)