But by being “in full exploration mode” while writing the songs, it ultimately helped her transition from country to pop. “Red was the reason why 1989 happened,” she explained.
In fact, Red kick-started a sequence of highly diverse eras for the singer, including the synth-pop of 1989, the rap lyrics of Reputation, the retro pop-rock of Lover and the alt sound of Folklore.
The “Cruel Summer” artist explained, “At 22, I was already watching newer, cooler artists come out every week. And I was already feeling like, you know, ‘S-t, I’m on my fourth record, what can I offer people?’… I was like ‘No, you know what? I don’t want this to be the part of me that just sort of stays in this one place musically forever and bores people to death.'”
