Taylor Swift Performs ‘Lover’ Tracks, Talks Re-Recording Albums on ‘GMA’
Taylor Swift performed two songs from her upcoming album Lover and a throwback track on Good Morning America Thursday morning, to a crowd of eager fans who had camped out the night before to see her. (She even ordered pizzas for them.)
.@RobinRoberts takes a look back at the first time we met @TaylorSwift13 💗#TaylorSwiftOnGMA#Loverhttps://t.co/W1vUNMab63 pic.twitter.com/jq6dOVTMNg
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 22, 2019
The performance included a rousing rendition of “You Need to Calm Down,” sung back eagerly to Swift by her stans, as well as her lead single “ME!,” sans Brendon Urie. She then surprised fans with a performance of “Shake It Off,” the lead single from her fifth album 1989.
🐍’S AND STONES NEVER BROKE MY BONES! #TaylorSwiftOnGMA pic.twitter.com/5Cto2yXDBk
— Taylor Nation (@taylornation13) August 22, 2019
📹| Taylor performing “ME!” On @GMA #TaylorSwiftOnGMA
— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSwiftLAMedia) August 22, 2019
EVERYONE SCREAMED "HEY KIDS SPELLING IS FUN!" #TaylorSwiftOnGMA @taylornation13
— 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮, Katerina (@ikywlover) August 22, 2019
Swift’s album Lover arrives this Friday, featuring 18 tracks including one with the Dixie Chicks, who have not released new material as a group in 13 years. She previously released the singles “ME!” with Urie (now without the spelling line) and “You Need to Calm Down,” along with “The Archer” and the title track. She’ll be opening the MTV Video Music Awards this Monday, which also happens to be the 10th anniversary of that infamous Kanye interruption.
This week Swift announced that she will be re-recording the masters of her earlier work, in order to circumvent a deal by her former label Big Machine and Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, which now own the rights to her earlier recordings. Before her GMA performance, Swift spoke to Robin Roberts about her decision and stated that starting next year, in line with her contract, she would be able to record the albums all over again.
“Yeah that’s true and it’s something I’m very excited about. My contract says starting from November 2020 I can start re-recording albums 1-5. I think artists deserve to own their own work. It’s next year, I’m gonna be busy.” — Taylor on re-recording her music #TaylorSwiftOnGMA pic.twitter.com/W9e1kRN8Hb
— Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) August 22, 2019
“Something that’s very special to me about this album is it’s the first one that I will own,” Swift said on Lover. “I think it’s important for artists to own their work. I’m gonna be busy, I’m very excited.”