Back in October, Taylor Swift broke a years-long policy of pretty much ignoring all things political. The pop megastar then cheered on two Democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee, which drew praise and backlash in equal measure. Donald Trump said he liked her music 'about 25% less' but, hey, you win some, you lose some.
Now it looks like this newfound interest in politics might have seeped into her upcoming album, too.
In a new interview with German outlet RTL, the singer said there are 'definitely' political 'undertones in the new music I made.'
With the 2020 election fast approaching, the 29-year-old recently made it clear she's trying to motivate her fans to head to the ballot box.
'I'm not planning to stop encouraging young people to vote and to try to get them to talk about what's going on in our country,' she explained further in the interview on Friday. 'I think that's one of the most important things I could do.'
In October, Taylor publicly supported two Tennessee Democrats: Jim Cooper, who won his race; and senatorial candidate Phil Bredesen, as Swift was strongly opposed to his opponent, Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn (who eventually won).
'As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn,' the Shake It Off singer said in an Instagram post. 'Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women.'
'She voted against the Reauthorisation of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry.'
'These are not MY Tennessee values,' she added.
In the same post, Swift talked about overcoming her past reluctance 'to publicly voice [her] political opinions.
'Due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country.'
In her recent ELLE UK essay, the singer wrote that people are reaching out for connection and comfort in the music they listen to.
'We like being confided in and hearing someone say, ‘this is what I went through” as proof to us that we can get through our own struggles.
We actually do NOT want our pop music to be generic. I think a lot of music lovers want some biographical glimpse into the world of our narrator, a hole in the emotional walls people put up around themselves to survive.'
