“I want to be inspired solely on the emotion”- When Taylor Swift discussed her writing method for Red

Taylor Swift is easily one of the most popular figures of her generation to be ruling the music industry. Everything from her great music, relatable lyrics, and dating life has been worthy of the spotlight. One of Swift's most popular outings has been with the re-release of Red, her era-defining album that she perfected with the 2021 version. This saw a massive upsurge in her popularity, making her one of the most-streamed artists of all time.

However, the material for this album goes back to 2012, when she released the original album. Her thorough creative process and the meaning behind her lyrics have always been a source of intrigue for millions of fans. Taylor Swift, who was 22 at the time, did give an interview sharing her insight about the album in a discussion with Taste of Country.

Swift insisted that she did not listen to much music when it came to writing her own material. Instead, she always allowed her emotions to drive her to the finish line, something that she hoped many fans would relate to while listening to her songs. The artist said:

"When I'm writing a record, I kind of don't listen to much music. Just because I want to be inspired solely on the emotion; just based on how it feels. And so, the only artists that I really listened to were Snow Patrol and Ed Sheeran, and that's the reason why I wanted to collaborate with those people on the record."

She also spoke at length about some of her songs like Speak Now and Treacherous, both of which have aged very well with time.

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"It's kind of an emotion I hadn't dealt with before": Taylor Swift on I Knew You Were Trouble and more

Taylor Swift came out with Red in 2012. The fourth studio album from the singer-songwriter, Red was also one of the most crucial projects to have redefined Swift's image. The re-release of the album (Taylor's Version) proved that the songs were relevant even a decade apart. This was primarily because of the efforts and thoughts put behind the songs.

During the old interview, Taylor Swift took time to describe many of her songs and what inspired them, something that fans of the singer were eager to find out. The singer remarked that I Knew You Were Trouble was her bravest piece in terms of lyrics in the album as she tackled emotions that she hadn't felt before. She said:

"It's bold sonically because it sounds like that chaotic feeling of just feeling like you got tricked. And I think that… It talks about that feeling of, not shame on you, you broke my heart -- shame on me you broke my heart. I knew. I saw you and saw red flags. So, it's kind of an emotion I hadn't dealt with before."

Taylor Swift further dissected two of her songs, and made some observations about Treacherous:

"I wrote 'Treacherous' with Dan Wilson, and we came up with a way to say, you know, 'This is dangerous and I realize that I might get hurt if I go through with this, if I move forward with you. But… but I want to.' You know? It's like that kind of conflicted feeling of it being a risk every time you fall in love -- especially with certain types of people."

She also added about Speak Now:

"I think new things that I've learned about myself since 'Speak Now' are that love has no rules, you know? It's really just about treating people the right way or the wrong way."

As most fans know, Taylor Swift enjoyed resounding success when she released Red (Taylor's Version). Fans believe the honesty in her work is perhaps the biggest reason for it.

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Swift remains the most streamed female musician on Spotify.