The Evolution of Taylor Swift’s Album Covers Over the Years

From her self-titled debut in 2006 to her 2024 release, Taylor Swift has had many albums with original covers that have evolved as dramatically as her music. Each cover reflected her artistic growth and added to the story told by the album it represented. Here is a chronological description of all her album covers.

Taylor Swift, Fearless, & Speak Now

Taylor Swift released her debut album when she was just 16. Taylor Swift had a cover featuring a young Swift with curly hair, looking confidently at the camera. Her second album, Fearless, had her in a windswept pose, showing the dynamic and heartfelt nature of the music and the essence of youthful exuberance.

In contrast, the original Speak Now cover showed the singer in a fairytale-inspired purple gown, which probably symbolized the personal stories she penned for this album.

Red, 1989, & Reputation

Swift’s original Red cover is iconic with its autumnal hues, red lips, and contemplative pose. It showed that the album would feature themes of heartbreak and passion and reflected the intensity and complexity of the emotions in the songs.

Then, the original 1989 album marked her shift from country to pop, and the cover features a Polaroid-style image with a vintage feel to it. After that, the original Reputation cover was stark and bold, with Taylor Swift in black and white over newspaper headlines. This was supposed to represent her response to media scrutiny and public feuds.

Lover, Folklore, & Evermore

Lover features a dreamy cover art with a pastel palette and Swift with pink-tipped hair, hinting at a lighter, more romantic era. Folklore presented a black-and-white image of Swift in a forest, showing the indie-folk vibe of the album.

As a companion to Folklore, the Evermore cover featured a rustic, autumnal scene, with Swift in a plaid coat in the back, showing an even deeper exploration into the folklore world.

The Re-Recorded Albums

When Swift decided to re-record her earlier work, she started with Fearless (Taylor’s Version), whose cover mirrors the original but with a mature touch. The reimagined Red (Taylor’s Version) cover had Swift in a red hat and lipstick in a vintage car, again similar to the original cover but reflecting nostalgia and resilience. Meanwhile, Midnights came out, and the cover featured Swift with smoky eyeshadow, flicking a lighter, hinting at contemplation and late-night musings.

For Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the singer kept the whimsical essence of the original cover and wore a flowing purple gown. The updated 1989 (Taylor’s Version) cover showed a smiling Swift against a blue sky, probably symbolizing joy and reclamation. Swift chose a grayscale image of her in bed, with diverse cover editions for her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.