1989 by Taylor Swift

1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 27, 2014, through Big Machine Records. Following the release of her fourth studio album Red (2012), which critics deemed Swift's emergence in transitioning from her trademark country styles to straightforward pop, Swift sought to completely move away from country on her next record. Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, she enlisted a production team whose key figures included herself, Max Martin, Shellback, Ryan Tedder, and Jack Antonoff, who shaped the album's overall 1980s-styled sonic coherence. Martin and Swift served as the album's executive producers. Titled after Swift's birth year, 1989 is a synth-pop record that uses heavy synthesizers, programmed percussion, and processed background vocals. While the album is primarily about reflections on past romantic relationships, Swift's recurring theme, it presents more mature and wistful perspectives, and therefrom expresses self-discovery. Critical reaction to 1989 was generally positive; the pop production polarized reviewers, but Swift's songwriting received mostly favorable responses. The album was included in the top ten of year-end lists by such publications as Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Time. It won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 58th Grammy Awards, making Swift the first female solo artist to win the former category twice. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 1.287 million copies, making Swift the first artist to have three million-selling albums within first week of release in the country. It also reached number one in several markets including Australia, Canada, and the UK. 1989 was among the best-selling albums of 2014 and 2015 globally, and has sold 6.19 million copies in the US and 10.1 million copies worldwide. The album was promoted by seven singles, three of which charted atop the US Billboard Hot 100—"Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and a remix of "Bad Blood" featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar. Its associated world tour ran from May to December 2015 and accumulated over $250 million, becoming the highest-grossing concert tour of 2015.