And to the fellas over there with the hella good hair...

(Photo by Eva Rinaldi / CC BY / modified from original)

It's been about two years since Taylor Swift dropped a new album and in one day she surprised the world with a video, new album date and single. Everyone's trying to pull a Queen Bey. I'm not complaining though. I like surprises. 

But the surprise I wasn't really too pepped up for was the fact it wasn't country. If you look back to her first few albums, they were straight COUNTRY. (Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now) You can hear that from a mile away. Then with Red, you can hear the evolution of pop-sounding music. (ex: "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together") I've heard her songs on some of the local stations in my city that brand themselves as a "pop/easy listening/latest hits." 

I give a full round of applause for TSwift. I can't argue that her singles guaranteed her a spot on the Billboards and what not but does this mean we say goodbye to those romantic love songs? (my ringtone for some of my friends is "Teardrops on my Guitar")

I've started tuning into a country station that I never knew existed in my area. Well, that's because it's the only country station known to man in the Bay Area. I'm looking to you, 95.3 KRTY. Even then, when I'm in the car, I never hear the station play one Taylor Swift song. (But, thank you for playing Luke Bryan) 

I miss the Taylor Swift that played just with her guitar and she was raw. She didn't need backup dancers. She didn't need a video full of twerking. She didn't need to say a big F-U to the public through lyrics. She stuck with her true feelings of love and struck a cord with every teenage girl going through high school. 

But... I guess we can't always stay the same, right? She's now 24 compared to when she started at the age of 14. People change and I can't be a hypocrite saying, "Taylor Swift, what happened to you?" Because, I've changed. You've changed. Heck, Miley Cyrus changed and we all saw that right before our eyes. I don't want to call TSwift a sell-out for heading to the pop side but I just wish she stuck with her roots. That's all. However, whatever kind of music is bringing in the dough I guess. 

That's not to say I won't buy her new album. Trust me. I'll probably race to the nearest Target to get the deluxe edition. I'll still be a fan of hers, forever and always.