- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Tumblr
This story first appeared in the Jan. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
It’s easy to forget that when Taylor Swift announced in August that her fifth album, 1989, would leave her country roots behind to be a purely pop project, there were a lot of skeptics — as she might say, a lot of haters ready to hate, hate, hate. But that was four months ago.
Read more Taylor Swift Pleas to “Bond Technology With Integrity” at Billboard’s Women in Music
Related Stories
The world’s biggest pop star (who has a Twitter following of more than 48 million) has broken records since, with her album selling nearly 1.3 million copies during its first week — the biggest single-week number in 12 years — at a time when record sales are in dizzying free fall. Swift, 25, also became the first female artist to have back-to-back No. 1 singles on Billboard‘s Hot 100 (“Shake It Off” and “Blank Space”). And her risky decision not to stream 1989 on the world’s fastest-growing service, Spotify, magnified the debate over fair royalties during the digital age.
Read more Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ Aiming for Fifth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200
“I didn’t think that it would be shocking to anyone,” says Swift. “With as many ways as artists are personalizing their musical distribution, it didn’t occur to me that this would be anything that anyone would talk about. But I could never have expected so many text messages, emails and phone calls from other artists, writers and producers saying thank you.”
Read below for the full Rule Breakers 2014 list:
See Exclusive Portraits of the Rule Breakers
Angelina Jolie on Ditching Her Team, Directing Brad Pitt: “A Therapist Would Have a Field Day”
‘Chef’ Director Jon Favreau, Roy Choi Reunite: “Now We Get to Make a Real Restaurant”
‘How to Get Away With Murder’s’ Viola Davis: Why I’m Happy to No Longer Play “Sassy”
‘Birdman’ Star Michael Keaton Snaps at Reporter: “That’s Lazy and a Cliche”
‘Transparent’ Boss Reveals the Moment She Decided to Make a Show About a Transgender Parent
Deal of the Year: Disney’s Nearly $1B Acquisition of Maker Studios
John Green, Shailene Woodley and ‘Fault in Our Stars’ Producers Reunite
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day