A Defining Moment in the Pandemic, According to the NY Times

Three years after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic, still at a time when the disease was a little more under control, the The New York Times – one of the most well-known newspapers in the world – released a collection of 17 moments in pop culture that were considered remarkable.

According to the North American newspaper, artistic productions such as series, films, music, TikTok challenges, live shows and reality shows were more prominent because during social isolation, these products helped the public to alleviate some of the tension of the pandemic and take their minds off the events.

One of the new developments that emerged during the pandemic, which impacted not only fans but the music industry as a whole, was the announcement of the release of “folklore”. The album is the singer-songwriter's eighth studio album. Taylor Swift. Released in July 2020, it was the artist's debut in a new musical era, moving from country and pop to folk style.

“If the first few months of what we now casually call “quarantine” were marked by fear and uncertainty, by July 2020 we had entered the era of monotony. In many states, movie theaters were still closed, concert venues had not reopened, and indoor gatherings were prohibited. That’s when Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” dropped — the first of three original albums she would release between 2020 and 2023.”started the The New York Times.

The announcement of the launch was made by the company itself. Taylor Swift on her social media. The singer shared that the songs were composed and recorded during the quarantine following all precautions and protective measures. The album was released on July 27, 2020.

“I wrote and recorded these songs in isolation, but with the collaboration of some of my musical heroes”Taylor said. “Many of the things I planned this summer ended up not happening, but here is something I didn't plan and it happened. And that is my eighth studio album, 'Folklore'. Surprise. Tonight, at midnight, I will release the entire album with songs in which I put all my whims, dreams, fears and reflections.”concluded the singer.

In the report, the writer and cultural commentator Elamin Abdelmahmoud classifies the moment as “the superstar’s voice in our ears.”

“Countless group chats were created to praise her melodies and dissect her lyrics. Just when we craved closeness the most, Ms. Swift’s vocals, recorded in the confines of her bedroom, felt unprecedentedly intimate. If her previous albums were all about pop maximalism, “Folklore” sounded so stripped back you could literally hear her breathing.”wrote Abdelmahmoud.

“'Folklore' arrived as a gift that only one of the biggest pop stars on the planet could give us: an album we couldn't stop talking about at exactly the moment we needed something to obsess over together and help us mark the difference between the days.”concluded the commentator.

In addition to the partnership with Bon Iver on the track “exile”the album also featured music videos that were scripted and directed by the artist. Among them, the track “cardigan”.

_{Official video for “cardigan”, the second track from the album “folklore”. (Video: Disclosure/YouTube)}

Still in the same year, “folklore: sessions at long pond studio”released in November 2020, was a documentary directed and produced by Taylor on the Disney+ streaming platform. The feature film covers the behind-the-scenes of the recording of the album.

_{Trailer for the documentary “folklore: sessions at the long pond studio”. (Video: Disclosure/YouTube)}

Released the following year, unrelated to “folklore”but which also revolutionized the music market was the short film “All Too Well: The Short Film”. The short film also written and directed by the singer is based on the extended version of the song “All Too Well”re-released on the album Red, in 2021.

_{“All Too Well: The Short Film” was a short film of the extended version of the track from the 2021 album “Red”. (Video: Courtesy/YouTube)}

Taylor Swift is currently promoting her tour, “The Eras Tour”. It is the artist's sixth world tour, which already has more than 50 confirmed concerts and sold-out tickets in the United States alone.