Before she was selling out arenas all on her own, Taylor Swift opened for Keith Urban on the latter’s Escape Together World Tour. The Australian native has remained supportive of Swift throughout all her various “Eras,” calling her billion-dollar tour of the same name “the best of the best.” However, Urban admits there was one particular era that he wasn’t exactly fond of—at first.
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Why Keith Urban Changed His Opinion on This Taylor Swift Record
Like most Swifties, Keith Urban wasn’t sure what to expect when Taylor Swift announced her sixth studio album, 2017’s reputation. 2014’s 1989 had marked the “Anti-Hero” singer’s shift from wholesome country music prodigy to full-blown pop star. Following in 1989’s maximalist synth-pop footsteps, Reputation saw Swift play with styles like R&B, hip-hop, trap, and EDM.
It was like nothing we’d ever seen before in the 14-time Grammy Award winner’s career. During a recent interview with Canadian music channel MuchMusic, Urban recalled hearing reputation for the first time.
“I was like, ‘Ohhh, I’m not sure about this record, you know?’” said the “Messed Up As Me” hitmaker, 57. “”…I’m a fan, right, and I’m like, ‘mmmm, mmm, yeah, it’s not it for me.’”
Returning to reputation years later, Urban found that his opinion had shifted. “I love this record,” he said. “Sometimes she’s just way ahead of the curve.”
[RELATED: Keith Urban Recalls the Hilarious Prank Taylor Swift Once Pulled On Him]
In the comments, many fans expressed similar first impressions of the 2017 album. “reputation was so different and unexpected that it was almost jarring at first but now it stays in my top 3 taylor albums,” one Swiftie wrote on TikTok.
Does This Mean ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version) Is Coming?
Earlier in the clip, Keith Urban pulled out a vinyl of Taylor Swift’s 2021 re-recording of her sophomore album Fearless (on which he is featured.) “I hope this is Taylor’s Version!” exclaimed the 15-time ACM Award winner, joking that he’d toss it otherwise.
The interview quickly segued into Urban’s shifting opinion on reputation. However, some fans joked that they heard only “reputation” and “Taylor’s Version.” Her sixth studio album is one of two re-recordings that the “Mastermind” singer has yet to release, along with her 2006 self-titled debut.
“So is this the announcement?” asked one TikTok user. “All I heard was Reputation and Taylor’s Version. LFG!!”
Does Keith Urban know something that we don’t? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Featured image by George Pimentel/LP5/Getty Images for TAS
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