Is Taylor Swift's rerecording of Fearless Grammy-eligible?

Los Angeles, California – Grammy nominations are just around the corner, and Taylor Swift has more than one album eligible.

Taylor Swift's original version of Fearless won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2010 when she was just 20 years old.
Taylor Swift's original version of Fearless won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2010 when she was just 20 years old.  © Collage: IMAGO/ ZUMA Wire

2021 has been quite the year for music.

With submissions for Grammy considerations closed and nominations expected to be announced on November 23, artists like Swift are anxiously waiting to hear whether their work will be getting a nod from the recording academy.

But things are a bit different for Swift this time around.

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Rather than releasing an album full of entirely new music this year, the 31-year-old released the rerecording of her album Fearless, which won Album of the Year at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2010.

The album was released as Fearless (Taylor's Version) on April 9 and included six never-before-heard songs in addition to the original track list.

The Shake It Off singer's unique circumstances raise the question which bodies of work are allowed to be submitted for consideration.

If Grammy eligible, will Swift submit her rerecordings?

Taylor Swift took home four Grammys at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010.
Taylor Swift took home four Grammys at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010.  © Collage: Imago/ Zuma Wire & UPI Photo

The Grammy's website states that in order for an album to be eligible and considered for a nomination, "An album must contain greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded music."

According to the Grammy's rules and regulations, music is considered to be newly recorded if the material was "recorded within five years of the release date and not previously released."

For Swift, this means that Fearless (Taylor's Version) as a whole is not eligible, but the six new songs are on an individual basis.

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In July, one of Swift's representatives, Republic Records, told Billboard that Swift wouldn't be submitting the rerecording for consideration, and for good reason.

"Fearless has already won four Grammys including Album of the Year, as well as the CMA Award for Album of the Year in 2009/2010 and remains the most awarded country album of all time," the representative said.

Although her rerecorded album might not get a nomination this year, the label's representative confirmed she would be submitting Evermore – released in December 2020 – for Grammy consideration.

Whether Swift followed through and refrained from submitting Fearless (Taylor's Version) for consideration or not will be revealed when nominations are announced on November 23.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO/ ZUMA Wire

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