Taylor Swift The Eras Tour: What are the different Taylor Swift eras?

In less than a fortnight, Taylor Swift will be lighting up the stage on Wales' sport and music scene's holy ground, Cardiff's Principality Stadium, for one night only. The American songstress, who has 14 Grammy Awards, 40 American Music Awards and two Brit Awards to her name, is bringing her epic The Eras Tour to the capital on June 18, 2024 - and we're sure we'll see sparks fly when she performs, for only the second time in Wales ever.

More than 70,000 people are expected to fill the stadium and many have been planning their outfits and accessories for weeks. People of all ages are set to dress up to the nines with sequins and glitter, cowgirl boots and friendship bracelets covering wrists and arms, whilst the crowds sing and dance along to dozens of Taylor's biggest hits.

The Eras Tour began in March, 2023 in Arizona in the US and has so far seen Taylor perform in huge stadiums across the US, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Sweden, Portugal and France - and the tour won't finish until December, 2024. By the end of the tour, Taylor will have performed more than 150 concerts, including 15 in the UK: eight at Wembley Stadium in London, three concerts in Edinburgh, three in Liverpool and, as mentioned, just one in Cardiff. Find out about the latest events in Wales by signing up to our What's On newsletter here

TICKETS: Cheapest Taylor Swift Eras Tour show tickets for Cardiff as star arrives this month

CARDIFF: What to expect when Taylor Swift comes to Cardiff with the Eras Tour

Whilst the majority of fans, or Swifties, will be familiar with each of Taylor's albums; newer and younger fans, or those accompanying fans to a show, may be less familiar with them. If this is you, or you're a fan and you just want a refresher, scroll down to read about Taylor Swift's different eras.

In short, The Eras Tour celebrates music and special moments from all of the different "eras" in Taylor Swift's career so far. Since Swift's first self-titled album was released in 2006, she's gone on to issue 10 further studio albums - each referred to as an "era" by fans and followers - as well as four re-recordings, four live albums and five EPs.

For Swift, the different studio albums/eras represent different times in her life - and the different experiences she lived through and different emotions she felt at those times. Whilst The Eras Tour concerts in 2023 and early 2024 saw Taylor perform tracks from each of her then-10 studio albums, she has now added a handful of tracks from her newest album/era 'The Tortured Poets Department', which she released in April, 2024.

With this in mind, ticketholders for Taylor's Cardiff and/or other UK performances can expect to see songs performed from each of her 11 albums. And if previous concerts in The Eras Tour are anything to go by, we can expect the concert to last for 3+ hours and see talented Taylor perform around 44 tracks.

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Here's a summary of the eras:

Taylor Swift era

Also known as the "debut era," this era marks the first album Taylor Swift released. The album, simply named 'Taylor Swift' was released by Big Machine Records in October, 2006 in the US and Canada and in March, 2008 internationally. Its tracks follow Swift through her early experiences as a teenager and the trials and tribulations of crushes and young love.

Swift's early albums have a more country-music style than her later pop-influenced albums, and this era is probably most well-known for its depiction of Swift as a teenage girl in an American small town, wearing pretty dresses and cowgirl boots! The most well-known tracks on this album include Picture to Burn, Teardrops on My Guitar, Tim McGraw and Our Song.

Fearless/Fearless (Taylor's Version) era

Swift's second album, Fearless, was first released in 2008 and rereleased in 2021. The album is classed as "country pop" and its lyrics explore Swift's coming-of-age and the all-encompassing feelings many teenagers experience, including of love and heartbreak. Fearless (Taylor's Version), released in 2021, featured re-recordings of the initial tracks plus six previously-unreleased tracks, known as tracks "from the vault".

Some of the most well-known tracks on the Fearless album include the titular track Fearless, Love Story, You Belong with Me, Forever & Always, Fifteen and You're Not Sorry.

Speak Now/Speak Now (Taylor's Version) era

The Speak Now era celebrates Swift's third album, Speak Now, released in 2010 and rereleased in 2023. This album takes its title from her single 'Speak Now' which tells the fictional story of Taylor interrupting a wedding and declaring her feelings for the groom, after the preacher tells the room to "speak now or forever hold your peace," and chronicles Swift growing up and becoming an adult - and navigating her life, fame and relationships as a young woman.

Among its most well-known songs, the track list on Speak Now features Mine, Sparks Fly, Back to December, Enchanted and The Story of Us.

Red/Red (Taylor's Version) era

Red marked a transition from country-influenced music to a more pop-music sound for Taylor Swift. During the recording and marketing of the Red album in 2012, Taylor reached for all things vintage and was often seen in 1950s dresses and her now-trademark red lipstick. Songs from this album/era include toe-tappers We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, 22, and I Knew You Were Trouble, as well as the poignant All Too Well, a 10-minute version of which was released in 2021 as part of Red (Taylor's Version).

1989 era

1989 was named after Swift's birth year and the tracks were heavily inspired by 1980s synth-pop. This album was released in 2014 and some of its most well-known tracks include Shake It Off, Blank Space, Bad Blood and Wildest Dreams.

Reputation era

Reputation was released in 2017 and was Swift's last album with Big Machine Records. The album chronicles Taylor's struggles with the media and people's scrutiny into her life, her relationships and her reputation. Reputation has a grittier sound than Taylor's previous album, 1989, and media appearances from this era saw Taylor embody an edgier and rockier style.

Lover era

Lover was written as a "love letter to love" and swaps the dark tones of Swift's previous album, Reputation, for a brightly-coloured electropop-influenced sound. Lover was released in August, 2019 through Republic Records and some of its most well-known tracks include Cruel Summer, Me!, You Need to Calm Down, London Boy and The Man.

Folklore era

Folklore was released amid the Covid-19 pandemic and, contrary to media appearances and social media accounts counting down to previous albums' release, was released unexpectedly, with no fanfare. It was written while Swift was in quarantine amid pandemic restrictions in the US and has a more indie and folk-style than previous albums. On its release, Folklore broke the record for the "biggest opening day" for an album by a female artist on Spotify. Fan favourites on this album include The 1, Exile (with Bon Iver) and Cardigan.

Evermore era

Seen by many as a sister-album or extension to Folklore, Evermore was released in December, 2020 just five months after its predecessor. Taylor has described Evermore as a trip into "the folklorian woods" and this album tells tales of love, marriage, infidelity and grief. Some fan-favourite tracks on Evermore include Dorothea, Champagne Problems, Willow and No Body, No Crime (with HAIM).

Midnights era

Taylor's 10th studio album, Midnights, was released in October, 2022 and is a "moody concept album" inspired by Taylor's sleepless nights". It explores themes of anxiety, insecurity and self-confidence issues and the whirlwind of emotions when navigating a complex romantic relationship. Lavender Haze, Snow on the Beach, Midnight Rain and Maroon are among the most popular songs on this album

The Tortured Poets Department era

Released in April 2024, Taylor's 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department tells stories of Taylor's struggles in her public and private life, including with her mental health and challenges with fame. Just two hours after its release, Taylor announced it was a double-album and released further tracks in The Anthology, a second album to The Tortured Poets Department.

Among the most popular songs on this album, the title track has become popular with Welsh fans thanks to its nod to a Welsh literary legend - you can read more about this here, whilst Florida!!!, Fortnight, I Can Do It With a Broken Heart, thanK you aIMee and Fresh Out The Slammer have also proven a hit with fans.