You’ve probably heard that Taylor Swift is finally dropping TS12. Titled The Life Of A Showgirl, the album is set to mark Swift’s return to high pop music at its finest. However, there’s one name that’s been coming up a lot in the album’s early promotion: Max Martin.
“Who’s Max Martin?” You may ask. That’s a very good questions, and one you’d be forgiven for not knowing the answer to. Max Martin is a Swedish songwriter and record producer, but despite creating some of contemporary pop’s biggest hits, he prefers to stay out of the limelight.
An industry hero, to say Max Martin has shaped pop music would be an understatement. He’s co-written some of the biggest pop hits of the past two decades, including Britney Spears’ ‘…Baby, One More Time’, The Backstreet Boys’ ‘I Want It That Way’, and N*Sync’s ‘It’s Gonna Be Me’. He’s since worked with Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd and, most vitally, Taylor Swift.
Having shared some details of her new album on the Kelce brothers’ podcast, Swift was vocal about sharing the limelight with Max Martin and his collaborative partner, Shellback.
“There’s something about these guys,” she said. “They’re just geniuses.”
Swift added that he was her “mentor”, and “the three of us have made some of my favourite songs I’ve ever done before.”
“We’ve never made an album before where it’s just the three of us,” she said of herself, Martin and Shellback. “There’s no other collaborators, it’s just the three of us making a focused album, where it felt like catching lightning in a bottle.”
If we weren’t hyped already—we certainly are now!
But what exactly does Max Martin and Shellback’s involvement mean for The Life Of A Showgirl? Here’s what we can tell you about pop’s king hitmaker, and his relationship with Taylor Swift.
Who is the mysterious Max Martin? (Credit: Getty)
Swedish songwriter and record producer Max Martin co-wrote and produced some of Swift’s biggest hits, including ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘Blank Space’. This wasn’t their first (or last work) together, either. Along with Max Martin’s collaborator Shellback, this trio have worked together across three of Swift’s albums: Red, 1989 and Reputation. Their first major combined hit was ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’, and, well, it only went up from there.
The most notable thing about Martin, as pertaining to Swift, is perhaps his involvement in her “1989 era. He and Shellback co-wrote and produced a total of 10 songs on the album. For the uninitiated, 1989 is widely regarded as the album that reinvented Taylor’s sound and cemented her as a pop icon for the ages.
Outside of their work with Swift, Martin and Shellback keep fairly low profiles. Martin, in particular, never does interviews and keeps well away from the spotlight. In the industry, however, he’s undeniably famous as this generation’s most successful pop hitmaker.
Max Martin and Shellback collaboration with Swift on The Life Of A Showgirl suggests that fans are in for a classic pop album—a major departure (or, rather, return) for Swift, whose recent career has focused on a more moody, ethereal sound.
Want to know Max Martin’s full list of Taylor Swift credits? Well, you only need to head over to her new playlist…
After announcing The Life Of A Showgirl, Swift dropped a curated Spotify playlist of her own songs, titled And, baby, that’s show business for you. The lead track on the playlist is ’22’, from her Red album (not the Taylor’s Version, btw). This—like all the songs on the playlist—was co-written by Max Martin and Shellback.
Every single song on the list is a Swift / Max Martin / Shellback banger, leading the obvious conclusion that Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl is going to be crafted with these reliable hands. It’s also sure to be a pop-tastic sensation following the vibe of this work.
The reason Swifties are so hyped by Max Martin’s involvement in The Life Of A Showgirl, is that it signifies Swift’s homecoming to traditional pop. Martin and Shellback have a very pure pop sound, and it’s safe to assume TS12 will follow this path.
Without speaking too soon, a collaboration between Swift, Martin and Shellback also suggests that the album is going to be good. Martin and Shellback are known for making chart-topping hits. To put it plainly, they make music that people like. Like, really like. So, their involvement here makes me think we’ll all be devouring The Life Of A Showgirl on repeat.
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