Taylor Swift Covers Elle UK, Writes A Candid Essay About The 'Power Of Pop'

What a week for Swifties! Not only have Taylor Swift's recent Instagram posts fueled fan speculation that she's gearing up for album No. 7 — a theory she slyly acknowledged with a pic of her shocked-looking cat — nevertheless right now she's posed for a rare high-fashion photoshoot.


On Wednesday (February 27), Swift unveiled the cover of Elle UK's April provide, which incorporates a photo of her wearing a ruffled yellow gown (Belle is shaking!) Next to a blurb that reads "Taylor Swift Takes Control." (It's all pinks and yellows, which completely fits in with her light and bright new Instagram aesthetic, by way.) Indoors in the mag, Swift wrote an essay about the "Power of Pop" and the role that pop music has played in her life. Though she admits she's rather biased," she says that the way music can conjure long-forgotten memories is the "closest sensation we have to traveling in time."


"To this day, As soon as I hear 'Cowboy Take Me Away' by the Dixie Chicks, I instantly recall the feeling of being 12 years old, sitting in a little bit wood-paneled room in my family member residence in Pennsylvania," she explained. "I'm clutching a guitar and learning to play the chords and sing the words at the same time, rehearsing for a gig at a coffee house."


The Reputation singer also shared which songs have helped her heal from heartbreak: "I'm convinced that 'You Learn' by Alanis Morissette, 'Put Your Records On' by Corinne Bailey Rae and how by Annie Lennox have actually healed my heart right after bad breakups or let downs," she wrote.


Of course, Swift's own music has become just as crucial to millions of fans, and she believes it's due to a person's eye to honesty and detail that pop artists like herself put into their music. She explained, "In modern pop, songs/bops/chunes including especially personalized specifics like 'Kiki, do you love me' and 'Baby pull me closer in the backseat of your rover' have been breaking through on the most global cultural level.


"This year on tour, I got to hear stadium audiences passionately sing along to a young woman from Cuba singing about 'Havana,'" she continued, referencing her tour opener and good friend Camila Cabello. "I think these days, folks are reaching out for connection and comfort in the music they listen to."


Swift finished her essay by noting that "just like an excellent book," the "alliance between a song and our memories of the times it helped us heal, or made us cry, dance, or escape that truly stands the test of time."


Amen, Taylor! About that album though...