Reputation (album)

Reputation (stylized in all lowercase) is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on November 10, 2017, by Big Machine Records. Swift conceived the album amidst media scrutiny on her personal life that blemished her once-wholesome "America's Sweetheart" image.

Swift employed an autobiographical songwriting approach on Reputation, which references her romantic relationships and celebrity disputes. Its songs form a linear narrative of a narrator seeking vengeance against wrongdoers but ultimately finding solace in a blossoming love. Swift produced the album with Jack Antonoff, Max Martin, and Shellback, to create an electropop, synth-pop, and R&B record with elements of urban styles such as hip-hop, trap, and EDM. Its maximalist, electronic arrangements are characterized by abrupt dynamic shifts, insistent programmed drum machines, pulsating synthesizers and bass, and manipulated vocals.

Before Reputation's release, Swift cleared out her website and social media accounts, which generated widespread media attention. The lead single, "Look What You Made Me Do" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the second single, “…Ready For It?” peaked at number four. The single "Delicate" was a sleeper hit and peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100, topping multiple US airplay charts. Swift supported Reputation with the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018). It became the highest-grossing North American tour of all time. In the United States, Reputation was Swift's fourth consecutive album to sell one million first-week copies, spent four weeks atop the Billboard 200, and was certified triple platinum. It topped charts and received platinum certifications in Australia, Austria, Belgium, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

A divisive album upon release, Reputation was praised by critics for its intimate songwriting about love but criticized for its production and references to fame and celebrity as harsh and derivative. Some media publications deemed the album disappointing in the context of Swift's celebrity, the entertainment industry, and the political landscape of the time. Retrospective reviews have opined that the initial reception was affected by the negative press and reevaluated Reputation as a work of Swift's artistic experimentation and evolution. Reputation was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, and it was listed on Slant Magazine's list of the best albums of the 2010s decade.