Taylor Swift Says Boyfriend Joe Alwyn Helped Her Find Her Political Voice

Taylor Swift credits her boyfriend Joe Alwyn for helping her move "past fear and self-doubt" when it comes to speaking out about politics.

Last year, Swift released the political track "Only the Young" for the documentary about her life, "Miss Americana," but she wrote the song in 2018 following the U.S. midterm election. According to the "Love Story" hitmaker, her boyfriend of four years played a role in inspiring the song as he encouraged her to share her political views.

"As a country musician, I was always told it’s better to stay out of [politics]. The Trump presidency forced me to lean in and educate myself," Swift told Vanity Fair.

The singer added that after former President Donald Trump won the election in 2016, she "found myself talking about government and the presidency and policy with my boyfriend [Alwyn], who supported me in speaking out."

Swift explained that she discussed politics with her family and friends and learned "as much as I could about where I stand," and these ultimately helped her become more confident.

"I’m proud to have moved past fear and self-doubt, and to endorse and support leadership that moves us beyond this divisive, heartbreaking moment in time," she said.

On the music front, Swift announced on Feb. 11 that she has re-recorded her highly successful album "Fearless" and will release it as "Fearless (Taylor’s Version)." The singer-songwriter said it will include several songs that fans have never heard before.

"I’m thrilled to tell you that my new version of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is done and will be with you soon. It has 26 songs including 6 never before released songs from the vault," Swift tweeted.

The original "Fearless" not only topped music charts but was a Grammy favorite too. Swift won four Grammys, including album of the year and best country album, for "Fearless," which she released in November 2008.

On the eligibility of her re-recorded albums for future Grammy Awards, the Academy told Billboard that the new performances would be eligible in performance categories if they were recorded within the last five years. If the songs are new and have not been released in any form, they would be eligible in songwriting categories.

"Current eligibility guidelines would allow for the new performances and albums to be eligible if they were recorded within the last five years," a Recording Academy spokesperson said. "However, none of the older songs would be eligible for songwriting awards."