Highlights
- Taylor Swift loves recording in a studio in Jack Antonoff's New York apartment, despite her global fame.
- Swift and Antonoff are always willing to try "weird s***" in the recording studio, resulting in brilliant moments.
- Swift's vulnerability is key to the success of her music, and her lyrics can be emotionally impactful.
As impressive as Taylor Swift is, she is not a one-woman army. Much of her career is owed to inspiring collaborations with numerous music talents. This includes the one she shares with her faithful producer and close friend, Jack Antonoff. Together, the pair have worked on every one of her albums since 2014's "1989". While Antonoff's musical contributions aren't exclusive to Swift's discography, their partnership has been nothing short of legendary. On top of this, Antonoff is credited as a producer on most of Swift's best and most popular songs.
During an interview with Vulture, Jack Antonoff revealed the hardest parts of his music career, including producing Taylor Swift's music. Given their lengthy and close relationship, Antonoff is uniquely qualified to comment on what Swift is really like to work with. And during his interview, he did just that. Beyond her sweet smile, accessibility, and celebrity status, here's what Taylor Swift is really like when making her albums...
What Taylor Swift Is Like In The Recording Studio, According To Producer Jack Antonoff
During music producer Jack Antonoff's 2024 interview with Vulture, the frequent Taylor Swift collaborator explained that he recorded most of "Midnights" in his apartment. His New York apartment has a studio space that he and Swift have called 'home' throughout their lengthy collaboration. This space has also been useful for Antonoff's own recordings with his band Bleachers and with other close collaborators such as Lana Del Rey. But given that Taylor Swift is arguably the biggest music superstar in the world, it's remarkable that she loves recording in a studio in an apartment as opposed to one in a fancy or iconic facility.
Antonoff, who won a 2024 Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, and one for producing Swift's Album of the Year ("Midnights"), claimed that he'd gladly work with Swift for decades to come. Much of this comes down to the fact that he and Swift are always willing to try some "weird s***" in the recording studio. This includes basing part of their song "Mastermind" on the ending of Daniel Day Lewis' movie, Phantom Thread.
"Every once in a while, when you really throw yourself out there, you actually get the stuff that’s the most brilliant," Jack Antonoff told Vulture of his experimentations with Swift.
"I’ve never been in a room with her and felt like we were doing anything but treading new ground that we’ve let last for even ten seconds. If we’re not feeling it, we’ll move right the hell along."
Antonoff went on to say that the further he and Swift 'go down the rabbit hole', the more rewarding the creative experience. And this is something Swift is always up for.
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"We’ve been at this point for many years. I mean, we started working together on '’89', we did a ton of work on 'Reputation', which was so wonderful and intense, and then 'Lover', we started to do some more strange things," Antonoff explained.
"When we did 'Folklore', that was obviously a really different angle, and some of the earlier songs, like “August” and “Mirrorball,” are some of my favorite things we’ve ever done. You know, writing a song and collaborating with somebody, once you do it, you’re like, Well, who knows if that’ll ever happen again, ’cause it’s just magic. With her, I’m constantly taken aback."
Antonoff went on to say, "I’ll joke with her sometimes when we get something crazy, like, 'Okay, I guess we still f***ing got it!' There’s really nothing for her and I left to do if we’re not completely stretching ourselves out there into the darkness. And that was the whole story with 'Midnights' — we did so many things that we had never done before."
- Taylor Swift's "Midnights" was released in October 2022
- Jack Antonoff served as producer on "Midnights" alongside Swift, Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, and Keanu Beats
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On top of Taylor Swift's deep desire to push herself and do something different, producer Jack Antonoff claimed that she is always exceedingly vulnerable. And vulnerability is absolutely key to the success of her music.
"The end of 'You’re on Your Own, Kid' is one of those moments for me. I remember she wrote that right in front of me and then we put it down, and I was completely punched in the gut. Beautiful."
In the 2022 song, "You're On Your Own Kid", Taylor Swift reflected on her music career and her ascension from the country music scene to becoming a pop megastar. In the song, she wrote a particular lyric that Jakc Antonoff was impressed by. This was in the song's bridge when she includes, “‘Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned / Everything you lose is a step you take.”
This Is The Hardest Part About Working With Taylor Swift, According To Friend Jack Antonoff
Unfortunately for readers eager for revelations about a possible dark side to Taylor Swift, it appears that she is nothing but a gem in the recording studio. At least, this is Jack Antonoff's experience. The two are exceptionally close friends with Swift even asked to speak at his wedding to Margaret Qualley. But there is one or two difficult things about working with Swift, according to Antonoff.
In his 2024 interview with Vulture, Antonoff revealed that Swift has some tastes that are different than what he's become accustomed to as both a producer and a musician. In the case of recording "1989"(Aka "Taylor's Version"), Antonoff found it difficult to work with the soft synth sounds required for "Out Of The Woods", "I Wish You Would", and "You Are In Love".
Because of this, he chose to use only sounds that were made in the recording studio and enlisted his colleagues from his band Bleachers to help him.
"The internet was really interested in what sounded like a seagull sound in “Is It Over Now?” It was really fun because it was all these analog instruments that we know and love: Moog model Ds, Juno-6s," Antonoff revealed to Vulture.
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One of Antonoff's hardest moments with Swift was on the song, "August".
"The end of “August,” the strings and twangy guitar — that was one where it was really in my head, production-wise, for a long time. The end has to be so euphoric. She’s talking about, like, 'Meet me behind the mall' and 'Back when we were living for the hope of it all.' I kept attaching to all of her lyrics and being like, This crescendo at the end has to feel like all of that, on fire."
While Jack Antnoff has faced some creative hurdles while working with Taylor Swift, it's clear their coloration has been one of the most fruitful and fulfilling in his impressive career.
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