Taylor Swift’s next big deal is for her songwriting
the most influential global musicians. Along the way, how did you deal with the pressure of upholding your family’s musical legacy? A. It’s been a process of finding a balance between honouring my father’s teachings and his work, and then committing to my own journey. I think over the years I found that balance. Today for example, across this space of a year, I’d have a few shows around the world that are specifically focused on my father. I might play his concerto or his symphony with orchestras around the world. Or, I might do more classical shows that play his ragas. But then the bulk of what I do is usually writing and touring my own music and being able to get my own voice out. So, it’s about having that balance. One of the things I have known from when I was young is that he is also a part of my voice. I learned from him from the beginning, he shaped me. So even when I am playing my own music, he is within that. I feel very comfortable with that. So, I suppose it feels easy to keep that balance.
Q. What is the vision behind your latest EP, Love Letters?
A. I really just wanted to create a collection of very intimate songs. I was drawn to the female voice in particular on this. So, the songs have sparse instrumentation and very intimate lyrics. There’s vulnerable instrumentation and production. Just to make people feel that they are in the room with us, listening to us sing and play. The songs are generally love songs. It’s about romantic love, which is kind of new for me. I have written romantic songs before, but not in this kind of an overt way, and not with a whole collection.
Q. Is it important for you to utilise your art as a medium to spread some kind of a social message?
A. Yes, for me personally, it is. I don’t have any opinion on what anyone else chooses to do, but I think it’s a personal choice. I do think we can use our art for social change. I feel that often art can connect to issues in a humanitarian, empathetic or spiritual way, instead of in a political way. Therefore, it’s a very powerful way to engage with people.
Q. Your father was at the helm of the sitar’s rise in
India and internationally, a movement you’ve taken forward. According to you, how has sitar evolved over the years, in terms of playing and the audiences consuming it?
A. I don’t think many people realise how much my father shaped the sitar that we recognise today. It was very different before he made a lot of changes and developments to the sound of the sitar and the way it’s played. So, most of what we hear in classical music today has really changed a lot in the 20th century. And of course, now in the last few decades people have made a lot of developments in the modern space as well with electric sitars and so on. I have also made some developments with internal microphone system so that even the acoustic systems have mics. I hope more and more people start to use that because it is quite life changing.
Q. Do you think there’s a need to preserve classical forms of music in India, especially in the digital age? A. I think there’s a need to make classical music accessible, otherwise it risks becoming very elitist. For example, if music is taught in schools, then all children will have access to at least some basic understanding of singing and so on. It’s also good for their spirit. It’s good for their brain, and would make classical music less intimidating. I think a lot of people who don’t listen to classical music don’t always know where to begin. They feel like they don’t understand it. Creating familiarity is beautiful. I also think media channels could do a bit more to promote classical music. But I also feel confident about the strength of classical music. I’m not worried about its future in any way. I think it’s in a beautiful place.
Q. You are known for seamlessly blending ancient ragas with Western music such as electronica, flamenco and blues. How do you approach innovation in cross-cultural projects?
A. It really depends on project to project. First and foremost, if I am working with somebody else, it comes down to chemistry and trusting that process of writing with someone else. I don’t have one triedand-trusted way of doing this. It comes down to the particular music. Maybe some crossover would be very focused on the sitar— playing ragas within a more modern context. Maybe on another project it’s about completely leaving the ragas behind and just playing the sitar in a different way. Playing a different style on the instrument. And there’s a million other ways of course as well. So, it comes down to really trying to honour what that piece of music is or what I am trying to say and finding the best way to do that. To be open and also have respect for all the styles involved.
Q. Your upcoming tour is being hailed as your homecoming. With everything you’ve achieved on the global stage, what does performing in India mean to you?
A. I come from India, my music comes from India, so to perform in India always feels special. It does feel like a homecoming and an offering. I am really looking forward to being back.
Anoushka Shankar will perform at Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi on 14 February
In recent months, while Taylor Swift was clashing in public with her former record company over control of her early albums, she was quietly plotting a move to consolidate another aspect of her musical empire: her songwriting rights.
On Thursday, Swift announced a global deal with the Universal Music Publishing Group to represent her work as a writer, ending a relationship with SONY/ATV Music Publishing, the company that had signed her when she was just 14. Swift, who is now 30, and sees being a songwriter as a primary part of her artistic identity, writes all her own material, alone or with collaborators.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. But according to two people briefed on the agreement, Swift’s contract with Universal will cover her new work and, over time, her entire catalog of material, as Sony/atv’s rights to older songs expire.
Swift’s new deal will bring much of her work as both a songwriter and a recording artist under the same corporate umbrella. Universal Music Publishing is a division of the Universal Music Group, the global behemoth that Swift signed a recording deal with in late 2018, after she left Big Machine, the label where she made her first six albums.
In a statement, Swift highlighted her growing ties with Universal and nodded to its top executives, including Lucian Grainge, the head of the overall company, and Jody Gerson, the chairman and chief executive of the publishing group.
“I’m proud to extend my partnership with Lucian Grainge and the Universal Music family by signing with UMPG, and for the opportunity to work with Jody Gerson, the first woman to run a major music publishing company,” Swift said. “Jody is an advocate for women’s empowerment and one of the most-respected and accomplished industry leaders.”
Gerson added: “Using her power and voice to create a better world, Taylor’s honest and brave songwriting continues to be an inspiration to countless fans. We look forward to further amplifying Taylor’s voice and songs across the globe.”
The deal is one of the most notable signings in years in the music publishing business, the side of the industry that handles the copyrights and licensing for songwriting and composition, which are separate from those for recordings. Although less glamorous and visible to the public, the publishing sector has become energized by streaming, leading to highly competitive deals—particularly when it comes to stars like Swift who possess catalogs of long-lasting hits.
The deal also highlights Swift’s often-expressed wish to have greater control over her work. Although she was believed to have a good relationship with Sony/ ATV, having all of her current work represented by Universal may give her a new level of command.
When Swift signed her recording contract with Universal two years ago, she insisted on a particular deal point: that she would own the rights to her new work. The importance of that demand became clear last summer, when Big Machine —which still owns the recording rights to Swift’s first six albums— was purchased for more than $300 million by Ithaca Holdings, a company led by Scooter Braun, a manager and aspiring media mogul who has worked with Justin Bieber and Kanye West.
Swift stirred up her fans in protest of that takeover, saying that Braun was preventing her from performing her songs on an awards show and from using them in a Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, that made its premiere late last month. Braun and Scott Borchetta, the founder of Big Machine, denied blocking those projects, but Swift’s complaint went viral. Her mention of the private equity firm that financed Braun’s deal, the Carlyle Group, even brought out supportive tweets from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez.
Amplifying the dispute, Swift said she would rerecord her older songs, which could devalue Big Machine and Braun’s investment. But since first making that threat months ago, Swift has said little about it.
The loss of Swift is a blow to SONY/ATV, where she was a flagship writer. But in industry circles, the move has been anticipated since last summer, when Sony/atv’s longtime Nashville chief, Troy Tomlinson—who has been close to Swift for her entire career—left for Universal, where he is now the chairman and chief executive of the publisher’s Nashville unit.
Swift pointed out that relationship in her statement.
“Troy Tomlinson has been an amazing part of my team for over half my life and a passionate torchbearer for songwriters,” she said. “It’s an honor to get to work with such an incredible team, especially when it comes to my favorite thing in the world: songwriting.”
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