Before starting this article, I must confess I have never listened to a Taylor Swift album from beginning to end.

When Swift first came onto the scene, she was a love-able, all-American sweetheart that was mature beyond her years. She made love songs and managed to make everybody fall for her best impression of an innocent girl. If only we could have heard this album back in 2010.

“All my flowers grew back as thorns.” Swift officially self-branded herself as a badass with “Reputation,” and to tell the truth I do not mind it.

Over the past few years, Swift has struggled to maintain her squeaky-clean image that helped her sell millions of albums in the past. Getting involved in drama with Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Nicki Minaj, Swift has upset many members of her fan base, but Swift adapted, and instead of trying to go back to her old ways, she embraced the mean streak she has inside of her.

Reputation is filled with intense hip-hop beats, and features the dark gangster rapper Future. Currently, rap music is the top selling genre in music, and Swift geared this album to sound darker and more powerful, while still leaving traces of her old self on several songs.

The album is meant to be a statement. It is like Kobe Bryant embracing the villain, but people can’t stop watching because he is so good.

For die hard Swift fans, this might not be the best album. It is certainly not the Swift they fell in love with in 2008, but for a person like me who has never listened to one of her albums, it is something new and fresh.

Everybody has come out against her new alter-ego, but this alter-ego is not new at all, it has been there the whole time. I love Swift for embracing her reputation head on and making the album she wanted to make.

Swift has finally shaken off her haters in this new album. “Reputation” is new, edgy and has taken pop music by storm.

Swift is unapologetically herself, and I am glad to see her transformation.