The one question we're all asking now that Taylor Swift owns her own music.

Today we woke up to the news that, for the first time in her entire career, Taylor Swift now owns her own music. 

The singer made the announcement on her social media platforms by posting photographs of herself surrounded with vinyls of the first six albums she made; Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation.

The caption simply reads "You belong with me" - a title of a song from her record Fearless, followed by six heart emojis in the colours that represent each of these albums and a pointer to her website where she has published a lengthy letter about this incredible moment.

Taylor announced she owned her music in an emotional post to social media. Image: Instagram/@taylorswift.

Rewind back to November 2019, when Taylor took to social media to tell the world that she would not be able to perform her own music from her first six albums at the American Music Awards, where she was being honoured with the Artist of the Decade.

This was because Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun, who had sold and bought her masters against her will, would not allow it. 

In the post she wrote, "The message being said to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you'll be punished. This is WRONG. Neither of these men had a hand in the writing of those songs. They did nothing to create the relationship I have with my fans." 

It looked like the end of the road for Taylor, who made it clear to the world that owning her own music was her greatest desire and one which was never available to her.

But Taylor was not going to shut up.

Watch Taylor Swift perform Bad Blood at the Sydney Eras tour. Post continues after video.

Instead, Taylor set about re-recording those first six albums known as Taylor's Version, after Kelly Clarkson suggested the idea. Since then, she's released TV's of Fearless, Red, Speak Now and 1989, and fans have eagerly anticipated the re-release of Taylor Swift, her debut album, and Reputation. 

It was only just this week past when Swifties were sure Reputation TV would be announced at the American Music Awards, six years after she announced she was unable to perform her own music. This, of course, did not happen.

I'm a longtime hardcore Swifite — the first time I saw Taylor live was at Billboard The Venue in Melbourne in 2009 and I have gone on to see her a total of 17 times in concert since then.

Like many Swifites, I have a Christmas tree full of Tay Tay decorations, more cardigans and hoodies than I can fit in my drawers and a million memories tied to the eleven Taylor Swift albums that have soundtracked my entire adult life. 

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And as a hardcore Swiftie who has been desperately hanging out for Reputation (Taylor's Version), today I am very happy to say we may never, ever get it. Because in this instance, it is about the destination, not the journey. 

The re-records have been a blast. We have a ten-minute version of All Too Well, gorgeous new pictures and vault tracks and collabs we never knew we would get. 

But Taylor Swift did not want to have to re-record her first six albums.

Taylor Swift has only ever wanted to own her music. 

And this isn't something she's wanted since Scott Borchetta sold her masters to Scooter Braun in 2019, this is something she has wanted for her entire career. 

Listen to The Quicky discuss Taylor getting her masters back. Post continues below.

In her letter today Taylor writes, "I stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. But that's all in the past now. I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words:

All of the music I've ever made… now belongs… to me. 

And all my music videos.

All the concert films.

The album art and photography. 

The unreleased songs. 

The memories. The magic. The madness.

Every single era.

My entire life's work."

The Taylor's Version albums were born out of a place of sadness, frustration and hurt for Taylor and like everything, she — and we — turned them into something beautiful.

Those earlier albums had new life breathed into them and we got to relive those eras that were soundtracks to her past, as well as our own. They were a moment in time and they culminated in the ultimate celebration of not only her life, but ours with the record-breaking and history-making Eras tour. 

'I know, I know. What about Rep TV?'

Everything Taylor touches turns to gold, but despite how that may look from the outside, it has never come easy.

These battles are hard fought and won. It's talent, determination, hard work, intelligence, business acumen and kindness that ensures Taylor gets these wins.

There was a time she didn't. Who could forget the heartbreaking moment in her 2020 documentary, Miss Americana, when Taylor's longtime publicist, Tree Paine called Taylor with the news that her sixth studio album, Reputation, had been completely snubbed by the Grammys in 2018? 

Upon receiving the news, Taylor was visibly devastated that an album she'd poured her heart and soul into at a time in her life when everything she had built had been dismantled leaving her identity in tatters. In what could be one of the most incredible insights into the mind of Taylor, within seconds she swallows the loss and responds to Tree with, "ok, this is good, you know what, this is fine. I just need to make a better record." 

Tree affirms, "Well, Reputation is a great record," to which Taylor resolutely says, "No, I'm making a better record."

Many Swifties will tell you that of all the re-records, Reputation (Taylor's Version) is the one they've been most hotly anticipating, myself included. I even custom-made an outfit inspired by her rep tour jacket that I wore to one of her Sydney Eras shows in February last year. 

Despite the Grammys snub, the album was a critical success at the time, and well-received by fans. Reputation was a body of work that showed a grittier side to Taylor, underpinned by her masterful writing and a narrative threaded throughout the album that was ultimately a love story, despite the dark colours, snake motifs and perfectly landed barbs at those who had attacked Taylor's reputation. But then that's her MO - despite what challenges she has faced, Taylor takes the high road and keeps her side of the street clean. 

That set went OFF during every Eras Tour concert and Swifities have meticulously analysed every single moment, outfit, social media post and movement of Taylor to try and predict when she would announce Reputation (Taylor's Version). 

Taylor Swift's Reputation set during the Eras shows were always a knock-out hit. Image: Jun Sato/TAS18/Getty Images

Today's news that Taylor has finally acquired her back catalogue puts a question mark over whether Reputation (Taylor's Version) will ever be released.

In her letter Taylor writes;

"I know, I know. What about Rep TV? Full transparency: I haven't even re-recorded a quarter of it. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it. All that defiance, that longing to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief. To be perfectly honest, it's the one album in those first 6 that I thought couldn't be improved upon by redoing it. Not the music, or the photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off."

And that is on growth, my friends.

Seven years after she told Tree she would make a better album, Taylor can confidently tell the world Reputation was perfect as it was and it's unable to be improved upon. And I wholeheartedly agree. 

That being said, I'm gagging for the vault tracks and while we may not get a re-record, Taylor will still likely give them to us. In her letter she says…

"There will be a time (if you're into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch."

Let me speak on behalf of all Swifties when I say, Yes Taylor, we are VERY into the idea. And whenever that right moment is, we'll be more than ready to receive them. 

In her letter she explains that the other remaining album, Taylor Swift, has been completely re-recorded and that she really loves how it sounds, "Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about. (Ed note: AGAIN YES TAYLOR WE WOULD BE VERY EXCITED!). But if it happens, it won't be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now." 

And Swifties are already celebrating by today listening to those early records.

Going forward they will no longer be known as the stolen albums, we can listen knowing that the creator owns them in full. As she was so happy to say about her music today, you belong with me. As a fan, I couldn't be happier for her. 

Now that Taylor owns her own music, they can't take what's ours. 

You can read Taylor Swift's letter in full at taylorswift.com and you can now listen to every version of her albums on streaming platforms. 

Feature image: Getty.