Aaron Dessner has described having to keep his collaboration with Taylor Swift on new album ‘Folklore’ secret from his eight-year-old daughter.
The National guitarist co-wrote and produced 11 of the 16 songs on Swift’s surprise new album, which dropped on Friday (July 24).
After previously saying that he’s “rarely been so inspired by someone” as Swift, Dessner expanded on the process of working on ‘Folklore’ in a new interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music.
“I was so glad that we kept it [a secret] because I didn’t want to be the one that spilled the beans,” Dessner said of the secrecy surrounding the album. “I have a eight-year-old daughter, and one day she asked me. She’s just like, ‘Daddy, do you know Taylor Swift?’ It was the morning after we’d written one of these songs.
“And every time we would write a song, it was like a weird lightning bolt, getting this struck by lightning or something, just exhilarated with electricity. I just looked her straight in the eye and said, ‘No’. I honoured my confidentiality.”
Dessner has also recently said that his creative relationship with Swift “feels like an ongoing collaboration,” hinting that more music may arrive in the future.
Giving ‘Folklore’ a four-star album review, NME wrote: “‘Folklore’ feels fresh, forward-thinking and, most of all, honest. The glossy production she’s lent on for the past half-decade is cast aside for simpler, softer melodies and wistful instrumentation.
“It’s the sound of an artist who’s bored of calculated releases and wanted to try something different.”