Taylor Swift recently participated in an exclusive GRAMMY.com interview in advance of the Oct. 27 release of her fifth studio album, 1989. The seven-time GRAMMY winner discussed why it takes her two years to make an album, working with an intimate team of collaborators on 1989 and the album's late '80s pop blueprint.

"I like to take two years to make an album because I like to give myself time to evolve and change and challenge myself and try new things," said Swift. "I tend to write for the entire two-year process but usually the things I write in the first six to eight months get thrown out. Not because they weren't great songs but because they don't fit my idea of what the new album should be."

Born in Reading, Penn., Swift moved to Nashville, Tenn., as a teen to pursue her aspirations of being a country artist. She signed with the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Her 2006 self-titled debut album quickly established her as one of country music's brightest stars, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and earning her a nomination for Best New Artist at the 50th GRAMMY Awards. At the 51st GRAMMY Awards in 2009, Swift performed "Fifteen" with Miley Cyrus, marking her GRAMMY performance debut.

Swift's sophomore album, 2008's Fearless, topped the Billboard 200 and garnered four GRAMMY Awards for 2009, including Best Country Album and Album Of The Year. Swift, then 20, became the youngest artist to win the latter award. Her most recent studio albums, Speak Now (2010) and Red (2012), also topped the chart, with the latter showcasing a more pop-oriented direction evidenced by the Record Of The Year GRAMMY-nominated No. 1 hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."

Swift has described 1989 as being inspired by the experimental nature of late '80s pop music. The album features collaborations with Fun.'s Jack Antonoff, Max Martin and Shellback. The lead single, "Shake It Off," became Swift's second No. 1 single. "Out Of The Woods," the album's second song to be released digitally, was co-written by Antonoff.

Swift has select live appearances scheduled in December. With gross revenue of $112.7 million, her most recent concert tour topped Pollstar's 2013 North American tours list. Swift was recently named 2014 Billboard Woman of the Year, making her the first artist to receive the award twice.