2012 is lined up to be a big year for Taylor Swift. As promised, the 22-year-old 'Ours' songstress will follow up her tremendously successful 'Speak Now' album with a brand-new release. While we don't yet have many details on the release date or the title of Swift's 2012 album, we know that Swift is sure to put her blood, sweat and tears into it -- just like she has with all of her previous works. The singer has grown a lot since her 2006 debut, and we're anxious to see what she has up her sleeve -- and her mind -- as she settles into adulthood.

The Inspiration
Heartbreak and moving on from it. In an interview with the New Yorker this past fall, Swift revealed that the songs she's penned thus far for her 2012 album are "sad." It's obvious Swift has been scarred by a few folks in the past, and she's still got plenty to say about it. Haven't these guys learned that hell hath no fury like a songwriter scorned?

The Songs
A few months ago, Swift told Ryan Seacrest that she was already 25 songs deep in her new album -- with a year to go. At this point, it's a safe bet that she's pocketed at least enough of the tunes for a strong new album, and the rest will stay under lock and key. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the fact that Swift is prepared to release a 2012 album -- what with her insanely busy schedule over the past year -- is that she even had time to sit down and write. “Being so busy, there’s not a lot of time to stop in the middle of the day and just kind of think about this feeling that you just realized about a relationship you had a year ago,” she said, explaining that her best ideas come late at night and proving that as a powerful pop-country icon, she never sleeps. “The ones I love the most end up happening very quickly.”

What to Expect
Supposedly Swift's best album yet, according to her father, and we don't doubt his credibility one bit. In December, she released a song that she had been "VERY excited about for a VERY long time" titled 'Safe and Sound' with the Civil Wars, which appears on 'The Hunger Games' movie soundtrack (preview it here). The track is a bit of a departure from typical Swift songs and brings in a dark element, showing how she has grown as a songwriter and as an artist. We have no idea whether or not 'Safe and Sound' is representative of what's to come on Swift's own album, but the switch-up in sound is a welcome change, and we're anxious to see how much of that direction will be reflected on her 2012 new album. The album is due in the later part of the year, which will give the young singer plenty of time to continue her Speak Now Tour overseas and maybe add a few more awards to her collection (she's up for three 2012 Grammys). We anticipate that the 2012 release from the once-16-year-old 'Tim McGraw' star is going to be her most impactful of her career... So far, anyway.

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