The original album is the most awarded country album of all time

Taylor Swift has decided not to submit her re-released 2008 album Fearless (Taylor’s Version) to award shows. Billboard reports that the album will not be up for contention at this year’s CMA Awards or the GRAMMYs.

“After careful consideration, Taylor Swift will not be submitting Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in any category at this year’s upcoming Grammy and CMA Awards,” a Republic Records representative tells the publication. “Fearless has already won four Grammys including album of the year, as well as the CMA Award for album of the year in 2009/2010 and remains the most awarded country album of all time.”

Instead, Swift will be submitting her ninth studio album, Evermore, released in December 2020. In less than a week, her second surprise album of 2020 eclipsed global sales of one million with total worldwide streams of evermore sailing past half a billion and counting.

The decision prevents Swift from competing against herself as members could potentially split their votes between the two projects.

Neither the Recording Academy, who helms the GRAMMYs, nor the Country Music Association have commented on the matter.

Swift broke records upon Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’s release earlier this year when it landed at No. 1 around the world, marking the first time a woman has landed three No. 1 albums in less than a year with the releases of Folklore on July 31st and Evermore on December 18th.

With the arrival of Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Swift extends an unprecedented record, standing out as the only artist in history to release nine albums with sales of at least 500,000 copies in a single week [Fearless, Speak Now, RED, 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, and now, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)].

Earlier this year, Swift broke a 54 year record held by The Beatles in the United Kingdom for the fastest accumulation of three No. 1 albums. Swift captured her third chart-topping album in a span of 259 days with Fearless (Taylor’s Version), which follows Folklore and Evermore.

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the first in her series of re-recordings since leaving the Big Machine Label Group in 2018 and signing with Universal Music Group. Her original masters were part of the sale of Big Machine in 2019 when Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings LLC purchased the label. Braun then sold Swift’s Big Machine catalog masters to Shamrock Holdings for upwards of $300 million in 2019. Swift has been at odds with the label, founder Scott Borchetta and Braun over the past couple of years as she’s attempted to purchase the masters to no avail while also being caught up in live performing rights of the same songs.

The re-recorded albums continue with Red (Taylor’s Version) coming November 19th via Republic Records. The newly recorded edition will feature 30 songs that were meant for the singer’s fourth album when it was originally released in 2012 via Big Machine Label Group.