Between a messy breakup with ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris, a subsequent high-profile fling with Tom Hiddleston and a very public feud with the Wests, “she felt like her personal life was spinning out of control,” a source close to the star, 27, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It was draining her and she needed to disappear to reinvent herself. It was time to change things up and take another approach.”
The Grammy winner’s scathing pop track, “Look What You Made Me Do,” satirizes her public persona and hits back at her haters, including famous ones like Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West.
“Taylor is very excited about her new album. This has been her life for the past few months,” says the source.
Swift is now “ready to come out of hiding” and is looking forward to sharing her album Reputation (out Nov. 10) with her loyal fans. The star smashed records with her dramatic music video for “Look,” racking up more than 40 million views in 24 hours on YouTube.
“Taylor is very talented and wants the focus to be on her music,” says the source of the entertainer, who’s been quietly dating actor Joe Alwyn, 26, since late last fall. “She is a master at reinventing herself.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE