Taylor Swift‘s Vogue cover shoot took place the night before the starlet turned 22. As a result, the starlet was reflective on life, her look and, of course, love.

Perhaps because she was growing up, Swift took drastic measures for the shoot and ditched her trademark curly tendrils for a sleek, straight strands and bangs. “It was a pretty interesting morning,” Swift giggled, “because they said, ‘We were thinking of maybe doing bangs, extensions –’ and I was like, ‘You know what? Just cut it. Why not?’ So I have bangs now.”

Swift mused on the change in her style. “A new hairstyle and new makeup — and I love that I got to pose with my instruments,” she said. “It’s so exciting to make a departure from what people usually see me looking like, but still be recognizable.” It’s unclear whether Swift will approach her songwriting for her next record the same way — going out of her comfort zone while still being herself — but we can hope!

In any case, the subject matter will be typical T-Swizzle. “I write a lot of my songs about love and breakups and relationships and feelings and the whole process because it’s the most maddening, beautiful, magical, horrible, painful, wonderful joyous thing in the world, love.”

Now that she’s 22, what lessons has Swift learned about life? “You go through so many different phases in life. Life is this constant series of epiphany after epiphany,” she said.  Have her lessons brought her down the right path? It sure sounds like it. “As far as where I wanted to be five years ago, this is it,” Swift gushed. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Watch the Behind-the-Scenes Video of Taylor Swift’s Vogue Shoot

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