Who is Marcus Mumford? Taylor Swift friends with Mumford & Sons singer: 'Their sound really resonates with her'
It looks like Taylor Swift's sidestep to folk music is likely to continue after her latest smash album 'Folklore'. The 'Exile' singer has begun a friendship with Marcus Mumford, lead singer of British folk-rock group Mumford & Sons and has been working with him in the UK.
Moving on from Swift's pop past and putting it into perspective now, it makes perfect sense that Swift's collaborations would see a drastic change in her new era, and the Mumford & Sons frontman is a welcome choice. Marcus is an English-American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer with an extensive and prominent discography in his musical résumé. Marcus was born in Yorba Linda, California, to English parents, John and Eleanor (née Weir-Breen) Mumford, and as a result has British and US citizenship from birth. He was raised in Wimbledon Chase, southwest London after his parents moved back to the UK when Marcus was six months old.
It was at King's College School in Wimbledon where he met future band member Ben Lovett. Fast-forward through several gigs and tours as a rising musician, and in 2007 Mumford & Sons was formed. Marcus has worked with numerous musical heavyweights such as Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, Taylor Goldsmith, and more. In Mumford & Sons, the singer and his band have four studio albums (which have been certified platinum by the RIAA, barring 2018's 'Delta'), six EPs, and a smorgasbord of singles and guest appearances.
Swift and boyfriend, England native Joe Alwyn are apparently new friends with Marcus and his wife, Carey Mulligan. According to a source from The Sun, "Taylor is a long-time fan of Mumford & Sons and has done covers of their songs over the years." The insider noted, “Their sound really resonates with her so the fact they’ve been in the studio together actually makes total sense. Taylor’s become mates with Marcus and Carey so it’s just the next step, naturally, to work together, particularly as her recent sound is so much closer to the music Marcus is used to making.”
Swift, with six Grammy nominations for 'Folklore', has shared her experience re-recording her older music. For those unaware, Swift's former music exec Scooter Braun has the rights to her older albums, but that doesn't include 'Folklore'. Swift said, "I’ve been having a really good time re-recording my older music." She continued, "It’s been the most fun doing Love Story, because the older music... my voice was so teenaged and sometimes when I hear my older music and my young teenage voice, it makes me feel like I’m a different singer now."