22

Written and produced by Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback, 22 combines pop styles such as dance-pop and bubblegum with disco and 1990s rock. The track begins with an acoustic guitar riff and progresses into an upbeat refrain which incorporates pulsing synthesizers and syncopated bass drums. The lyrics celebrate being 22 years old while acknowledging the heartache that the narrator experienced in the past. Upon Red's release, critics complimented the production of 22 as catchy but some found the lyrics weak and the song repetitive. Retrospectively, some have considered it one of Swift's best pop songs. The accompanying music video was shot in Malibu, California, depicting Swift having a house party with friends.

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. A subject of widespread public interest with a vast fanbase, she has influenced the music industry, popular culture and politics through her songwriting, artistry, entrepreneurship and advocacy. Swift began professional songwriting at age 14. Swift credited her mother with igniting confidence and early songwriting interests by helping her prepare for class presentations. She enjoyed Disney film soundtracks and would make up lyrics once she had run out of words singing them. Her lyrical influences include female country songwriters such as Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly Parton; 1990s songwriters such as Melissa Etheridge, Sarah McLachlan, and Alanis Morissette; Joni Mitchell; and Fall Out Boy. She listed Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, and Kris Kristofferson as career role models, citing their both evolving and consistent songwriting outputs. Her literary influences included the authors William Shakespeare, Nathaniel Hawthorne, F. Scott Fitzgerald and the poets William Wordsworth, Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson. She signed with Big Machine Records in 2005 and achieved prominence as a country pop singer with the albums Taylor Swift (2006) and Fearless (2008). Swift is one of the world's best-selling artists, with 200 million records sold worldwide as of 2019. She is the most-streamed artist on Spotify, the highest-grossing female touring act and the first billionaire with music as the main source of income. Seven of her albums have opened with over one million sales in a week. The 2023 Time Person of the Year, Swift has appeared on lists such as Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists and Forbes' World's 100 Most Powerful Women. Her accolades include 14 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, 40 American Music Awards, 39 Billboard Music Awards, and 23 MTV Video Music Awards; she has won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year and the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year a record four times each.

Jock McKenzie studied trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester where he was a joint recipient of the college’s concerto prize. Since 1987 Jock has based his musical career in Hampshire, working as a freelance trumpeter, conductor, composer, arranger and brass teacher. Currently Jock holds the position of Professional Leader (Brass) for Hampshire Music Service and is the Director of the Hampshire County Youth Band. It is the mix of all of these musical roles that has led to Jock establishing a reputation as a leading creator of brass music resources, particularly in the field of education and brass ensemble music. In 2020 Jock was awarded an "Honary Fellowship of the University of Winchester" for services to music education. Currently Jock is working part-time for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; providing tuition for the Brass Teaching Module. In 2024 Jock was given the award for "Services to Youth" by Brass Bands England.