Taylor Swift fans have been shaking in their boots, anxiously waiting since October for the singer to announce a new album. After the re-recording of the 2014 pop album “1989” released in October 2023, there seemed to only be two albums left for her to release. However, Swift fooled the fans once again and announced last month the release of a brand new album. The album, titled “The Tortured Poets Department,” is set to be released April 19, 2024.
Those who have been Taylor Swift fans or Swifties for a while, know that Swift loves to leave clues and what she calls “easter eggs” in her clothing, performances, and social media. This is to make fans wonder what her next album will be about and look like. Up until her announcement, many fans assumed that she would be releasing a re-recording of her 2018 album “Reputation” next.
The album, along with Swift’s debut album titled “Taylor Swift,” are the only two albums still left for her to re-record, as they are still owned by Scooter Braun. “Reputation” easter eggs that fans had noticed prior to her announcement of “The Tortured Poets Department” or “TTPD” were her outfits consisting of black and green, jewelry depicting snakes, and even social media posts using “Reputation” song lyrics in the captions. But Taylor Swift had once again fooled her fandom.
On Feb 4, Taylor Swift showed up to the Grammy Awards dressed in a beautiful black and white gown, while fans at home buzzed with the excitement of another possible album announcement. When Swift got up to the stage after just winning “Best Pop Vocal Album” for her album “Midnights,” she surprisingly announced an entire new album.
“So I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the past two years,” Swift said in her acceptance speech. “my brand new album comes out April 19. It’s called The Tortured Poets Department.”
“TTPD” will be Swift’s eleventh studio album, consisting of sixteen tracks. The tracklist includes two collaborations: Post Malone featuring on the track “Fortnight” and the band Florence and the Machine on the track “Florida!!!”. Even more exciting, while Swift has been on her Asia-Pacific leg of The Eras Tour, she announced four alternate vinyls of “TTPD” that will contain four different bonus tracks.
So far, it seems that these bonus tracks will only be released on the physical editions of the album. Many fans are also wondering what this album will sound like, will it lean more towards Pop, Country, or Indie? An article in The Guardian described what they believe the album will sound like:
“The album is a combination of [Swift’s] previous records ‘Red’ (2012) and ‘folklore’ (2020) in the best possible way.” This description has not been confirmed by Swift or her team, but fans are hoping these rumors are correct. For now, however, Swifties must wait until April 19, 2024, to hear what the new album is all about.
“All’s fair in love and poetry,” said Swift in her social media post announcing “The Tortured Poets Department,” and Swifties can’t wait to hear what her new album is all about.
