Despite fans preparing for the release of Reputation (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift announced her eleventh studio album at the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday 4th February.
Nominated for 6 awards at the award show, she took home Best Vocal Pop Album and Album Of The Year for Midnights. Making it her 13th Grammy win, a number reflective of the artist.
She then finished the evening by announcing her upcoming album The Tortured Poets Department, which will release on April 19.
Fans were expecting Reputation (Taylor’s Version) to be released as this was next in order for her rereleased albums after 1989 (Taylor’s Version) released in October 2023.
Taylor changed her profile picture on Instagram before The Grammy’s to black and white which had fans assuming that she would announce the release of Reputation (Taylor’s Version) at the Grammy’s. This left them shocked when instead, she announced her eleventh studio album.
In her acceptance speech she said: “Okay, this is my 13th Grammy, which is my lucky number. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that,”
“I want to say thank you to the members of the Recording Academy for voting this way, but I know that the way that the Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion of the fans. So I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I have been keeping from you for the last two years, which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19th. It’s called ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ I’m going to go and post the cover right now backstage. Thank you, I love you! Thank you!”
Taylor reportedly was supposed to announce her album at the upcoming Japan dates of the Era’s Tour. Instead, she decided to announce it if she won a Grammy that night.
During her later Tokyo concert, she said to fans: “I had this plan in my head, and I told my friends, I told Jack, but I hadn’t really told many other people,” she said. “I thought, ‘OK, so if I’m lucky enough to win one thing tonight, I’m just going to do it. I’m just going to announce my new album.'”
Although it was a last-minute decision to announce the album, she continued in true Taylor Swift style by leaving clues.
Before the Grammy’s, her website crashed, leaving a screen saying ‘hneriergrd’ which translates to red herring and next to this read ‘DPT:123’ spelling backward ‘Tortured Poets Department’.
Additionally, others have pointed out that there is a potential pattern in her releases.
Having released Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) in 2021 followed by brand new album Midnights in 2022.
She then released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in 2023, so it would follow a pattern for a new album to be released this year.
It could also mean that the re-release of Reputation may not happen until next year.
More On The Tortured Poets Department
The tracklist includes:
Side A:
- Fortnight (Featuring Post Malone)
- The Tortured Poets Department
- My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys
- Down Bad
Side B:
- So Long, London
- But Daddy I Love Him
- Fresh Out The Slammer
- Florida !!! (FT. Florence + The Machine)
Side C:
- Guilty As Sin?
- Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?
- I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
- LOML
Side D:
- I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
- The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
- The Alchemy
- Clara Bow
- The Manuscript (Bonus Track)
The album features two new collaborations for Taylor, these being Post Malone and Florence + The Machine.
In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Post Malone described working with Taylor for their track ‘Fortnight.’
He said: “She’s so sweet and so kind and talented, and she hit me up and said, ‘Let’s do it.’ And I was like, ‘Hell yeah.'”
The color for this album appears to be white due to the white heart emoji Taylor keeps using in conjunction with the album. The cover also features lots of white in the imagery she’s shared.
This would also make sense as it is yet to be used with her previous discography and each era is connected strongly with a colour.
Possible Influences
This will be Taylor’s first album release since her break-up with longtime partner Joe Alwyn.
The two were together for six years, keeping most of their relationship private.
The news followed shortly after her release of Midnights in 2022 so it is likely this album will touch heavily on the breakup.
Tracks such as ‘But Daddy I Love Him’ and ‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’ suggest that the album will definitely touch on this.
Additionally, this is her first release since starting the Eras Tour so depending on when this was written, it may also touch on this too.
Taylor has also since started a relationship with Travis Kelce, an American Football player. So again, depending on when the writing took place for this album, it may also be influenced by this new relationship.
The relationship has become highly publicized due to the two both being in the public eye.
