Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: Everything we know so far
Los Angeles, California - Taylor Swift has shocked fans with the unveiling of a new music era, putting a pause on releasing her final two re-recordings for the time being.
Talk about a plot twist!
Despite rampant speculation that she would announce the release of Reputation (Taylor's Version), the 34-year-old pop star opted to reveal her 11th studio album at Sunday's 2024 Grammy Awards.
The new record, titled The Tortured Poets Department, was unveiled with a first look at the cover art, a sultry black-and-white snap of Taylor lying on a pillow.
Her social media post also gave the first lyric tease of the era with a snippet reading, "And so I enter into evidence / My tarnished coat of arms / My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / The tick, tick, tick of love bomb / My veins of pitch black ink.
"All's fair in love and poetry... Sincerely, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department."
The cryptic reveal has Swifties buzzing with plenty of theories as to what the album will be about and what they can expect from the long-awaited TS11 era.
When will Taylor Swift release The Tortured Poets Department?
The Tortured Poets Department will be released on Friday, April 19.
The date is all the more surprising considering her continued run on The Eras Tour throughout the rest of 2024. Considering TS11 marks a new era for the singer, it's possible the release will lead to changes to the setlist.
The schedule has left a two-month gap between March 9 and May 9 for her to promote the album – and potentially a chance to revamp the tour.
However, some fans have proposed the main setlist will remain the same after the release, and the new tracks will instead be performed as surprise songs.
According to Taylor's website, The Tortured Poets Department will have 16 tracks, with special deluxe editions also featuring a bonus track titled The Manuscript.
When was The Tortured Poets Department written, and what is it about?
During her Grammys speech, Taylor revealed that she had been keeping the album a secret for two years, placing its genesis around 2021.
But while that may have been the beginning of the plans, her frequent studio time in the past year certainly suggests the work has been ongoing ever since.
In 2023, the Anti-Hero artist spent nearly all of her time behind concerts at Electric Lady Studios in New York, and those sessions are more than likely connected to Tortured Poets.
As for the songs' subjects, Taylor's split from Joe Alwyn in April 2023 is likely to have been a major influence on the album.
Though the 2021 of it all may lead to some skepticism on this front, the recent bombshell that the Midnights vault track You're Losing Me, which is assumed to be about Joe, was created that same year.
Adding further fuel to the theories is the album's title, as the 32-year-old British star previously revealed he was in a group chat with actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott called the "Tortured Man Club," which many fans do not believe is a mere coincidence.
Of course, Swifties will also be analyzing every word for any connection to her new romance with Travis Kelce, so there's going to be plenty to unpack when it comes to the real-world lore behind the album!
Vinyl, CDs, and cassettes of The Tortured Poets Department are available for preorder on Taylor's online store, and the album can be pre-saved now on streaming platforms.
Cover photo: MATT WINKELMEYER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP