Will Taylor Swift drop a lead single for The Tortured Poets Department?
New York, New York - Taylor Swift has steered away from releasing lead singles ahead of new albums in recent years, but the Swiftie rumor mill has speculated otherwise for The Tortured Poets Department.
The 34-year-old pop star is set to launch a new era on April 19, but fans have theorized that she will change her recent pattern by releasing a lead single on Friday.
In the usual Swiftie-sleuth style, fans have predicted that Taylor will debut Fortnight as the album's first single.
The track, a collaboration with Post Malone, serves as The Tortured Poets Department's opener.
Swifties have marked Friday, April 5, as the most probably release date because it marks a fortnight before the album's release. Get it?
Based on her previous releases, Taylor would announce the drop on Thursday before the song officially came out at midnight.
Logical as it may be, Swifties are almost always in their clowning eras, so it's worth taking the speculation with a grain of salt.
Amid the uncertainty over The Tortured Poets Department's first single, there are a limited number of things that fans do know about the record that have raised some eyebrows already.
What does Taylor Swift have in store with The Tortured Poets Department?
Despite speculation that the album's dark academia aesthetic suggested a vibe more akin to folklore and evermore, The Tortured Poets Department is confirmed to be a pop album like 2022's Midnights.
The album will also have several bonus tracks, but most are currently only available via exclusive vinyl and CD variants that have sold out on Taylor's website.
Knowing her typical tricks, the songs will make their way to streaming eventually, but it's sure to be a bit of a wait.
Fans will also likely get a shot at buying the physical copies again before they make it to streaming, which would boost the record's performance on the charts.
The Tortured Poets Department's tracklist also seemed to confirm fan theories that the album drew inspiration from the Grammy winner's breakup with Joe Alwyn in early 2023 after six years of dating.
With song names like So Long, London, it's safe to assume the London Boy will be at the center of at least a few of the tracks!
The Tortured Poets Department arrives on April 19.
Cover photo: Neilson Barnard / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP