Taylor Swift not only announced her eleventh album at this year’s Grammy Awards, but made history while doing so. Swift announced her upcoming album, “The Tortured Poets Department”, after receiving the Pop Album of the Year Award for her 2023 album “Midnights”.
The win marked Swift’s 13th Grammy award, but not her last of the day as she went on to win Album of the Year for “Midnights” later in the evening. The AOTY award was Swift’s fourth overal l— she now has the most AOTY awards for any artist ever, surpassing the ranks of artists like Paul Simon and the Beatles. She had previously won the award for “Fearless” (2010), “1989” (2016), and “Folklore” (2021).
Swifties and non-Swifties alike celebrated Swift’s momentous win, as well as enjoyed the prospect of a new album. Sienna Sullivan, Margo Wyckoff, and Ally Duncan are State High students and dedicated Swifties. All three were prompt to celebrate Swift’s win and new album.
Sullivan was tuned into the Grammys and was thrilled with Swift’s outcome. “I thought [the award] was cool, but I definitely wasn’t expecting two of them,” Sullivan said.
While fans had lots to celebrate following the show, they still had to wait over two months for the album’s release. “The Tortured Poets Department” will be released on April 19, giving fans time to speculate about the album and craft theories regarding its tracks. On Feb. 5, Swift shared a photo of the track titles as well as a few poetry snippets from the album.
“I’m most excited for ‘So Long London’ because it’s probably about Joe Alwyn and ‘London Boy’ was not that long ago,” Sullivan said, alluding to Swift’s previous album “Lover” and her breakup with Joe Alywyn in 2023.
Wyckoff had a similar opinion, also believing Swift’s breakup with Alwyn could influence the new album. “I hope it’s about the breakup,” Wyckoff said. “It kinda looks like that, according to the tracklist. But I’m looking for like some ‘Folklore’ vibe.”
Many fans are excited about the possibilities of the new album, as titles appear to significantly drift from Swift’s past content. Swift has also brought on two new collaborators, Post Malone and Florence and the Machine, both of whom make different styles of music from Swift’s usual. Swift has been known to genre-change in the past; 2014’s “1989” marked Swift’s shift into pop music while 2021’s “Folklore” brought Swift into the indie/folk genre.
“I think it was not what I was expecting, but I think it’s kind of a good combination of some of her other aesthetics that’ll probably turn into a great album,” Duncan said. Like her hope for the aesthetic of the album, Duncan was also hopeful for the artist collaborations on the album.
“I think [the collabs will] definitely be interesting, but I like most of our other collaborations, so I’m betting it’ll be pretty good,” Duncan added.
The album release was a surprise for many fans, but not a shock. Fans were tuned into the Grammys hoping for Swift to win, but also hoping for her to announce her rerecording of 201.’s “Reputation”. At the previous year’s Video Music Awards, Swift announced “Midnights” leaving fans hopeful a similar situation would occur this year. While fans did not receive “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” they were not left empty-handed with the announcement of “The Tortured Poets Department”.
“I was expecting a ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version)’ announcement,” Duncan said. “But, I did think she would do something.”
Wyckoff elaborated on this, feeling excited about the prospect of a new album versus a re-recording.
“We haven’t gotten new music in one and a half years, and I feel like it’s really time to switch it up with all of the repeated re-recordings,” she said.
With awards show wins, new albums, and re-recordings galore, Swifties can only dream about what else Swift has up her sleeve for the rest of 2024.
