Taylor Swift is giving a glimpse into her mastermind plan for the release of her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.
Swift, 34, took to social media on Tuesday, April 16, to share a promotional video for the album, which will hit shelves on Friday, April 19. The clip kicked off in a ’70s-inspired room, reminiscent of the Midnights era, where fans could spot crumbled-up paper, a series of records and a clock set to the time of 2:00.
The teaser then led fans down an all-white hallway and into a room titled “The Tortured Poets Department,” where two typewriters and cups of coffee could be seen sitting atop empty desks. The camera then zoomed into the bulletin board on the wall, where April 19 was starred along with the words, “The Tortured Poets Department Release Day.”
Underneath was a note that read, “8 p.m. ET. Music video release?” and fourteen slashes. “The TTPD Timetable,” Swift wrote as the Instagram caption.
Taylor Swift unveiled a library pop-up in Los Angeles and Swifties are on the scene to investigate Easter Eggs. Ahead of The Tortured Poets Department’s release, Swift partnered with Spotify to create an open-air library at The Grove in Los Angeles. The display opened up on Tuesday, April 16, and will remain open until Thursday, […]
The video marks the second major clue Swift dropped on Tuesday, as she previously unveiled a library pop-up in Los Angeles earlier in the day. The pop star partnered with Spotify to create an open-air library at The Grove for fans, which will remain open until Thursday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.
“Fans will be able to explore a poetry library, highly curated to represent the direction of the new record,” Spotify said in a statement while adding that “the shelves will be packed with books and visual surprises for fans to enjoy.”
Swifties quickly began picking up on Easter eggs around the library, including a new set of lyrics in an open book, which was confirmed by Taylor Nation. The pages read, “Even statues crumble if they’re made to wait.” A second set of lyrics were added a few hours later, revealing the phrase, “One less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen.”
Like Swift’s Instagram video, the library also contained a clock set to 2:00, a peace sign figurine on one of the library’s bookshelves, a daily calendar display and books containing the names of songs from the upcoming record.
Swift first announced TTPD while on stage accepting her 13th Grammy at the February ceremony. Although the singer has done a limited amount of promo for the album, she did open up about her decision to write it while on her worldwide Eras Tour last month.
“I needed to make it. It was really a lifeline for me,” she told Melbourne, Australia, concertgoers at the time. “It sort of reminded me of why songwriting is something that actually gets me through life and I’ve never had an album where I’ve needed songwriting more than I needed it on Tortured Poets.”
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When Swift began releasing playlists that coincide with tracks on the album — as well as the five stages of grief — fans began to speculate further that the record could be about her split from ex Joe Alwyn, whom she dated for nearly six years before their split in April 2023. The fourth playlist, titled “I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life” which focused on the stage of denial, raised the most eyebrows as the majority of the songs added were allegedly written about Alwyn, 32.
“This is a list of songs about getting so caught up in the idea of something that you have a hard time seeing the red flags, possibly resulting in moments of denial [and] delusion,” she explained of the denial tracks. “Results may vary.”
The Tortured Poets Department hits shelves Friday, April 19.