On February 4, 2024, Swifties were shocked when Taylor Swift announced that her new album “The Tortured Poets Department” would come out on April 19th as she was accepting her Grammy award for best pop vocal album for “Midnights.”
Swift announces, “I know that the way that the Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion of my fans, so I wanted to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years. Which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19. It’s called “The Tortured Poets Department”
Speculation of a new album started to arise when fans noticed the star changed her profile pictures on social media to black and white, and they noticed many of the people Swift associated herself with had done the same. Many interpreted this as Swift planning to announce a new “Taylor’s Version” of her “Reputation” album, which has a black and white cover.
Immediately after Swift made this announcement, fans started to develop theories and ideas for the meaning behind this album and what it would be about. Fans believe it will give us an insight into her relationship with Joe Alwyn, who she dated for six years.
Swift released the track list for the new album on her Instagram, and the titles of some of the songs give hints that the album will be written about Alwyn. Some titles that cause fans to speculate the meaning behind this album include, “Down Bad,” “So Long London,” “But Daddy I Love Him,” and “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can).” These song titles hint at ideas of the love and heartbreak Swift went through in her relationship with Alwyn. Especially, “So Long London,” raises speculation as Alwyn was raised in London. Swift started working on this album two years ago, so the timing aligns perfectly with her split from Alwyn, making it highly realistic that the album could be written about him.
The title of the album “The Tortured Poets Department” also raises a great amount of speculation from fans as in a Variety interview with Alwyn and actor Paul Mescal, the duo revealed the name of their WhatsApp group chat is “Tortured Man Club.” A name very similar to the title of Swift’s new album causes fans to wonder if she wrote the album about her relationship with Alwyn.
As for the fans, the release of this album has a multitude of symbolic meanings such as community, emotional connection, and empowerment. The release of this album represents a new era for Swift and her fans as it serves as a reminder of the profound impact Swift’s music has had on the lives of her community and the strong bond they have formed between each other and with the artist.