The Tortured Poets Division has arrived!
After months of anticipation, Taylor Swift dropped her eleventh studio album on Friday at midnight on the East Coast. The total-length album marks Swift’s first new materials since she launched the GRAMMY-winning Midnights in 2022.
Swift introduced the brand new album’s launch with a philosophical and contemplative publish to X (previously Twitter) that addressed the themes of the album — together with breakups, self-reflection and therapeutic.
“The Tortured Poets Division. An anthology of recent works that replicate occasions, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic second in time — one which was each sensational and sorrowful in equal measure,” Swift wrote. “This era of the creator’s life is now over, the chapter closed and boarded up. There may be nothing to avenge, no scores to settle as soon as wounds have healed. And upon additional reflection, a very good variety of them turned out to be self-inflicted.”
“This author is of the agency perception that our tears turn into holy within the type of ink on a web page. As soon as we’ve spoken our saddest story, we may be freed from it,” she continued. “After which all that’s left behind is the tortured poetry.”
Swift first introduced the information of Tortured Poets onstage on the GRAMMYs whereas accepting her thirteenth trophy from the Recording Academy in February. On the time, Swift teased that the mission had been within the works for 2 years. Then, throughout an Eras Tour cease in Tokyo, Japan, Swift additional elaborated on the timeline.
“I have been engaged on Tortured Poets since proper after I turned in Midnights,” she advised the viewers, clarifying that albums are submitted “months prematurely” to allow them to be finalized.
Midnights was launched in October 2022. Since then, the star has additionally additionally notably launched two rerecorded albums: Converse Now (Taylor’s Model) and 1989 (Taylor’s Model).
“I have been engaged on it for about two years,” she confirmed of Tortured Poets. “I saved engaged on it all through the U.S. tour and when it was good, in my view, when it was adequate for you, I completed it.”
In an unconventional transfer, Swift opted to not put out any singles forward of Tortured Poets‘ official launch. She did, nevertheless, share the total monitor checklist, bonus monitor titles, and a number of album covers forward of time.
As for the subject material, Tortured Poets was extensively anticipated to be a breakup album about Swift’s break up from her longtime love, Joe Alwyn. It was in April 2023 that ET broke the information that Swift and her boyfriend of six years had known as it quits. On the time, a supply stated the break up was amicable and “was not dramatic.” ET was additionally advised “the connection had simply run its course.”
Then, in November, Swift’s shut collaborator Jack Antonoff let slip a messy new element. Providing a digital breadcrumb for sleuthing Swifties, the producer revealed that he and Swift had written and recorded her music a couple of dying relationship, “You are Shedding Me,” on Dec. 5, 2021.
Although Swift herself hardly ever confirms who her songs are about, her album title seems to be a reference to an interview Alwyn gave an interview to Selection in late 2022 when he revealed that he was in a bunch chat known as “the Tortured Man Membership.” The monitor “So Lengthy, London” additionally caught many eyes, with Swifties questioning if it may additionally be a reference to Alwyn, who’s English.
At this time, Swift is in a relationship with Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce. Simply final weekend, the couple put their love on show whereas attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts pageant. In social media movies posted from the occasion, Swift and Kelce had been seen fortunately embracing, dancing and even making out whereas having fun with the festivities.
“Taylor and Travis had been so excited to go to Coachella collectively,” a supply advised ET this week. “They needed to be there to assist their buddies and simply have enjoyable. They’d the very best time on the pageant and had been in their very own world although so many individuals had been round them. They’re very in love and in sync in so many points of their lives, and it’s totally candy to see.”
One other supply added, “The 2 are persevering with to discover their relationship by supporting one another’s endeavors and doing what each different couple does, and that is go on dates. That is one in all many adventures but to return for the duo.”
For his half, Kelce is gearing as much as host his second annual Kelce Jam, offered by Jim Beam. The pageant goes down Might 18 at Azura Amphitheater in Kansas Metropolis. A few of this 12 months’s featured artists embrace like Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Diplo.
“It is positively been enjoyable to expertise her style in music, for positive,” Kelce lately stated of Swift in an interview with ET. “She’s so wonderful at what she does. And to seek out that creativity to see the place she likes to drag issues from and simply, actually, how she listens to music could be very eye-opening for me. It has been enjoyable to listen to her tackle it.”
The Tortured Poets Division is out now.
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