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SOCIAL MEDIA HAS exploded with excitement from Taylor Swift fans after the world-famous singer and songwriter has released her latest album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.
Swift’s 11th studio album was released overnight and announced on the megastar’s Instagram page. “New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Out now,” she wrote on a post.
Hours later, the singer published a surprise second post announcing that an extended version of the album, which includes a total of 31 songs, had been released. Swift told her fans that the songs are based on poetry she had been writing over the last two years.
It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album. ✌️ I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine… pic.twitter.com/y8pyDK8VTd
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 19, 2024
Swift had revealed the album’s release at the Grammys in February, a night that saw the 34-year-old billionaire win a record-breaking fourth Album of the Year prize. With the latest album, released at 2am (Eastern Time) this morning, the artist could be on track for a fifth.
Yesterday, it appeared that Swift’s album had been leaked online, a day early. The purported album leak came from a Google Drive link containing what is claimed to be the new Swift album.
Since her bombshell announcement, reaction from her loyal legion of Swifties has been rolling in on social media.
One person’s account described how their reaction to the new album went:
SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP #TaylorSwift #THETORTUEDPOETSDEPARTMENT pic.twitter.com/j9A5obFrlO
— kenz 🪩 | era’s tour 6/23 & 11/1 (@boookishswiftie) April 19, 2024
Other fans seemed to have dropped everything they were doing to get their first listen to the two-hour long album:
every Taylor Swift fan right now:#TaylorSwift #THETORTUEDPOETSDEPARTMENT #TSTTPD pic.twitter.com/QKrDrzMTii
— WILDEST DREAMS HAHA 🧣 (@swiftoursonggg) April 19, 2024
Others had some homework to do:
hold on let me get out my thesaurus #TaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/DWKHT4Y5kr
— neha (@wednesdayincafe) April 19, 2024
Some fans thought the 31-track album was just a bit too much:
WHAT DO YOU MEAN 15 MORE SONGS!!!! Taylor are you insane ?!?’ 😭😭😭 #THETORTUEDPOETSDEPARTMENT #TaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/sPxc28Yxlw
— RJ Kingdom • tortured poet era (@RandomBookBoi) April 19, 2024
But a large number of fans have also been working since the release of the album, trying to decipher the lyrics and read through the lines.
The (current) working theory is that the album centers on her ex-partner, British actor Joe Alwyn, who Swift dated starting in 2016 until they broke up about a year ago.
Alwyn and Irish actor Paul Mescal revealed in 2022 that they had a group chat entitled “The Tortured Man Club,” which also included Andrew Scott.
The Swifties think their queen’s album title is a likely reference to that text circle. Which is creating a new meaning for her previous songs.
My girl was fighting for her life as we all dedicated LOVER to our significant others. #TaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/EWlN8bqEzo
— Dennise Sophia Yanes (@ohneezyyy) April 19, 2024
Swift – who was born in Pennsylvania on December 13, 1989 – began writing songs professionally as a teenager, signing with Nashville’s Big Machine Records as a country artist.
With “The Tortured Poets Department,” she stands to make waves once more, although she’ll face stiff competition from the likes of Beyonce and Billie Eilish next awards season.
Beyonce dropped her latest album, statement-making “Cowboy Carter” on 29 March. That offered a charts cushion – whether intentional or not – that would allow both her and Swift to notch wins.
The two reigning stars are often pitted against each other as rivals although they’ve repeatedly taken steps over the years to dismiss the notion.
They will almost certainly be competing for next year’s top Grammys, as will Eilish, whose third album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” is due out on 17 May.
But these wildly wealthy, supremely talented and conversation-commanding artists have all emphasised that at the end of the day, it’s about the music.
Writing her forthcoming album “kind of reminded me of why songwriting is something that actually gets me through my life,” Swift told fans at a recent show.
Contains reporting from © AFP 2024
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The marketing machine in full flow, buy buy buy!
@J P: OMG, A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN IS TRYUNG TO MAKE MONEY OFF THEIR MUSIC!!! Shocker.
Willy I am having a terrified moment about the nazi state of Israel, there gaffer reminds me of our own Charlie ,how he covered for the owners of the stardust, ownd a big estate in North County Dublin had an island a sailing boat and not only did he have a limited income bit he was allowed to give all his illegal wealth to his children
@Robert Halvey: oh! My God Robert youve been triggered by a lot of people lol!
@Robert Halvey: “their”, but fear not for Israel, for they are surrounded by beacons of peace, democracy, learning, respect for human rights, religious tolerance, and everything else good. It’s only a matter of time before they spread their vision of peace, first to Israel and then to Europe, Africa and the rest of the world – in that order.
(For that is in the Hamas Covenant 1988 that they live by).
@Thomas Sheridan: ‘Israel … has cynically helped nurture Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu in particular propping it up as an obstacle to an independent Palestine. “To prevent the option of two states,” Israeli general turned academic researcher Gershon Hacohen has observed, “he is turning Hamas into his closest partner. Openly Hamas is an enemy. Covertly, it’s an ally.” Israel is wreaking devastation in Gaza in pursuit of a monster it helped spawn.’
@Thomas Sheridan: @Thomas Sheridan: Ah!
So because this Israel is surrounded by those you dislike it is allowed to commit atrocities and crimes against humanity.
Got you.
And you completely ignore that this Israel has no right to exist at all.
For it was brought into being by colonial settlers – illegal immigrants to the region – who established terrorist groups that attacked the Palestinian people to drive them off their land to take it for themselves and attacked their government to steal their homeland.
For those of us who believe in Justice Palestine should be restored to the Palestinian – the true descendants of those who have lived there since time immemorial – and the Israeli must be held to account for their crimes against humanity.
@Thomas Sheridan: Israel Haa decended into theocracy itself. You correctly point out its neighbours for What they are but Israel is now no different. “Zionism will ultimately destroy Israel”. Christopher Hitchens
@Robert Halvey:
It’s a bit much when people have to go on a Taylor Swift piece to voice their opinions on other important stories,but there’s no choice.
Disgraceful plundering of Maternity services in Gaza.by Israel.
Have they not had enough revenge by now.
It’s unbelievable that Israel are still in the Eurovision contest.
Same as letting Russia in .Fortunately that is not happening.
Describing yourself as a tortured poet is pretty arrogant.
@Iano C: Having the audacity to call someone else pretty arrogant is pretty arrogant.
Ah willy do you not know our history Charlie was a dishonest chancer who went on television telling all over nation we needed to stop spending more then we had , while wearing a 1000 pound shirt ,
I can imagine all the little manboys getting triggered by a powerful woman
@Robert Halvey: yeah! And are you not the first one on here “triggered” by her.
It’s a cult now.
Sure I best try it out and give it a listen.
Charlie haughty covered the ownership of the stardust and still people vote for ffg ,
Pure muck
Tortured poet yea…Jesus wept!
You must know that we just entered, without doubt, WW3, right?
Thomas I was brought up to never use my pain against anyone, Israel is a terrorist state that learned to ape the nazi
Pure greed. Did she not just release an album. Definitely not my cuppa tea but what about all the kids that love her. Just spent a fortune on tickets & last album. Now another one. Ridiculous.
@John Barry: I mean this with no disrespect. I’d be the first one to say go ahead and spoil your kids. But do with it with a modicum of propertionality. I’m 43, and remember having to save pocket money for a couple of weeks to afford an album. And when I got my first paying part time job, I saved for gig tickets. Now we have parents bending over backwards to afford tickets to these massive shows because there’s a level of want and expectation from their kids. Perhaps it might be better to manage their expectations as to what the real world is going to afford them rather than pushing yourself to a limit and then complaining about it. Nothing wrong with knowing what something costs but you need to have an appreciation for what it takes to earn it. Just an opinion. No offence intended.
Yawn
Roy iam grant thanks for asking
Caps? She’s taking NukaCola Caps now?
Heard two tracks already
I think she should have held on to it@
@Padraig O’Brien: if that one hummed a few songs people would buy it.
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