Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’: What to Know
TS11 officially has a title: The Tortured Poets Department! Taylor Swift announced her upcoming album at the Grammys on February 4, 2024. Fans want to know everything about the next record, including the release date, concept and more.
What Is the Release Date for Taylor Swift’s 2024 Album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’?
The Tortured Poets Department will be released on Friday, April 19, 2024.
Taylor announced the record after winning Best Pop Vocal Album for her 2022 album, Midnights, at the Grammys. “I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years,” the pop star said. “Which is that my brand new album comes out April 19. It’s called The Tortured Poets Department. I’m gonna go and post the cover right now backstage. Thank you, I love you!”
She kept her promise by sharing the album cover, which featured her modeling a sheer top and high-waisted shorts and lounging on a bed. “All’s fair in love and poetry,” she captioned the shot. “New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Out April 19.”
The announcement was especially shocking, as fans were convinced that Taylor would actually be revealing the release date for her rerecorded album Reputation (Taylor’s Version) at the show. Just hours before the Grammys, Taylor changed all of her social media profile pictures to be black and white, which are the colors of the original Reputation album. Well, it turns out that The Tortured Poets Department also has a black and white theme!
What Is the Tracklist for Taylor Swift’s 2024 Album ‘The Tortured Poets Department?’
Taylor confirmed the tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department on February 5, 2024. The back cover of the album features the titles of the songs, as well as the quote, “I love you, it’s ruining my life.”
1. Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)
2. The Tortured Poets Department
3. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
4. Down Bad
5. So Long, London
6. But Daddy I Love Him
7. Fresh Out the Slammer
8. Florida!!! (feat. Florence and the Machine)
9. Guilty as Sin
10. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
11. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
12. Loml
13. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
15. The Alchemy
16. Clara Bow
17. Bonus Track: The Manuscript
Fans were shocked to hear that the album had been something that Taylor was keeping a secret for two years, meaning she was planning it since the beginning of 2022. Considering Midnights came out in October 2022, the timeline had fans questioning where the “Karma” singer got the inspiration for album No. 11.
The timing also seemingly hinted that none of the songs would be about Travis Kelce, whom Taylor didn’t start dating until the summer of 2023.
Meanwhile, the superstar ended her relationship with Joe Alwyn at the beginning of 2023. However, she appeared to previously reveal that their troubles started long before that with the release of “You’re Losing Me” in May 2023. The song’s producer, Jack Antonoff, later shared that the emotional breakup song was actually written in December 2021. Based on the song titles of TTPD, fans are speculating that the album is a record about her split from Joe.
What Is Taylor Swift’s 2024 Album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’?
Along with her Instagram announcement of the new album, Taylor also gave some insight into what we can expect from the record.
“And so I enter into evidence, the tarnished coat of arms,” she wrote. “My muses, acquired like bruises, my talisman and charms, the tick, tick of love bombs, my veins of pitch black ink.”
She also referred to herself as “The Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department” in the message.