Taylor Swift shocked her fans last Sunday at the announcement of the release of her brand new album, The Tortured Poets Department. Swift attended the Grammy’s that night, as she won two Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year. 

After receiving her first Grammy of the night, she announced that it was her 13th Grammy. With the number 13 being her lucky number, she rewarded her fans with saying, “I know that the way the Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the fans. I want to say a 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.”

She then posted the album cover on Instagram with the caption “All’s fair in love and poetry… New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Out April 19.” A day later she posted all 16 track titles including featured artists and a bonus track. The first track, called “Fortnight” , features Post Malone, and track eight, “Florida!!!”, is featuring Florence + The Machine. 

Ever since Swift has been re-recording her albums to gain the rights back to her music, Swifties have been anticipating the album Reputation (Taylor’s Version) coming out. They have been so caught up in the hope of a second release of Reputation that the idea of a new album coming out soon seemed improbable. To their surprise, she announced a release date for The Tortured Poets Department, and Reputation will have to wait. 

Lily Kennedy, a junior at EHS, was watching the Grammys when she first heard Swift announce the album. She recalls that her initial reaction was astonishment. She was thrown off guard because “[she] thought for sure that she would release Reputation Taylor’s Version, not a whole new album.” 

Kennedy also explained that there were rumors of her last album, Midnights, being her last album to be released (aside from her re-recordings) because her boyfriend at the time wanted her to take time off of her demanding music career. Now that the two are not together anymore, the album is a symbol of a new spark and new beginnings.