During her acceptance speech for this year's Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album, Taylor Swift revealed that her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , will be released on April 19, but she's barely there The announcement was made during the 2024 awards ceremony.
Speaking at her Eras Tour concert in Tokyo, Japan on February 7, she revealed how she originally planned to surprise fans.
"I had this plan in my head and I told my friends...but I didn't really tell a lot of other people," she told viewers in a now-viral fan video. "I thought, 'Well, if I'm lucky enough to get up there tonight and win one thing, I'm going to do this. I'm just going to announce my new album."
In the video, Swift went on to explain that if she doesn't win any trophies on February 4, she "will announce it tonight in Tokyo."
She also revealed that she began writing "The Tortured Poets Department " shortly after completing her Grammy-winning album "Midnights," which will be released in 2022.
"I've been working on this for about two years," Swift continued. "I kept working on it throughout the entire U.S. tour. When it seemed perfect to me—when it was good enough for you—I finished it."
At the end of her Tokyo speech, Swift said she was "very, very excited" for fans to hear the record. "Everyone asks, 'Why do you make so many albums?'" she continued. "It's like, 'Man, because I love it so much. I'm having so much fun. Please don't bother me.'"
Taylor Grammy Awards Announcement
When Swift accepted her award on February 4, she opened her speech by noting that she had just won her 13th Grammy Award (a lucky number for a singer) before sharing details about her upcoming record.
“I want to say thank you to the fans and tell you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the past two years,” she said. “That’s my brand new album coming out on April 19th. It’s called Influenced The Ministry of Tormented Poets .”
Swift later unveiled the album's cover art, shot by Beth Garrabrant, as well as the official tracklist, which some fans are dubbing "Jo Alwyn-encoded."
