midnight world tour taylor swift

What To Expect From Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour

Swift added three additional Canadian shows to her never-ending world tour.

Only three hours after Taylor Swift’s Midnights album arrived at midnight on Oct. 21, 2022, she gifted fans with a surprise “3 a.m. edition” of her 10th studio album with seven impressive bonus tracks . Even though Swifties had 20 new songs to enjoy, some fans quickly moved on to asking their next question: When will Swift finally go on tour again?

On Nov. 1, 2022, Swift announced her first tour in five years, The Eras Tour , which was originally supposed to kick off on March 18, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. However, Swift added two more batches of tour dates (see the full list below!), for a total of 52 shows, and the tour began a day earlier in the same stadium.

The 12-time Grammy winner first announced her U.S. stadium trek on Good Morning America , revealing that her new show would represent all 10 of her studio albums, from her 2006 self-titled debut to Midnights.

“I wanted to tell you something that I’ve been so excited about for a really long time. I’ve been planning for ages and I finally get to tell you: I’m going back on tour,” she said. “The tour is called the Eras Tour and it’s a journey through all of the musical eras of my career.”

The U.S. leg of the tour concluded on Aug. 9 at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, the NFL stadium that Swift was set to open on her 2020 Lover Fest tour before its cancelation.

Taking to Twitter , Swift confirmed that international dates would be announced “as soon as we can.” Those international shows started rolling out on June 2, when Swift announced that the Eras Tour would come to Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil in 2023, marking her first-ever shows in Latin America.

On June 20, Swift announced additional international Eras Tour dates in Europe, Asia, and Australia. “EXCUSE ME HI I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY,” the hitmaker wrote in an announcement . “I can’t wait to see so many of you on The Eras Tour next year at these new international dates!” She went on to add a total of 23 more shows on those continents.

On Aug. 3, Swift announced yet another string of shows in the U.S. and Canada next year, writing in a surprise statement: “Turns out it’s NOT the end of an era. Miami, New Orleans, Indy, and Toronto: The Eras Tour is coming to you in 2024.” It seemed like the tour would finally conclude in Toronto, but that’s not the case, as Swift announced three additional shows in Vancouver on Nov. 2.

The Eras Tour features rotating opening acts , including Paramore, HAIM, Phoebe Bridgers, beabadoobee, girl in red, Muna, GAYLE, Gracie Abrams, and Owenn. Sabrina Carpenter will take on opener duties for Swift’s shows in Latin America, Australia, and Singapore, while Paramore will join Swift once again for her UK and European tour dates.

Now that she’s finally performing again, read on for the full list of tour dates and everything you need to know.

Taylor Swift’s 2023 U.S. Eras Tour Dates

• March 17 — Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
• March 18 — Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
• March 24 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
• March 25 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
• March 31 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
• April 1 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
• April 2 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
• April 13 — Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
• April 14 — Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
• April 15 — Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
• April 21 — Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
• April 22 — Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
• April 23 — Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
• April 28 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• April 29 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• April 30 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• May 5 — Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
• May 6 — Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
• May 7 — Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
• May 12 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
• May 13 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
• May 14 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
• May 19 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
• May 20 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
• May 21 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
• May 26 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
• May 27 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
• May 28 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
• June 2 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
• June 3 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
• June 4 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
• June 9 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
• June 10 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
• June 16 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Acrisure Stadium
• June 17 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Acrisure Stadium
• June 23 — Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium
• June 24 — Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium
• June 30 — Cincinnati, OH @ Paycor Stadium
• July 1 — Cincinnati, OH @ Paycor Stadium
• July 7 — Kansas City, MO @ GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
• July 8 — Kansas City, MO @ GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
• July 14 — Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High
• July 15 — Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High
• July 22 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
• July 23 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
• July 28 — Santa Clara, CA @ Levi’s® Stadium
• July 29 — Santa Clara, CA @ Levi’s® Stadium
• Aug. 3 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
• Aug. 4 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
• Aug. 5 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
• Aug. 7 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
• Aug. 8 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
• Aug. 9 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium

Taylor Swift’s International Eras Tour Dates

• Aug. 24 — Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
• Aug. 25 — Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
• Aug. 26 — Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
• Aug. 27 — Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
• Nov. 9 — Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Estadio River Plate
• Nov. 10 — Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Estadio River Plate
• Nov. 11 — Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Estadio River Plate
• Nov. 17 — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @ Estádio Nilton Santos
• Nov. 18 — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @ Estádio Nilton Santos
• Nov. 19 — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @ Estádio Nilton Santos
• Nov. 24 — São Paulo, Brazil @ Allianz Parque
• Nov. 25 — São Paulo, Brazil @ Allianz Parque
• Nov. 26 — São Paulo, Brazil @ Allianz Parque
• Feb. 7 — Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Dome
• Feb. 8 — Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Dome
• Feb. 9 — Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Dome
• Feb. 10 — Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Dome
• Feb. 16 — Melbourne, Australia @ Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG)
• Feb. 17 — Melbourne, Australia @ Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG)
• Feb. 18 — Melbourne, Australia @ Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG)
• Feb. 23 — Sydney, Australia @ Accor Stadium
• Feb. 24 — Sydney, Australia @ Accor Stadium
• Feb. 25 — Sydney, Australia @ Accor Stadium
• Feb. 26 — Sydney, Australia @ Accor Stadium
• Mar. 2 — Singapore, SG @ National Stadium, Singapore
• Mar. 3 — Singapore, SG @ National Stadium, Singapore
• Mar. 4 — Singapore, SG @ National Stadium, Singapore
• Mar. 7 — Singapore, SG @ National Stadium, Singapore
• Mar. 8 — Singapore, SG @ National Stadium, Singapore
• Mar. 9 — Singapore, SG @ National Stadium, Singapore
• May 9 — Paris, France @ Paris La Défense Arena
• May 10 — Paris, France @ Paris La Défense Arena
• May 11 — Paris, France @ Paris La Défense Arena
• May 12 — Paris, France @ Paris La Défense Arena
• May 17 — Stockholm, Sweden @ Friends Arena
• May 18 — Stockholm, Sweden @ Friends Arena
• May 19 — Stockholm, Sweden @ Friends Arena
• May 24 — Lisbon, Portugal @ Estádio Da Luz
• May 25 — Lisbon, Portugal @ Estádio Da Luz
• May 30 — Madrid, Spain @ Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
• Jun. 2 — Lyon, France @ Groupama Stadium
• Jun. 3 — Lyon, France @ Groupama Stadium
• Jun. 7 — Edinburgh, United Kingdom @ BT Murrayfield Stadium
• Jun. 8 — Edinburgh, United Kingdom @ BT Murrayfield Stadium
• Jun. 9 — Edinburgh, United Kingdom @ Murrayfield Stadium
• Jun. 13 — Liverpool, United Kingdom @ Anfield Stadium
• Jun. 14 — Liverpool, United Kingdom @ Anfield Stadium
• Jun. 15 — Liverpool, United Kingdom @ Anfield Stadium
• Jun. 18 — Cardiff, United Kingdom @ Principality Stadium
• Jun. 21 — London, United Kingdom @ Wembley Stadium
• Jun. 22 — London, United Kingdom @ Wembley Stadium
• Jun. 23 — London, United Kingdom @ Wembley Stadium
• Jun. 28 — Dublin, Ireland @ Aviva Stadium
• Jun. 29 — Dublin, Ireland @ Aviva Stadium
• Jun. 30 — Dublin, Ireland @ Aviva Stadium
• Jul. 4 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Johan Cruijff Arena
• Jul. 5 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Johan Cruijff Arena
• Jul. 6 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Johan Cruijff Arena
• Jul. 9 — Zürich, Switzerland @ Stadion Letzigrund Zürich
• Jul. 10 — Zürich, Switzerland @ Stadion Letzigrund Zürich
• Jul. 13 — Milan, Italy @ San Siro Stadium
• Jul. 14 — Milan, Italy @ San Siro Stadium
• Jul. 17 — Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins Arena
• Jul. 18 — Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins Arena
• Jul. 19 — Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins Arena
• Jul. 23 — Hamburg, Germany @ Volksparkstadion
• Jul. 24 — Hamburg, Germany @ Volksparkstadion
• Jul. 27 — Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion
• Jul. 28 — Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion
• Aug. 1 — Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy
• Aug. 2 — Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy
• Aug. 3 — Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy
• Aug. 8 — Vienna, Austria @ Ernst-Happel-Stadion
• Aug. 9 — Vienna, Austria @ Ernst-Happel-Stadion
• Aug. 10 — Vienna, Austria @ Ernst-Happel-Stadion
• Aug. 15 — London, United Kingdom @ Wembley Stadium
• Aug. 16 — London, United Kingdom @ Wembley Stadium
• Aug. 17 — London, United Kingdom @ Wembley Stadium
• Nov. 14 — Toronto, Canada @ Rogers Centre
• Nov. 15 — Toronto, Canada @ Rogers Centre
• Nov. 16 — Toronto, Canada @ Rogers Centre
• Nov. 21 — Toronto, Canada @ Rogers Centre
• Nov. 22 — Toronto, Canada @ Rogers Centre
• Nov. 23 — Toronto, Canada @ Rogers Centre
• Dec. 6 — Vancouver, Canada @ BC Place Stadium
• Dec. 7 — Vancouver, Canada @ BC Place Stadium
• Dec. 8 — Vancouver, Canada @ BC Place Stadium

Taylor Swift’s 2024 U.S. Eras Tour Dates

• Oct. 18 — Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
• Oct. 19 — Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
• Oct. 20 — Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
• Oct. 25 — New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome
• Oct. 26 — New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome
• Oct. 27 — New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome
• Nov. 1 — Indianapolis, IN @ Lucas Oil Stadium
• Nov. 2 — Indianapolis, IN @ Lucas Oil Stadium
• Nov. 3 — Indianapolis, IN @ Lucas Oil Stadium

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Tickets

For U.S. dates, tickets went on sale on Nov. 15, 2022, through a presale for CapitalOne cardholders and an exclusive TaylorSwiftTix presale. Swifties were able to register for TaylorSwiftTix through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program until Nov. 9.

Fans who purchased tickets to Swift’s planned Lover Fest shows in 2020 were supposed to have priority access to the TaylorSwiftTix presale. The remaining tickets were scheduled to go on sale for the general public on Nov. 18, but due to unprecedented demand and the effect it was having on Ticketmaster’s servers, the general sale was canceled .

For the international shows, Swift encouraged fans to visit her website for ticket details, as each country will have its own presales and registration process to buy tickets. Prior to the UK shows being confirmed in June 2023, Swift’s UK store announced that customers who pre-ordered Midnights in the week leading up to the album’s release would receive a special pre-sale code for shows. Fans are now able to register for the newly added Vancouver shows until Nov. 4.

This article was originally published on Oct. 21, 2022

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Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift The Eras Tour: Tickets, prices, presale, dates, setlist and everything you need to know

18 October 2022, 12:03

Taylor Swift says Anti-Hero is one of her favourite songs she’s ever written

By Katie Louise Smith

How much will Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour tickets be? Where to get The Eras Tour pre-sale codes? What cities will Taylor play in? Here's what we know...

Listen to this article

Taylor Swift ? Going on tour? The rumours ARE true. The Eras Tour IS happening. And we're all about to be filing for bankruptcy after fighting to get our hands on those tickets.

In case you haven't heard, Taylor confirmed that she is set to tour after the release of her tenth studio album Midnights . So far, Taylor's official channels have only confirmed that she will be touring the US and the UK, but worldwide dates will be announced soon.

Taylor's last tour was way back in 2018 when she took Reputation on the road. She was then scheduled to tour her Lover album with a series of Lover Fest shows in 2020, but had to cancel due to the pandemic.

That means she's now got a whopping FOUR new albums ( Lover , Folklore, Evermore, Midnights ) and two re-recorded albums ( Fearless TV and Red TV ) that have yet to be toured.

Fans have been desperate to see the made-up Folklovermore tour happen, but now we've got The Eras Tour to look forward to. Here's everything we know about the tour so far, including tour dates, tour stops, potential ticket prices, where to find pre-sale codes and everything in between.

Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour: Everything we know so far...

The Eras Tour dates: When is Taylor Swift going on tour in 2023?

So far, Taylor has only confirmed tour dates for the US leg of The Eras Tour. She'll start her US shows in late March 2023, and play through to early August 2023.

As for the UK tour dates? We're still waiting for confirmation on those. Based on her tweet, Taylor will tour the UK and Europe after the US leg. Other international tour dates will also follow.

Back in 2019, Taylor explained to Zane Lowe why she couldn't commit to a worldwide Lover stadium tour : "I’ve got some pretty intense things happening with my family right now. I can’t go on long tours and not have the ability to go home if I need to. I have priorities that aren’t just touring now, and [the fans] have been really respectful of that in the past."

Bookmark this page – we'll update with more info as soon as it's announced.

I’m enchanted to announce my next tour: Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, a journey through the musical eras of my career (past & present!) The first leg of the tour will be in stadiums across the US, with international dates to be announced as soon as we can! https://t.co/KFuqvrhSGo pic.twitter.com/eVyTcuW8sK — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) November 1, 2022

Taylor Swift The Eras Tour pre-sale codes: How to find a pre-sale code for your country

In the UK, fans were able to get a pre-sale code when they pre-ordered the Midnights album from Taylor's official UK store . The window to secure those codes has now closed, but more codes will no doubt be announced once the UK dates are confirmed.

For fans in the US, there's several ways in which you can get a pre-sale code for the tour. First, you can get a pre-sale code through the Capital One exclusive cardholder pre-sale .

• To get into the pre-sale, you'll need to a) be a Capital One cardholder, and b) visit Taylor Swift's official events page on November 15th at 2PM (LOCAL VENUE TIME) to buy tickets with that Capital One card. (You'll need the first 6 digits of your Capital One card to gain access to the pre-sale.)
• Fans can also gain access to the Ticketmaster Verified Fan pre-sale. You'll need to register on your Ticketmaster account BEFORE Wednesday, November 9 @ 11:59PM ET and you will then receive an email confirmation with details on what to expect next.

No other pre-sale codes have been announced yet. So if you live outside of the UK and the US, keep your eyes peeled and notifications on for Taylor and Taylor Nation's accounts.

Tickets will go on sale after Taylor has revealed the tour dates and locations. Ticket sale dates will also be announced in advance. Fans will have plenty of time to prepare and get ready to buy their tickets.

Taylor Swift praises Lana Del Rey as she talks about their collaboration track on new album

Taylor Swift 2023 tour locations: What cities will Taylor play in?

Taylor has confirmed that The Eras Tour will be an international tour, but so far, only the US leg locations have been announced.

On the US leg, Taylor will be stopping in 20 cities across the country, with 27 shows announced so far. Here's the full list so far:

• Glendale, AZ
• Las Vegas, NV
• Arlington, TX
• Houston, TX
• Nashville, TN
• Atlanta, GA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Foxborough, MA
• East Rutherford, NJ
• Chicago, IL
• Detroit, MI
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Minneapolis, MN
• Cincinatti, OH
• Kansas City, MO
• Seattle, WA
• Santa Clara, CA
• Los Angeles, CA

Taylor's Lover Fest tour was scheduled to have festival dates in Europe (Belgium, Germany, Norway, UK, Denmark, Poland, France, Spain and Portugal. UK's Glastonbury was also included in those dates), South America (Brazil) and North America (Atlanta, Los Angeles and Foxborough).

In contrast, Taylor's record breaking Rep tour had 53 shows, with Taylor visiting the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Thanks to her announcement, we know for sure that Taylor will be touring in the UK. As for what cities? We'll have to wait for the announcement to know more about where Taylor will be playing outside of the US.

The Eras Tour ticket prices: How much will the tickets to Taylor Swift's tour be?

Until the tickets start to go on sale, we won't know exactly how much it'll cost for pit standing, standard standing or seated admission.

Fans have been sharing information about how much they've paid in the past for her stadium shows. Prices for her upcoming tour will probably not be the same, but could be a similar price depending on the location.

But with Ticketmaster's controversial Platinum ticket feature that saw Harry Styles fans end up paying extortionate amounts for his upcoming shows, the most in-demand tickets at Taylor's shows could end up being more expensive than ever.

That said, we'll just have to wait and see! Better start saving up now, Swifties!

Taylor Swift The Eras Tour setlist: What songs will she play?

Taylor has confirmed that The Eras Tour is a "a journey through the musical eras of my career (past & present!)" With 10 albums and hundreds of bops, bangers and ballads to choose from, the setlist for the The Eras Tour is going to be incredible.

Taylor will no doubt include a handful of songs from her latest album Midnights , as well as songs that have yet to be performed in a tour setting from Folklore, Evermore and Lover . (Fingers crossed for a live performance of 'Cruel Summer'!!!)

In terms of her re-recorded albums, tracks from Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version) will also likely make the set list.

It's unclear when Taylor will be releasing any more re-recorded albums, and if they'll be released by the time she sets off on tour. Both 1989 (Taylor's Version) and Speak Now (Taylor's Version) have been teased through easter eggs and on Taylor's website. But it is possible that Taylor could perform several of her old songs that she has not yet officially re-released.

Just like on the Reputation tour, Taylor could also perform a surprise song at each of the dates.

Taylor Swift reveals jam-packed schedule for Midnights release

Will Taylor Swift headline Glastonbury in 2023?

Taylor was scheduled to perform at the iconic festival in 2020 alongside fellow headliners Kendrick Lamar and Paul McCartney. However, she declined to keep her headline slot when the festival was rescheduled to 2022.

Speculation that she'll finally be back on the line-up for 2023 has circulated on the internet but given that she has not yet released her own versions of her Taylor Swift, Speak Now, 1989 and Reputation albums, it's possible that she might hold off until she finally owns all of her songs and albums.

That said, the current US leg schedule does leave a cheeky gap for her to POTENTIALLY (!) perform on the Pyramid Stage on Friday 23rd June... before travelling back to the US to continue the tour in Minneapolis on the 24th.

Only time will tell if she does! If we all start manifesting now, it'll eventually come true. (And if not this year, fingers crossed for 2024!)

Read more Taylor Swift news here:

• Here’s why Taylor Swift songs are all over the Summer I Turned Pretty soundtrack
• Here's every Taylor Swift song written solely by Taylor Swift
• Taylor Swift was denied a cameo in Twilight: New Moon
• When is Taylor Swift releasing Enchanted (Taylor's Version)?

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Taylor Swift Confirms a 'Midnights' Tour Is Coming 'Soonish': 'It's Going to Happen'

Taylor Swift dropped her 10th studio album, Midnights , last week, and is reassuring fans that a tour will be coming "soonish"

Taylor Swift just delivered her newest album, Midnights — and now she's doubling down with a tour confirmation.

While filming The Graham Norton Show in London, which airs Friday night on BBC One, the "Bejeweled" singer-songwriter, 32, promised that her tour is just around the corner.

"We will sometime soonish. It's going to happen," Swift said when asked by host Graham Norton , adding, "We will do it and it will be great."

The Grammy winner also said she is "thrilled" over the fan response following her album drop last week.

"But I do think it's a little accusatory when people say I broke Spotify," Swift joked of smashing the record for most-streamed album in one day . "It was my gorgeous fans that broke Spotify!"

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Though the singer-songwriter frequently expresses gratitude for her fans, Swift delved into how the re-recording of her catalog was something "deeply personal" to her after losing the rights to her music from her first six albums when she switched record labels.

"I am thankful to radio stations across the U.S. that will only play my new versions. It is so heartwarming," she expressed. "It is something that I care about but don't expect other people to care about it."

"It is a lot of work, but it is fun, and I can't believe people have got behind it the way they have," Swift added.

On her 10th studio album, Swift — who collaborated with Jack Antonoff , Lana Del Rey and boyfriend Joe Alwyn to make the magic happen — writes of love, revenge and public image in the 13 moody, yet versatile, song tracks.

Swift has already released music videos for "Anti-Hero" and "Bejeweled" in the week since Midnights ' release.

In the latter video, Swift is joined by a bevy of celebs including Laura Dern , Dita Von Teese , Pat McGrath , the HAIM sisters and Antonoff, 38, as she puts an empowering spin on the Cinderella story .

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Taylor Swift's Midnights Album: Everything We Know About Her October 21 Release

“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams.”

Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

When 12 a.m. rolled around, Swift gave ample detail on what to expect with her 10th studio album—and revealed the album art.

Ahead, everything we know about the project.

When does the album come out?

Swift revealed the release date before anything else at the MTV VMAs: Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. It will be a midnight release like her previous other works, especially given its namesake. Fans pointed out that Oct, 21, 2022 is coincidentally Kim Kardashian’s birthday. But more telling is what the digitals add up to: 10 + 2 + 1 = 13, Swift’s beloved and common Easter egg number and the number of tracks on Midnights .

Swift provided a more detailed breakdown of the album's release schedule on Monday, October 17 at midnight.

• Thursday, October 20: Teaser trailer during the third quarter of Thursday night football on Prime Video. Swift didn't specify whether this teaser trailer was for the full album or the “Anti-Hero” music video out on October 21 at 8 A.M. EST.
• Friday, October 21, 12 AM EST: Midnights album release
• October 21, 3 A.M. EST: “Special very chaotic surprise”
• October 21, 8 A.M. EST: “Anti-Hero” music video premiere
• October 21, 8 P.M. EST: Lyric videos for album
• Tuesday, October 25, 12 A.M. EST: Second Midnights music video release. Fans theorized the song is “Vigilante Shit” because it and “Anti-Hero” are the only two tracks Swift held her phone upside during her track name reveal videos.

Is this album another re-recording?

No, Swift’s Oct. 21 album will be a new original work. During the Midnights announcement, Swift did not address when she would release her re-recordings of 1989 and Reputation.

What songs are on the album? Which will be singles?

Swift didn't initially share a track list, only that the album will feature a total of 13 new songs. During her midnight album announcement, she gave a little detail about what they’ll be about: “Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight.” She has not announced her first single yet.

Over time, Swift released more of the track names and ultimately the full track list.

• Lavender Haze
• Snow on the Beach
• You're on Your Own, Kid
• Midnight Rain
• Question...?
• Vigilante Shit
• Sweet Nothing

She'll be releasing three bonus tracks with the Target edition of her album, which is available for pre-order now. The songs included are new track “Hits Different,” a string remix of “You're on Your Own, Kid,” and a piano remix of “Sweet Nothing.”

You can order the Target version below:

Shop all Universal Music Group Taylor Swift - Midnights: Lavender Edition (Target Exclusive)

What is the album about? Are the songs based on Swift's life?

When Swift announced the project, she explained the premise and theme for her work. She wrote:

We lie awake in love and in fear, in turmoil and in tears. We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. We twist in our self-made ages and pray that we aren’t—right this minute—about to make some fateful life-altering mistake. This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching—hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve … we’ll meet ourselves. Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight.

Swift has spoken a little about what particular songs are about and revealed the first track , “Lavender Haze,” would address her six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn.

“Lavender Haze is track 1 on Midnights ,” she said. “I happened upon the phrase 'lavender haze' when I was watching Mad Men . I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool. And it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the ’50s where they would describe being in love. If you in the ‘lavender haze,’ then that meant you were in that all-encompassing love glow. And I thought that was really beautiful.”

“I guess, theoretically, when you’re in the ‘lavender haze,’ you’ll do anything to stay there,” she continued. “And not let people bring you down off of that cloud. I think that a lot of people have to deal with this now, not just like ‘public figures,’ because we live in the era of social media, and if the world finds out if you’re in love with somebody they’re going to weigh in on it. Like my relationship for six years we’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff, and we just ignore it. So this song is about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff.”

Ahead of the album's release, Swift revealed five themes that inspired Midnights on Spotify.

On Monday, October 17, Swift shared the first: “The first thing that kept me up at night that helped inspired the Midnights album is self-loathing.”

Will Swift go on tour for this album?

Swift hasn’t announced any tour dates yet. Her last announcement regarding touring was in February 2021, referencing her canceled Lover Fest tour dates and explaining why she had no plans to reschedule them. She wrote then:

I love coming on here to tell you good news, or to share a new project with you. It's not my favorite thing in the world to have to tell you news I'm sad about. I'm so sorry, but I cannot reschedule the shows that we've postponed. Although refunds have been available since we first postponed the Lover Fest shows, many of you hung onto your tickets and I too hung onto the the idea that we could reschedule. This is an unprecedented pandemic that has changed everyone's plans and no one knows what the touring landscape is going to look like in the near future. I'm so disappointed that I won't be able to see you in person as soon as I wanted to. I miss you terribly and can't wait 'til we can all safely be at shows together again. - Taylor Swift

But on September 30, 2022, a source told Page Six that she is definitely planning something soon, a “massive stadium tour” for the summer of 2023.

“Taylor has some really ambitious plans in place,” said one insider. “She’s excited to get back on the road after such a long but fruitful break.”

There were rumors circulating all through the month that Swift might be performing at the next Super Bowl Halftime show. The event is usually sponsored by Pepsi and Swift has an ongoing deal with Coca-Cola, but this year Apple took over opening the way for a possible Swift performance. TMZ reported that she turned the offer down because she doesn't want to perform until her older albums have been rerecorded. She still has Taylor Swift , Speak Now , 1989 , and Reputation to go. Will she actually finish them all by next summer? If anyone can, it's Taylor Swift.

Are pre-orders available? What about merchandise?

You wouldn’t expect Taylor Swift to be caught unprepared, would you? Of course pre-orders are available — and there’s merch! Fans can purchase Midnights in vinyl, CD, or cassette, in addition to the standard digital version. Both the vinyl and CD sets come with unique artwork/photography and a collectible booklet. There’s no answer to the folklore cardigan available on TaylorSwift.com just yet...but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as one drops.

Are there multiple album covers for Midnights ?

Absolutely. Swift ended August to sharing three special edition covers in addition to Midnights ' main cover. “August may have slipped away but September brings 3 new special edition covers!” Swift wrote. “Pre-order Midnights collectible cd versions and unique color vinyl versions now … 💁‍♀️🌌”

Here, a closer look at all the variants: Jade Green, Blood Moon, and Mahogany:

Has Swift offered any previews of Midnights ?

On Friday, September 16, Swift posted a TikTok she captioned: “The making of Midnights. ” The montage gave a bunch of hints to fans about the album's production. The clips in the video include shots of Swift at the keyboard, recording vocals, and spending some quality time with her cat Benjamin and wandering through a snow storm.

But the clips also reveal a glimpse of producer Jack Antonoff, seemingly confirming that he is again serving as producer on Swift's album. Variety reports that the TikTok includes a shot of Antonoff's studio.

In another recent TikTok , Swift explained to fans that there are four different album covers for Midnight , and when they are put together they form a clock to “help you tell time.”

Then on September 21, Swift posted yet another TikTok from a series called “ Midnights Mayhem With Me,” revealing track listing one by one. The first track revealed was Track 13 and titled “Mastermind.”

She chose to reveal that track name with a Bingo cage, each one printed with a difference song title. Swift has been posting the series one day at a time. Other names revealed so far are “Track 2 Maroon,” “Track 6 Midnight Rain,” “Track 7 Question...?,’ and “Track 8 Vigilante Shit.”

On Monday, October 17 at midnight, Spotify revealed the first lyric from the album in Times Square, New York City: “I should not be left to my own devices.” More will be revealed in the days leading up to Midnights ' release.

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• Everything We Know So Far About Taylor Swift’s New Album <i>Midnights</i>

Everything We Know So Far About Taylor Swift’s New Album Midnights

A s the clock struck midnight early Monday, Taylor Swift took to the streets—Instagram and Twitter , that is—to let the world know: another album is coming.

This one, titled Midnights , will tell “the stories of 13 sleepless nights” scattered throughout Swift’s life, and will come out at midnight, aptly, on Oct. 21.

Here’s everything we know so far about Swift’s new album.

The Announcement

At the Video Music Awards on Sunday night, the pop star won video of the year for “ All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) ,” starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien.

“I know with every second of this moment that we wouldn’t have been able to make this short film if it weren’t for you, the fans,” Swift said in her acceptance speech. “Because I wouldn’t be able to re-record my albums if it weren’t for you. You emboldened me to do that.”

“And I had sort of made up my mind that, if you were going to be this generous and give us this, I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand-new album comes out October 21,” she continued. “And I will tell you more at midnight.”

During her acceptance speech for video of the year at the #VMAs , Taylor Swift announces a new album out October 21. https://t.co/K3f4GrgiuJ pic.twitter.com/9q2jGVDoPl — Variety (@Variety) August 29, 2022

The Release Date

As we very well know by now, there are no such things as coincidences for Taylor Swift. While Oct. 21 may not seem to hold any special significance, the date does coincide with a few other pop culture milestones.

Perhaps most significantly, the movie My Policeman —starring Harry Styles, who Swift formerly dated—releases on Oct. 21. Fans have speculated that the 2014 track “ Style ” off of the 1989 album was about Swift’s relationship with Styles.

Kim Kardashian’s birthday also falls on Oct. 21—another celebrity figure who Swift has seemingly written about in the past, with 2020’s “ long story short ” off of evermore . (The pair came into conflict in 2016 , when Kardashian posted a series of videos on Snapchat in which her then-husband, Kanye West, openly discussed mentioning Swift on his 2016 song “Famous.”)

And maybe most innocuously, Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen is scheduled to release her newest album, The Loneliest Time , also on Oct. 21.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

As disclosed in Swift’s late-night posts, the tracklist of 13 songs is currently labeled exactly as such: Side A includes “Track One,” “Track Two,” “Track Three,” “Track Four,” “Track Five” and “Track Six” and Side B includes “Track Seven” through “Track Thirteen.” (An admirably concise lineup for an artist like Swift, whose last album, Red (Taylor’s Version), contained no less than 30 songs.)

“We lie awake in love and in fear, in turmoil and in tears,” Swift captioned her announcement post on Instagram . “We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren’t—right this minute—about to make some fateful life-altering mistake.”

Swift has recently taken to social media (at, of course, midnight) to announce individual song titles, revealing that they will not, in fact, remain referred to by numbers alone. In an Instagram story series called “ Midnights Mayhem With Me,” she has disclosed that: “Track Six” will be titled “Midnight Rain,” “Track Seven” will be “Question…?,” “Track Eight” will be “Vigilante Sh-t,” and “Track Thirteen” will be called “Mastermind.”

“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” Swift continued in the caption. “The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching—hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve… we’ll meet ourselves.”

Midnights , when it releases, will mark Swift’s third album (after evermore and folkmore ) produced during the pandemic—five albums if you include the two recently re-released “Taylor’s versions” ( Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) .) The singer-songwriter will also soon have four albums (including Midnights ) that have yet to be toured.

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The Latest News On Taylor Swift's "Midnights" And The Eras Tour

Chloe Williams serves as B+C’s Entertainment Editor and resident Taylor Swift expert. Whether she’s writing a movie review or interviewing the stars of the latest hit show, Chloe loves exploring why stories inspire us. You can see her work published in BuzzFeed , Coastal Review , and North Beach Sun . When she’s not writing, Chloe’s probably watching a Marvel movie with a cherry coke or texting her sister about the latest celebrity news. Say hi at @thechloewilliams on Insta and @ popculturechlo on Twitter!

Taylor Swift has done it again, folks. On August 28, while accepting her record-breaking third Video of the Year award — and after acknowledging that for the first time, there were four (!!!) women directors in the category — Swift announced that she would be releasing her brand new album Midnights on October 21, 2022. It's her first new album since evermore in December 2020, and with the magical feel of fire and Swift's makeup, we are loving the grunge-meets-glitter aesthetic.

With lyrics like "And it's 2 a.m. and I'm cursing your name" in "The Way I Loved You" and "The lingering question kept me up. 2 a.m., who do you love?" in "Enchanted," we knew that this was one concept album that Swift would knock out of the park. And she did not disappoint — it's definitely one of her best albums ! Keep reading for everything you need to know about Midnights , the Eras Tour , and all her surprise songs .

How many 2024 Grammy nominations does Taylor Swift's Midnights have?

Image via Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The 2024 Grammy nominations were announced on November 10 and Taylor Swift got a total of six nominations: Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights, Best Pop Solo Performance for "Anti-Hero", Best Pop Duo/Group Performance “Karma (feat. Ice Spice)", Song of the Year for “Anti-Hero” with Jack Antonoff, Record of the Year for "Anti-Hero", and Album of the Year for Midnights .

She ended up winning Best Pop Vocal Album — but Taylor Swift's Midnights also won Album of the Year, making her the first person in history to win the award four times. Taylor continues to break records and we are totally here for it!

How many songs does Midnights have?

Taylor Swift's new album features 13 songs (which also happens to be her lucky number). We finally got the full tracklist on October 7 — or so we thought. After the whole album dropped at midnight on October 21, Swift made a surprise drop of seven extra tracks at 3am!

The album features some collabs. Track 4, "Snow On The Beach," features Lana Del Rey. We're over the moon because this has been a featured artist we've wanted for so long! Not only is Del Rey singing but Dylan O'Brien (who starred in All Too Well: The Short Film ) plays the drums on the track.

Swift worked with Jack Antonoff to produce Midnights , and wrote songs with Antonoff, Joe Alwyn, and Zoë Kravitz, among others. Jack recently opened up to Vulture about the process of recording the album, and admitted his close friendship with Taylor helped the process more than just about anything else — and how Midnights ' closer might not have made it onto the album!

"We made the bulk of [ Midnights ] in my apartment," he says in the interview. "['Mastermind'] a strange little song, and it just reminded me of the kind of thing that you can do with really close friends, whereas if it was a new relationship, you might not be able to dare to suck. Like, just try some weird shit. Because every once in a while, when you really throw yourself out there, you actually get the stuff that’s the most brilliant."

What is the Eras Tour?

See on Instagram

This is the first time Taylor Swift has gone on tour since ending the Reputation tour in 2018. Taylor Swift's newest tour covers all of her "eras, stories, songs, and late nights" together. Not only will fans get to see Swift but her opening acts include names like Paramore, Gracie Abrams, and Phoebe Bridgers. We're freaking out. As Miss Swift herself once said, "Baby let the games begin!"

Taylor also announced International Dates on June 20 and the second leg of the US tour on August 3! (Plus some extra Canadian dates November 2!) It's never too late to break out your best Taylor Swift costume and figure out concert tickets 👀.

In her December 2023 Person of the Year profile with TIME Magazine, Taylor talked about how she's known the tour was a big deal from the very beginning.

“I knew this tour was harder than anything I’d ever done before by a long shot,” she says. “Every day I would run on the treadmill, singing the entire set list out loud...Fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs.”

Taylor used a program her gym created just for her to help with her stamina, and worked with choreographer Mandy Moore, who BFF Emma Stone recommended. “I had three months of dance training, because I wanted to get it in my bones,” Taylor tells TIME. But instead of only training for endurance, she wanted to train for an even more important reason: “I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought.”

And that's exactly what happened! Taylor has become so comfortable and confident onstage that she can make funny faces, improv dance moves, and mess around with her background dancers — and the show continues without a hitch. It's genuinely fun to watch and even more fun to recreate her dances! Taylor also admits that after a stretch of shows, she takes an entire day to relax and eat in bed, which might be the most relatable thing she's ever said.

Is You're Losing Me on Spotify?

Yes, "You're Losing Me" is finally on Spotify! In honor of Spotify naming Taylor Swift their Top Global Artist, she released the fan favorite track on streaming platforms. Before November 29, it had only been on exclusive physical copies of Midnights !

What is the Eras Tour Concert Film?

Taylor Swift fans can relive their concert experience thanks to the Eras Tour Concert Film, a fall movie that's in theaters now!

"The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon," Taylor Swift says in an Instagram post . "Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged 🫶"

What is Midnights about?

Midnights chronicles over a dozen different sleepless nights throughout Taylor's life. Fans speculated whether it would have a toned-down, alternative sound or be a rock album like the one fans are convinced was supposed to drop in 2016. Turns out, it has more of a dreamy, ethereal pop finish that feels like 1989 and reputation 's big sister. Once again, Swift masterfully pairs an upbeat, glittery sound with deep and emotional lyrics for an unbeatable combo.

As far as lyrics go, the songs cover the kind of love, heartbreak, and self-loathing that keep Swift (and us) up at night. Our favorite lines so far are "Falling in a dream/Stars by the pocketful" from "Snow on the Beach" and "Draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man" from "Vigilante Shit."

"You should find another guiding light, guiding light/But I shine so bright" from "Dear Reader" is another memorable line that reveals how difficult it is for Swift to have so many people looking to her in moments when it feels like her life is falling apart.

Where can I listen to Midnights?

Taylor Swift had a whole release week schedule full of late night appearances, music video drops, and record + CD drops. You can listen to the album on Spotify and Apple Music .

Are there any exclusive editions?

On Taylor Swift's official website, you can get the standard edition of Midnights , as well as three alternate versions. The cool thing is that when you put all four together, the images on the back turn into a clock! You can also buy the Midnights and displays.

Target is offering a lavender vinyl and deluxe edition CD , the latter of which features three bonus tracks you won't be able to get anywhere else.

Taylor announced on May 24 that her shows in East Rutherford, New Jersey (which she's playing May 26, 27, and 28) will be selling a special edition CD featuring the Midnights vault track "You're Losing Me."

What Songs Are On Midnights?

@taylorswift Midnights tracklist reveal!! Introducing: Midnights Mayhem with Me 🌌😎 #TSmidnighTS   #SwiftTok   #MidnightsMayhemWithMe   ♬ Midnights Mayhem episode 1 - Taylor Swift

Swift posted a TikTok on September 21, 2022 where she revealed that she'd be revealing us the names of the tracks one at a time at random. The first track she revealed was Track 13 (of course), titled "Mastermind." And on October 7, we finally got the full tracklist for the standard version.

Midnights Tracklist:

• "Lavender Haze"
• "Maroon"
• "Anti-Hero"
• "Snow On The Beach" Feat. Lana Del Rey
• "You're On Your Own Kid"
• "Midnight Rain"
• "Question...?"
• "Vigilante Shit"
• "Bejeweled"
• "Labyrinth"
• "Karma"
• "Sweet Nothing"
• "Mastermind"

Additional Songs On Midnights ( 3AM Edition)

• "The Great War"
• "Bigger Than The Whole Sky"
• "Paris"
• "High Infidelity"
• "Glitch"
• "Would've, Could've, Should've"
• "Dear Reader"

Additional Songs On Midnights (Til Dawn Edition)

• "Hits Different"
• "Snow On The Beach" Feat. More Lana Del Rey
• "Karma" Feat. Ice Spice

Taylor Swift's Music Videos For Midnights

The video for “Karma (feat. Ice Spice)” has *so* many looks — and Easter eggs — that it's hard to keep track of all of them! Our personal favorite look is when Taylor's in the lightbulb. 💡

The video for the album opener, "Lavender Haze," was released on January 27 at midnight and features some seriously beautiful imagery. Check out our theory video here !

The video for "Bejeweled," an updated Cinderella retelling, was released on October 25th. This music video is filled to the brim with Easter eggs !

The music video for "Anti-Hero," which follows two separate Taylors who seem to be against each other, was released on October 21.

Taylor Swift released an acoustic version of the Midnights opener, "Lavender Haze" on March 31. It's so dreamy! We're obsessed with how the guitar and the different harmonies blend together. This will definitely be on repeat for all of 2023.

The Full List Of Eras Tour Dates

2023 eras tour dates.

• State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ); March 17 - 18
• Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, NV); March 24 - 25
• AT&T Stadium, (Arlington, TX); March 31 - April 2
• Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL); April 13 - 15
• NRG Stadium (Houston, TX); April 21 - 23
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA); April 28 - 30
• Nissan Stadium (Nashville, TN); May 5 - 7
• Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA); May 12 - 14
• Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA); May 19 - 21
• MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ); May 26 - 28
• Soldier Field (Chicago, IL); June 2 - 4
• Ford Field (Detroit, MI); June 9 - 10
• Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh, PA); June 16 - 17
• U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN); June 23 - 24
• Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati, OH); June 30 - July 1
• GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MI); July 7 - 8
• Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO); July 14 - 15
• Lumen Field (Seattle, WA); July 22 - 23
• Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, CA); July 28 - 29
• Sofi Stadium (Los Angeles, CA); Aug. 3 - 5; Aug. 7 - 9
• Foro Sol (Mexico City, Mexico); Aug. 24-27
• Estadio River Plate (Buenos Aires, Argentina); Nov. 9-11
• Estádio Nilton Santos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil); Nov. 17-19
• Allianz Parque (So Paulo, Brazil); Nov. 24-26

2024 Eras Tour Dates

• Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan); Feb. 7-10
• MCG (Melbourne, Australia); Feb. 16-18
• Accor Stadium (Sydney, Australia); Feb. 23-26
• National Stadium, Singapore (Singapore); March 2-4; March 7-9
• Paris La Défense Arena (Paris, France); May 9-12
• Friends Arena (Stockholm, Sweden); May 17-19
• Estadio da Luz (Lisbon, Portugal); May 24-25
• Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid, Spain); May 30
• Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France); June 2-3
• BT Murrayfield Stadium (Edinburgh, UK); June 7-9
• Anfield Stadium (Liverpool, UK); June 13-15
• Principality Stadium (Cardiff, UK); June 18
• Wembley Stadium (London, UK); June 21-23
• Aviva Stadium (Dublin, Ireland); June 28-30
• Johan Cruijff Arena (Amsterdam, Netherlands); July 4-6
• Stadion Letzigrund Zürich (Zürich, Switzerland); July 9-10
• San Siro Stadium (Milan, Italy); July 13-14
• Veltins-Arena (Gelsenkirchen, Germany); July 17-19
• Volksparkstadion (Hamburg, Germany); July 23-24
• Olumpiastadion (Munich, Germany); July 27-28
• Pge Narodowy (Warsaw, Poland); Aug. 1-3
• Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Vienna, Austria); Aug. 8-10
• Wembley Stadium (London, UK); Aug. 15-17; Aug. 19-20
• Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL); Oct. 18-20
• Caesers Superdome (New Orleans, LA); Oct. 25-27
• Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN); Nov. 1-3
• Rogers Centre (Toronto, Ontario); Nov. 14-16; Nov. 21-23
• BC Place (Vancouver, British Columbia); Dec. 06-08

Are you excited for Taylor Swift's Midnights ? Let us know on Twitter and subscribe to our email newsletter for more entertainment content. You can also check out which Taylor Swift lyric you are based on your enneagram !

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This post has been updated.

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Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's New Album 'Midnights'

Taylor Swift dropped a bombshell announcement at the 2022 MTV VMAs: Her new album will drop Oct. 21. GRAMMY.com has compiled everything we know about ‘Midnights.’

In just 10 midnights, Swifties can revel in the newest Taylor Swift album. That’s right: Swift's much-anticipated evermore follow-up, Midnights , is on the way.

That's what the singer revealed at the 2022 MTV VMAs on Aug. 28, when she took the stage to accept the coveted Video of the Year trophy.

"I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21," she said. "And I will tell you more at midnight."

Naturally, fans stampeded to TaylorSwift.com at the ordained time — and were greeted by the album’s artwork and a poetic message from Swift: "We lie awake in love and fear, in turmoil and in tears. We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren't—– right this minute — about to make some fateful life-altering mistake."

She shared a few other curiosity-piquing details, setting the stage for what is bound to be another one of Swift’s mystical musical chapters. As Swift continues to unveil details, here's everything we know about Taylor Swift's 10th studio album, Midnights , so far.

NEW @TAYLORSWIFT13 ALBUM IS COMING….. and she told us because the Swifties gave her Video Of The Year ♥️ #VMAs pic.twitter.com/hmzwsXaVRG — MTV (@MTV) August 29, 2022

It’s A Bit Of A Time Capsule

As Swift wrote in her official album announcement, Midnights will be made up of “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”  

"This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face," she explained. "For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching – hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve… we'll meet ourselves." 

It Will (Appropriately) Feature 13 Tracks

Thirteen sleepless nights amounts to 13 songs — and as Swifties know, that number may not be a coincidence. Swift (who was born on Dec. 13) has long claimed 13 as her lucky number, and she has referenced numerous times throughout her career and catalog. Looks like Midnight will continue that trend.

Swift announced the album's tracklist in an Instagram post; its A-side opening with "Lavender Haze" and featuring evocative titles such as "Anti-Hero" and You're On Your Own, Kid." Side B is similarly beguiling with songs titled "Karma," "Sweet Nothing" and "Mastermind." 

Taylor Lights A Lighter On The Cover

Check out the beautifully minimal, stormy-hued cover, where Swift lights a Zippo-style lighter before her visage.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

The Album Is Available For Pre-Order Now

According to Swift's official website, Midnights ' vinyl edition will feature the following: a "unique moonstone blue marbled color vinyl disc," a "collectible album sleeve" with varying full-sized photos of the artist, and a "collectible 8-page lyric booklet with never-before-seen photos."

As for the CD version, it contains a "moonstone blue marbled color disc," "unique disc artwork" and a 24-page version of said lyric booklet — yes, with never-before-seen photos included.

Keep checking GRAMMY.com and watching this space as additional details about Midnights are revealed!

Taylor Swift's Road To Folklore : How The Superstar Evolved From 'Diaristic' Country Tunes To Her Most Progressive Music Yet

Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

11 Artists Who Influenced Taylor Swift: Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Tim McGraw & More

From Paul McCartney to Paramore, Emily Dickinson and even "Game of Thrones," read on for some of the major influences Taylor Swift has referenced throughout her GRAMMY-winning career.

As expected, much buzz followed the release of Taylor Swift 's 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , on April 19. Fans and critics alike have devoured the sprawling double album’s 31 tracks, unpacking her reflections from "a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time" in search of Easter eggs, their new favorite lyrics and references to famous faces (both within the pop supernova’s closely guarded orbit and the historical record). 

Shoutouts abound in The Tortured Poets Department : Charlie Puth gets his much-deserved (and Taylor-approved) flowers on the title track, while 1920s screen siren Clara Bow, the ancient Greek prophetess Cassandra and Peter Pan each get a song titled after them. Post Malone and   Florence + the Machine ’s Florence Welch each tap in for memorable duets. Relationships old (Joe Alwyn), new (Travis Kelce) and somewhere in between (1975’s Matty Healy) are alluded to without naming names, as is, possibly, the singer’s reputation -era feud with Kim Kardashian. 

Swift casts a wide net on The Tortured Poets Department , encompassing popular music, literature, mythology and beyond, but it's far from the first time the 14-time GRAMMY winner has worn her influences on her sleeve. While you digest TTPD , consider these 10 figures who have influenced the poet of the hour — from Stevie Nicks and Patti Smith to Emily Dickinson, William Wordsworth, Arya Stark and more.

Stevie Nicks

If Taylor Swift is the chairman of The Tortured Poets Department , Stevie Nicks may as well be considered its poet laureate emeritus. The mystical Fleetwood Mac frontwoman earns an important mention on side A closer "Clara Bow," in which Swift ties an invisible string from herself to a pre- Rumours Nicks ("In ‘75, the hair and lips/ Crowd goes wild at her fingertips"), and all the way back to the 1920s It Girl of the song’s title.

For her part, Nicks seems to approve of her place in Swift’s cultural lineage, considering she penned the poem found inside physical copies of The Tortured Poets Department . "He was in love with her/ Or at least she thought so," the Priestess of Rock and Roll wrote in part, before signing off, "For T — and me…"

Swift’s relationship with Nicks dates back to the 2010 GRAMMYs, when the pair performed a medley of "Rhiannon" and "You Belong With Me " before the then-country upstart took home her first Album Of The Year win for 2009’s Fearless . More recently, the "Edge of Seventeen" singer publicly credited Swift’s Midnights cut "You’re On Your Own, Kid" for helping her through the 2022 death of Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie .

Patti Smith

Swift may see herself as more "modern idiot" than modern-day Patti Smith, but that didn’t stop the superstar from name-dropping the icon synonymous with the Hotel Chelsea and punk scene of ‘70s New York on a key track on The Tortured Poets Department . Swift rather self-deprecatingly compares herself to the celebrated Just Kids memoirist (and 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame nominee) on the double album’s synth-drenched title track, and it’s easy to see how Smith’s lifelong fusion of rock and poetry influenced the younger singer’s dactylic approach to her new album. 

Smith seemed to appreciate the shout-out on "The Tortured Poets Department" as well. "This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Thank you Taylor," she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of herself reading Thomas’ 1940 poetry collection Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog .

Emily Dickinson

When it comes to iconic poets, Swift has also taken a page or two over her career from Emily Dickinson. While the great 19th century poet hasn’t come up explicitly in Swift’s work, she did reference her poetic forebear (and actual sixth cousin, three times removed !) in her speech while accepting the award for Songwriter-Artist of the Decade at the 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards.

"I’ve never talked about this publicly before, because, well, it’s dorky. But I also have, in my mind, secretly, established genre categories for lyrics I write. Three of them, to be exact. They are affectionately titled Quill Lyrics, Fountain Pen Lyrics and Glitter Gel Pen Lyrics," Swift told the audience before going on to explain, "If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great-grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre," she went on to explain.

Even before this glimpse into Swift’s writing process, Easter eggs had been laid pointing to her familial connection to Dickinson. For example, she announced her ninth album evermore on December 10, 2020, which would have been the late poet’s 190th birthday. Another clue that has Swifties convinced? Dickinson’s use of the word "forevermore" in her 1858 poem "One Sister Have I in Our House," which Swift also cleverly breaks apart in Evermore ’s Bon Iver-assisted title track ("And I couldn’t be sure/ I had a feeling so peculiar/ That this pain would be for/ Evermore").

The Lake Poets

Swift first put her growing affinity for poetry on display during her folklore era with "the lakes." On the elegiac bonus track, the singer draws a parallel with the Lake Poets of the 19th century, wishing she could escape to "the lakes where all the poets went to die" with her beloved muse in tow. In between fantasizing about "those Windermere peaks" and pining for "auroras and sad prose," she even manages to land a not-so-subtle jab at nemesis Scooter Braun ("I’ve come too far to watch some name-dropping sleaze/ Tell me what are my words worth") that doubles as clever wordplay on the last name of Lake Poet School members William and Dorothy Wordsworth.

Swift revealed more about why she connected to the Lake Poets in her 2020 Disney+ documentary folklore: the long pond studio sessions . "There was a poet district, these artists that moved there. And they were kind of heckled for it and made fun of for it as being these eccentrics and these kind of odd artists who decided that they just wanted to live there," she explained to her trusted producer Jack Antonoff . "So ‘the lakes,’ it kind of is the overarching theme of the whole album: of trying to escape, having something you wanna protect, trying to protect your own sanity and saying, ‘Look, they did this hundreds of years ago. I’m not the first person who’s felt this way.’"

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney and Swift have publicly praised one another’s work for years, leading to the 2020 Rolling Stone cover they posed for together for the special Musicians on Musicians issue . The younger singer even counts Sir Paul’s daughter Stella McCartney as a close friend and collaborator (Stella designed a capsule collection for Swift’s 2019 studio set Lover and earned a shout-out of her own on album cut "London Boy").

However, Swift took her relationship with the Beatles founder and his family a step further when it was rumored she based Midnights deep cut "Sweet Nothing" on McCartney’s decades-long romance with late wife Linda. While the speculation has never been outright confirmed, it appears Swift’s lyrics in the lilting love song ("On the way home, I wrote a poem/ You say, ‘What a mind’/ This happens all the time") were partially inspired by a strikingly similar quote McCartney once gave about his relationship with Linda, who passed away in 1998. To add to the mystique, the Midnights singer even reportedly liked a tweet from 2022 espousing the theory.  

The admiration between the duo seems to go both ways as well, with the former Beatle admitting in a 2018 BBC profile that the track "Who Cares" from his album Egypt Station was inspired by Swift’s close relationship with her fans.

From her days as a country music ingénue to her ascendance as the reigning mastermind of pop, Swift has credited the Chicks as a seminal influence in her songwriting and career trajectory. (Need examples? Look anywhere from early singles like "Picture to Burn" and "Should’ve Said No" to Evermore ’s Haim-assisted murder ballad "no body, no crime" and her own Lover -era collab with the band, "Soon You’ll Get Better.") 

In a 2020 Billboard cover story tied to the Chicks’ eighth album Gaslighter , Swift acknowledged just how much impact the trio made on her growing up. "Early in my life, these three women showed me that female artists can play their own instruments while also putting on a flamboyant spectacle of a live show," she said at the time. "They taught me that creativity, eccentricity, unapologetic boldness and kitsch can all go together authentically. Most importantly, they showed an entire generation of girls that female rage can be a bonding experience between us all the very second we first heard Natalie Maines bellow ‘that Earl had to DIE.’"

"Game of Thrones"

When reputation dropped in 2017, Swift was on a self-imposed media blackout, which meant no cover stories or dishy sit-down interviews on late-night TV during the album’s roll-out. Instead, the singer let reputation speak for itself, and fans were largely left to draw their own conclusions about their queen’s wildly anticipated comeback album. Two years later, though, Swift revealed the dark, vengeful, romantic body of work was largely inspired by "Game of Thrones."

"These songs were half based on what I was going through, but seeing them through a 'Game of Thrones' filter," she told Entertainment Weekly in 2019. "My entire outlook on storytelling has been shaped by ["GoT"] — the ability to foreshadow stories, to meticulously craft cryptic story lines. So, I found ways to get more cryptic with information and still be able to share messages with the fans. I aspire to be one one-millionth of the kind of hint dropper the makers of 'Game of Thrones' have been."

Joni Mitchell

Swift has long made her admiration of Joni Mitchell known, dating back to her 2012 album Red , which took a cue from the folk pioneer’s landmark 1971 LP Blue for its chromatic title. In an interview around the time of Red ’s release, the country-pop titan gushed over Blue ’s impact on her, telling Rhapsody, "[Mitchell] wrote it about her deepest pains and most haunting demons. Songs like ‘River,’ which is just about her regrets and doubts of herself — I think this album is my favorite because it explores somebody’s soul so deeply."

Back in 2015, TIME declared the "Blank Space" singer a "disciple of Mitchell in ways both obvious and subtle" — from her reflective songwriting to the complete ownership over her creative process, and nearly 10 years later, Swift was still showing her appreciation for Mitchell after the latter’s triumphant and emotional appearance on the GRAMMY stage to perform "Both Sides Now" on the very same night Taylor took home her historic fourth GRAMMY for Album Of The Year for Midnights .

Fall Out Boy & Paramore

When releasing the re-recording of her third album Speak Now in 2023, Swift cited two unexpectedly emo acts as inspirations to her early songwriting: Fall Out Boy and Paramore . 

"Since Speak Now was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time and ask them to sing on the album," she wrote in an Instagram post revealing the back cover and complete tracklist for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) , which included Fall Out Boy collaboration "Electric Touch" and "Castles Crumbling" featuring Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams .

For one of Swift’s original career inspirations, we have to go all the way back to the very first single she ever released. "Tim McGraw" was not only as the lead single off the 16-year-old self-titled 2006 debut album, but it also paid reverent homage to one of the greatest living legends in the history of country music. 

In retrospect, it was an incredibly gutsy risk for a then-unknown Swift to come raring out of the gate with a song named after a country superstar. But the gamble clearly paid off in spades, considering that now, when an entire generation of music fans hear "Tim McGraw," they think of Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is A Post-Mortem Autopsy In Song: 5 Takeaways From Her New Album

Photos (L-R): Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management, Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear Channel

Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon

Upon the arrival of Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' take a deep dive into her discography and see how each album helped her become the genre-shifting superstar she is today.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 19 to reflect the release of The Tortured Poets Department.

The world now knows Taylor Swift as a global pop superstar, but back in 2006, she was just a doe-eyed country prodigy. Since then, she's released 11 studio albums, re-recorded four as "Taylor's Version," and cultivated one of the most feverish fan bases in music. Oh, and she's also won 14 GRAMMY Awards, including four for Album Of The Year — the most ever won by an artist.

Swift has become one of music's most notable shapeshifters by refusing to limit herself to one genre, moving between country, pop, folk and beyond. A once-in-a-lifetime generational storyteller, one could argue that she is music's modern-day maverick, constantly evolving both her music and the culture around her.

Every album era has seen Swift reinvent herself over and over, which has helped pave the way for artists to explore other musical avenues. In turn, Swift hasn't just become one of the biggest artists of all time — she's changed pop music altogether.

To celebrate Taylor Swift's newest era with The Tortured Poets Department , GRAMMY.com looks back on all of her albums (Taylor's Versions not included) and how each era shaped her remarkable career.

Taylor Swift : Finding Her Place In Music

In a genre dominated by men, the odds were already stacked against Swift when she first broke into country music as a teenage female artist. The thing that differentiated her from other writers — and still does to this day — is her songwriting. She didn't want to be just "another girl singer" and knew writing her own songs would be what set her apart. 

Written throughout her adolescence, Taylor Swift was recorded at the end of 2005 and finalized by the time Swift finished her freshman year of high school. Serving as a snapshot of Swift's life and teenhood, she avoided songwriting stereotypes typically found in country music. Instead, she wanted to capture the years of her life while they still represented what she was going through, writing about what she was observing and experiencing, from love and friendship to feeling like an outsider. 

As a songwriter, Taylor Swift set the tone for what would be expected of her future recordings — all songs were written by her, some solely and others with one or two co-writers. One writer in particular, Liz Rose , applauded Swift's songwriting capabilities, stating that she was more of an "editor" for the songs because Swift already had such a distinct vision. 

The album's lead single, "Tim McGraw," an acoustic country ballad inspired by Swift knowing her relationship was going to end, represents an intricate part of Swift's songwriting process; meticulously picking apart her emotions to better understand them. With its follow-up, "Our Song" — which spent six consecutive weeks on the top of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart — she became the youngest person to solely write and sing a No. 1 country single; she also became the first female solo artist in country music to write or co-write every song on an album. 

Although Swift's eponymous debut is underappreciated now — even lacking its own set on Swift's Eras Tour — Taylor Swift 's forthcoming rerecording is arguably the most anticipated by fans, who are eager to hear the songs with the singer's current and more refined vocals. Still, for fans who haven't properly explored Taylor Swift , it's easy to tie together Swift's earlier work to her current discography. 

On the track "A Place In This World," a song she wrote when she was just 13, Swift sings about not fitting in and trying to find her path. While her songwriting has developed and matured, feeling like an outsider and carving her own path is a theme she still writes about now, as seen on Midnights ' "You're On Your Own, Kid." 

Even as a new country artist, critics claimed that she "mastered" the genre while subsequently ushering it to a new era — one that would soon see Swift dabble in country-pop. 

Fearless : Creating A Different Kind Of Fairytale

If Taylor Swift was the soundtrack to navigating the early stages of teenhood, Fearless is Swift's coming-of-age record. More than its predecessor, Fearless blurs the line between country and pop thanks to crossover hits like "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me," yet still keeps the confessional attributes known in country songwriting. 

Most of Fearless is Swift coming to terms with what she believed love to be. On the album's liner notes, Swift says Fearless is about "living in spite" of the things that scare you, like falling in love again despite being hurt before or walking away and letting go. The 2008 version of Taylor wanted to "believe in love stories and prince charmings and happily ever after," whereas in Swift's Fearless (Taylor's Version) liner notes, she looks back on the album as a diary where she was learning "tiny lessons" every time there was a "new crack in the facade of the fairytale ending she'd been shown in the movies." 

Much of Fearless also sees Swift being reflective and nostalgic about adolescence, like in "Never Grow Up" and "Fifteen." Still wistful and romantic, the album explores Swift's hopes for love, as heard in the album's lead single "Love Story," which was one instance where she was "dramatizing" observations instead of actually experiencing them herself. 

Unlike the slow-burn of Taylor Swift , Fearless went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks. It won Swift's first Album Of The Year GRAMMY in 2010, at the time making her the youngest person to win the accolade at age 20. To date, it has sold 7.2 million copies in America alone. It might not be the romantic tale Swift dreamed of growing up, but her sophomore album signalled that bigger things were to come.

Speak Now : Proving Her Songwriting Prowess

Everything that happened after the success of Fearless pushed Swift from country music's best-kept secret to a mainstream star. But this meant that she faced more publicity and criticism, from naysayers who nitpicked her songwriting and vocals to the infamous Kanye West incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

For the first time since becoming an artist, she was forced to reckon with the concept of celebrity and how turning into one — whether she wanted it or not — informed her own writing and perception of herself. No longer was she the girl writing songs like "Fifteen" in her bedroom — now she was working through becoming a highly publicized figure. Speak Now is the answer to those growing pains. 

Along with having more eyes on her, Swift also felt pressured to maintain her persona as a perfect young female role model amid a time when her peers like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato were attempting to rebrand to be more mature and sexier. During her NYU commencement speech in 2022, she reflected on this era of her life as one of intense fear that she could make a mistake and face lasting consequences, so the songs were masked in metaphors rather than directly addressing adult themes in her music. But that also resulted in some of her most poignant lyrics to date.

Read More: For The Record: How Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' Changed Her Career — And Proved She'll Always Get The Last Word

Writing the entire album herself, Swift used Speak Now to prove her songwriting prowess to those who questioned her capabilities. Much like her previous two albums, Swift included songs that were both inspired by her own life and being a fly on the wall. The album's title track pulled from the saying, "Speak now or forever hold your peace," inspired by a friend's ex-boyfriend getting engaged; meanwhile, "Mean" was everything Swift wanted to say to a critic who was continuously harsh about her vocals.

Retrospective and reflective, Speak Now is an album about the speeches she could've, would've and should've said. From addressing the aforementioned VMA incident in the forgiving "Innocent" to a toxic relationship in "Dear John," Speak Now also hinted that her rose-colored glasses were cracked, but Swift (and her songwriting) was only becoming stronger because of it.

Red : Coming Into Her Own

Highly regarded as Swift's magnum opus, Red sees the singer shed the fairytale dresses and the girl-next-door persona to craft a body of work that has now been deemed as her first "adult" record. On Red, Swift focused on emotions evoked from a hot-and-cold relationship, one that forced her to experience " intense love, intense frustration, jealousy and confusion " — all feelings that she'd describe as "red." 

Unlike most of her previous writing that had been inspired by happy endings and fairytales, Red explores the lingering pain and loss that can embed itself within despite trying your hardest to let go. In her liner notes, she references Pablo Neruda's poem "Tonight I Can Write," stating that "Love is so short, forgetting is so long" is the overarching theme for the album. She plays with time — speeding it up in "Starlight," dabbling in the past in "All Too Well," and reframing it in "State of Grace" — to better understand her experiences. 

After releasing country-pop records, Red toed the line between genres more than ever before. Swift leaned further into the full pop territory by working with esteemed producers Max Martin and Shellback for the dubstep-leaning track "I Knew You Were Trouble," the punchy lead single "We Are Never Getting Back Together," and the bouncy anthem "22." But even when the pop power players weren't involved, her country stylings still leaned more pop across the album, as further evidenced with the racing deep cut "Holy Ground" and the echoing title track. 

The slight change of direction became polarizing for critics and fans alike. Following the more country-influenced Speak Now , some critics and fans found the pop songs on Red were too pop and the lyrics were too repetitive, possibly indicating that she might be selling out. If that wasn't enough, Red became an era where Swift's personal life went from speculation to tabloid fodder, with misogynistic headlines and diluting her work to just "writing about her exes." It's an era that would eventually inspire many tracks on Red 's successor, 1989 , like "Blank Space" and "Shake It Off."

Commercially, Red debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 1.2 million copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling country album and making Swift the first female artist to have three consecutive albums spend six or more weeks at the top of the chart. The impact of Red extended beyond its own success, too. Often mentioned as a record that inspired a generation of artists from Troye Sivan to Conan Gray , Swift's confessional, soul-bearing authenticity set a new standard for straightforward pop music. 

1989 : Reinventing Into A Pop Genius

The night Red lost the GRAMMY for Album Of The Year in 2014, Swift decided that her next album would be a full-on pop record. After years of identifying as a country artist and flirting with pop, Swift departed her roots to reinvent herself, no matter what her then-label or critics had to say. And in true Swiftian fashion, turning into a pop artist didn't just prove her genre-shapeshifting capabilities — it further solidified her as an artist who is at her best when she freely creates to her desires and refuses to adhere to anyone.

1989 was lauded by critics for its infectious synth-pop that was reminiscent of the 1980s, yet still had a contemporary sound. Swift opted to lean more into radio-friendly hits, which resulted in songs like "Style," "Wildest Dreams," "Blank Space," and "Shake It Off," all of which became singles. And where some might trade a hit or two at the expense of their artistic integrity, Swift didn't falter — instead, her lyrics were just as heartfelt and intimate as they were on prior albums.

After exploring pop-leaning sonics she first found with Red , Swift worked with Martin and Shellback again on most of 1989 . This reinvention brought new (and very important) collaborators as well. Swift's now-frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff credits her as the first person to take a chance on him as a producer with "I Wish You Would" and "Out Of The Woods"; both tracks exemplified how future Antonoff-produced songs would sound on albums like reputation, Lover and Midnights .

At the time, 1989 became Swift's best-selling album to date. It sold nearly 1.3 million copies within release week in the U.S., debuting atop the Billboard 200 and reigning for 11 non-consecutive weeks. The album also earned Swift several awards — including her second Album Of The Year GRAMMY, which made her the first female artist to ever win the award twice. 

Following the release of 1989 , Swift became a cultural juggernaut, and the album has had an omnipresence in music since. Swift didn't just normalize blending genres, but proved that you can create a sound that is uniquely yours by doing so. In turn, Billie Eilish , Dua Lipa and more pop stars have refused to conform or stick to what they've done prior. 

reputation : Killing The Old Taylor

For years, Swift was on a strict two-year cycle — she'd release an album one year, tour the next, and then release a new album the following year. But following the heightened scrutiny and highly publicized tabloid drama that followed the end of the 1989 era, Swift completely disappeared for a year. She stayed away from public appearances, didn't do any press, and missed the album schedule fans became accustomed to. It wasn't until summer 2017 when she returned from her media (and social media) blackout to unveil the fitting title for her new album: reputation .

Born as a response to the naysayers and name-callers, reputation follows Swift shedding her public image — which includes the pressure to be perfect, the drama, and the criticism — by declaring, "There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation." Leaning on the same tongue-in-cheek songwriting techniques she used while penning "Blank Space," Swift wrote from the mindset of how the public perceived her.

When Swift released the lead single "Look What You Made Me Do," a song she initially wrote as a poem about not trusting specific people, many assumed the album would center on vengeance and drama. Although Swift said that the album has its vindictive moments — even declaring that the "old Taylor" is dead on the bridge of "Look What You Made Me Do" — it's a vulnerable record for her. Swift described reputation as a bait-and-switch; at their core, the songs are about finding love in the darkest moments. 

Swift still remained in the pop lane with reputation , largely leaning on Antonoff and the Martin/Shellback team. The sound almost mirrored the scrutiny Swift faced in the years prior — booming electropop beats, maximalist production and pulsing synthesizers dominate, particularly on "End Game," "I Did Something Bad," and "Ready For It…?" But the "old Taylor" isn't entirely gone on songs like "Call It What You Want," "So It Goes…" and "New Year's Day," where she lets her guard down to write earnest love odes.

Even after Swift spent some time away from the spotlight, the public didn't immediately gravitate toward her return. And even despite matching the 1.2 million first-week sales of her previous releases, some concluded that the album was her first commercial failure when compared to 1989 . With time, though, it became clear that the response to reputation became muddled with the public's overall perception of her at the time — some even claimed that Swift was ahead of her time with the album's overall sound.

For her 2023 TIME Person of the Year profile , Swift described reputation as a "goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure." For years, she felt the pressure to be "America's Sweetheart" and to never step out of line. Writing reputation became a lifeline following the events that catalyzed it  — a way to shed the so-called snakeskin and make peace with however the public wanted to view her. 

Lover : Stepping Into The Daylight

After finding love amongst chaos with reput ation, Swift was learning to deal with the anxiety and fear of losing her partner — became a major theme of another aptly titled album, Lover . Both sonically and visually, Lover was a complete change from reputation . After touring reputation , Swift found that her fans saw her as "a flesh-and-blood human being," inspiring her to be "brave enough to be vulnerable" because her fans were along with her. Stepping away from the dark and antagonistic themes around reputation encouraged Swift to step into the light and be playful with her work on Lover .

Swift also found a new sense of creativity within this new mindset, one where she aimed to still embed playful themes in her songwriting but with less snark than that of "Blank Space" and "Look What You Made Me Do." Leaning into Lover being a "love letter to love," Swift explored every aspect of it. Tracks like "Paper Rings" and "London Boy" exude a whimsical energy, even if they center on more serious themes like marriage and commitment. Other songs, including "Death By A Thousand Cuts" and "Cornelia Street," are Swift at her most vulnerable, reflecting on a love lost and grappling with the extreme worry that comes when you could potentially lose someone. 

Looking at Lover retrospectively, it's an album that almost symbolizes a bookend in her discography. She was playful yet poignant, picking apart her past lyrics and feelings and looking at them with the perspective of someone who was once on top of the world, hit rock bottom, and survived in spite of it. This evolution is mentioned throughout Lover, particularly in a direct callback to 2012's Red , "Daylight," which sees her describe her love as "golden" rather than "burning red." 

Lover also marked the first time Swift divulged into politics and societal issues, like campaigning against Donald Trump, releasing the Pride-infused "You Need To Calm Down," and feeling disillusioned by the political climate with "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince." Swift's documentary Miss Americana explores this change further, discussing how she regrets not being vocal about politics and issues prior, in addition to opening up about her body image issues and mental health struggles.

Lover became Swift's sixth No. 1 album in America, making her the first female artist to achieve the feat. But Lover was more than any accolades could reflect — it was Swift's transitional album in many ways, notably marking the first album that she owned entirely herself following leaving Big Machine Records for Republic Records in 2018.

folklore : Looking Beyond Her Personal Stories

After the pandemic started and Swift cancelled her Lover Fest, she spent the early stages of quarantine reading and watching a myriad of films. Without exactly setting out to create an album, she began dreaming of fictional stories and characters with various narrative arcs, allowing her imagination to run free. The result became folklore , 2020's surprise archetypal quarantine album.

Crafting a world with characters like the folklore love triangle between those in "betty" and "august," as well as Rebekah Harkness from "the last great american dynasty" (who once lived in Swift's Rhode Island mansion), was Swift's way of venturing outside her typical autobiographical style of writing. She'd see visceral images in her mind — from battleships to tree swings to mirrored disco balls — and turned them into stories, sometimes weaving in her own personal narrative throughout, or taking on a narrator role and speaking from the perspective of someone she had never met. 

She worked remotely with two producers — again working with her right-hand man Jack Antonoff, and first-time collaborator Aaron Dessner from The National . Some songs, like "peace," were recorded in just one take, capturing the essence and fragility in the song's story, whereas the lyrics for the sun-drenched "august" were penned on the spot as Swift was in her makeshift home studio in Los Angeles.

Another aspect that separated folklore from her previous work was the obvious decision not to create hits made for radio play, so much so that Dessner claimed that she made an anti-pop record at a time when radio wanted clear "bops." Sonically, it ventured into genres Swift hadn't explored much outside of a few folkier tracks on Lover . Rather than relying on mostly electronic elements, Swift, Antonoff and Dessner weaved in soft pianos, ethereal strings, and plucky guitars.

folklore 's impact on the zeitgeist at a time where everyone was stuck at home helped shape people's quarantine experience. Fans rejoiced at having songs to comfort them during difficult times, and artists like Maya Hawke , Gracie Abrams , and Sabrina Carpenter credit folklore for inspiring them to create and be even more emotionally honest in their songwriting. After its release, folklore became the best-selling album of 2020 after selling 1.2 million records. At the 2021 GRAMMYs, folklore took home Album Of The Year , making her the fourth artist in history to win three times in the Category. 

evermore : Embracing Experimentation

It was exciting enough for Swifties to experience one surprise album drop from Swift, an artist who typically has an entire album campaign calculated. So when evermore was released just six months after folklore , fans were in shock. 

Like its (literally) folklorian sister, evermore was a surprise release at the end of 2020, marking the first time Swift didn't have distinct "eras" between albums. She felt like there was something "different" with folklore , stating in a social media post that making it was less like she was "departing" and more like she was "returning" to the next stage of her discography. In turn, the album served as a similar escape for Swift as folklore did.

Bridging together the same wistful and nostalgic themes as heard on its predecessor, evermore sees Swift venture even further into escapism. She explores more stories and characters, some based in fiction like "dorothea," and some real, like "marjorie," written in dedication to Swift's grandmother. 

Evermore follows folklore 's inclusion of natural imagery and motifs, like landscapes, skies, ivy, and celestial elements. In contrast to the fairytale motifs and happy endings of Fearless , evermore saw Swift become fixated on "unhappy" endings — stories of failed marriages ("happiness"), lifeless relationships ("tolerate it"), and one-time flings ("'tis the damn season"). 

Sonically, evermore is a slight departure from its sister record; where folklore relies on more alt-leaning and indie-tinged sounds, evermore takes the sonics from all of Swift's past records — from pop to country to indie rock — and features all of them on one album. Country songs like "cowboy like me" and "no body, no crime" reaches back to Swift's earlier work in narrative building, seamlessly crafting a three-party story with ease. "Closure" is a "skittering" track that has the same energy as tracks like Lover 's "I Forgot That You Existed," whereas the ballad "champagne problems" is thematically reminiscent of Swift's Speak Now track "Back To December" where she takes responsibility for her lover's heartache. 

Working mostly with Dessner on evermore , Swift was emboldened to continue creating and opted to embrace whatever came naturally to them rather than limiting themselves to a sound. Swift felt a "quiet conclusion" after finishing up evermore , describing that it was more about grappling with endings of all "sizes and shapes," and the record represented a chapter closing. Even so, its poetic lyricism and mystical storytelling cleverly foreshadowed what was to come with subsequent albums, particularly The Tortured Poets Department .

Midnights : Encapsulating Her Artistic Magic

After coming out of the folklorian woods following folklore and evermore , fans and critics alike were intrigued to see what direction Swift would take on her next studio album. On Midnights , Swift leaves behind indie folk sounds and returns to the pop production of 1989 and Lover .

Her most conceptual album to date, Midnights charts 13 sleepless nights and explores five themes, from self-hatred and revenge to "what if" fantasies, falling in love, and falling apart. They are the things that keep her up at night, like the self-critiquing in "Anti-Hero," her rise to fame in "You're on Your Own, Kid," and the anxiety of falling in love again in "Labyrinth." Similarly to Swift's cheeky songwriting style that sees her create caricatures of herself in songs like "Blank Space" and "Look What You Made Me Do," she doubles down on claims she's "calculated" on "Mastermind," a song about devising a plan for her and her lover. 

Although the album is a departure from the two pandemic sister albums, the overall creation process didn't differ too much. In addition to working alongside Antonoff (and bringing Dessner in for the bonus-track-filled 3am Edition), Swift's worldbuilding is still the throughline that connects Midnights and Swift's recent albums, whether she's dreaming of a Parisian escape in "Paris" or using war imagery as a metaphor for the struggle of love in "The Great War."

Read More: 5 Takeaways From Taylor Swift's New Album 'Midnights'

Following the success with folklore and evermore , Swift's intrigue was at a then-all-time high upon the release of Midnights . Along with breaking several streaming records — including becoming the first album to exceed 700 million global streams in a week — it was Swift's 11th No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200, and was the highest-selling album of 2022 (and, remarkably, the second best-selling of 2023).

To say that Swift's celebrity has become otherworldly since the release of Midnights would be an understatement. Celebrating her genre-defying and varied discography through The Eras Tour has resulted in old songs having a resurgence, new inside jokes and Easter eggs within the fandom, and a plethora of new listeners being exposed to Swift's work. 

As a result, there has arguably never been more excitement for a Taylor Swift album than for The Tortured Poets Department — especially because the announcement came on the heels of her lucky 13th GRAMMY win in February. Midnights helped further solidify Swift's larger-than-life status at the finale of the 2024 GRAMMYs, too, as she became the only artist in history to win Album Of The Year four times. 

The Tortured Poets Department : A Grief-Stricken Poetic Odyssey

It’s been a while since Swift has penned a full-fledged breakup album. On The Tortured Poets Department , she navigates the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance — after her long-term relationship ended. Taking a page from the release of folklore and evermore , she dropped a double album and announced The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology at 2 a.m. on release day. Throughout a total of 31 tracks, the prolific songwriter shelved the glittery pop radio-friendly tunes in favor of more subdued, synthy and heart-wrenching songs. 

On Instagram, Swift described the album as a collection of poetic songs that reflect the "events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time," Swift pulled out the fountain and quill pens to craft songs about the "tortured poets" in her life — sometimes musing about lovers, sometimes taking aim at villains, and sometimes pointing the finger at herself. 

TTPD is also her most confessional album thus far. It pokes fun at so-called fans who overstep with her personal life ("But Daddy I Love Him"), says goodbye to a city that gave her a home ("So Long London"), and muses on how her own celebrity has stunted her growth ("Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?"). To help explain this chapter of her life, Swift brings together a myriad of collaborators — from Stevie Nicks as fellow poetess, to duets with Florence Welch and Post Malone — and leans on real and fictional characters, like Clara Bow, Peter Pan ("Peter"), and Patti Smith .

In the same post, Swift declared that once she’s confessed all of her saddest stories, she’s able to find freedom. Yet The Tortured Poets Department (and its accompanying 15-track anthology) spends much time reflecting: she toys with her own lore, self-referencing past songs from albums like 1989 and poems from her reputation era. 

Fourteen years ago, Swift declared that she would never change, but she’ll never stay the same either. The Tortured Poets Department proves that in the throughline of Taylor Swift's many artistic eras is a commitment to exploration and a love of autobiographical lyricism.

All Things Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift’s New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is Here: The Tracklisting, Guests, Easter Eggs & More

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Taylor Swift, The 'Tortured Poet': 6 Times She's Used Poetry In Her Work

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Photo: Don Arnold/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

"There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed," Taylor Swift wrote of her new album. From grapplings with fame to ultra-personal reflections on love lost, her latest set of fountain and quill pen songs marks the end of an era.

"All’s fair in love and poetry," Taylor Swift declared when she announced her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , at the 66th GRAMMY Awards . 

Taken from the proverb "All’s fair in love and war," the pop phenom gave us a fair warning: there’s no limit to what she’ll go through to achieve her ends. 

On the freshly released The Tortured Poets Department , Taylor Swift has a few things to get off her chest — so much that it required a surprise second record, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology , adding an additional 15 songs . The sprawling album is a masterclass in songwriting and so personal that it's analogous to performing a post mortem autopsy; The musical shapeshifter is here to exhume the tortured poets of her past and make peace with them. 

In an Instagram post , Swift called the record an anthology that reflects " events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time - one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure." With the release of Tortured Poets , "t here is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed…our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page." 

Describing Swift’s work as a collection of tracks about boys and break-ups has always felt underbaked and disingenuous, but much of The Tortured Poets Department is just that. In true Swiftian fashion, she plays on preconceived theories, opting to toy with the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance — after a break-up, bringing listeners along on a peregrination exploring the depths of her relationships and personal growth. 

Analyzing her feelings to craft songs is muscle memory at this point, but with every release Taylor Swift somehow does so with a refreshed and reimagined perspective. The stories she shares with her fans in TTPD might’ve made her feel like she died, but she’s a revenant no longer tortured by the whims and words of other poets.

With The Tortured Poets Department open for business, read on for five key points to consider when listening to Taylor Swift’s new album .

It's Much More Than A Break-Up Record

Although the record orbits around a break-up, The Tortured Poets Department demonstrates Swift's ability to shapeshift as a songwriter. A song about a break-up is layered, typically forcing Swift to unveil her own flaws while wearing her broken heart on her sleeve.

The fifth track on a Taylor Swift album is typically the most emotionally cutting, and "So Long London" is no exception. On the standout track, Swift views the loss of her lover and the breakdown of her relationship to Joe Alwyn through the lens of the city they once shared together. It’s a cathartic release for Swift who point-blank notes the pain they inflicted upon her and how, in turn, they ended up just as heartbroken as she is. 

The high-spirited "Down Bad" and subdued "The Smallest Man in The World" are two sides of the same coin. The former is hopeful that a love could be reignited, whereas the latter sees Swift at her grittiest, pointing the finger at her former lover. "Smallest" poses a series of questions, accusing her ex of being a spy who only wanted to get intel on her.

On piano ode "loml," Swift looks back at the "get-love-quick" schemes she first wrote about in "Why She Disappeared," a poem for reputation . The poem originally considered the death of her reputation and how its aftermath made her stronger while she was simultaneously nursing a new relationship. 

The track has a similar energy to fan favorite "All Too Well," but is even more accusatory — seemingly unlocking another level of her songwriting prowess as she teeters between seething rage and mourning with lines about picking through a "braid of lies" spewed by a partner who "claimed he was a lion" but is really a coward. While Swift is honest about never feeling a loss so deeply, she maturely accepts that the effort she put into keeping the relationship afloat was all she could do. It’s distinctly different from the battles she bravely fought in "The Great War," "Daylight" and "long story short."

She's Grappling With Fame & Owning Her Choices

That Taylor Swift struggles with her own celebrity and the public's perception is nothing new. On reputation ’s album prologue, she stated, "We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them they have chosen to show us." 

On The Tortured Poets Department, Swift has never been more honest about her feelings towards those who claim to know better than she does. On "But Daddy I Love Him," she doubles down on these frustrations, taking aim at self-righteous "vipers" and "judgmental creeps" who condemn her choice of a lover. Swift holds nothing back, declaring "I'll tell you something about my good name/It's mine alone to disgrace."

Swift stated that her life sometimes feels like a public autopsy with people psychoanalyzing her every thought and feeling. Following the release of Midnights and her larger-than-life Eras Tour , Swift’s been in her "glittering prime" despite experiencing her long-term relationship ending and the media hysteria around it would make anyone feel the opposite. "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart" confirms fans' theories that the GRAMMY winner was indeed putting on a brave face.  

On "Clara Bow" — a song named for the silent film actress whose public life was so scrutinized that she admitted herself into a sanatorium — Swift sings "Beauty is a beast that roars/Down on all fours/Demanding, 'More.'" Again, Swift plays with the double-edged sword of fame, comparing herself to a performing circus animal — something she sings about in "Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?" 

Taylor Swift Gets By With A Little Help From Her Friends

Swift has always looked up to and honored the greats in her music and art, and Tortured Poets is no exception. She recruits rock icon and songwriter Stevie Nicks to help build TTPD ’s world, and Nicks penned a poem featured in Swift’s physical album. Written in Texas, the poem is "For T and me..." and tells the tale of two ill-fated lovers. (Swift also namedrops Nicks in "Clara Bow," touching on the comparisons made between Clara, Nicks and herself.)

There are two additional guest appearances on TTPD : Post Malone appears on "Fortnight" and Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine is featured on "Florida!!!" (a surprisingly toned-down lead single). Swift particularly shines when paired with Welch, and the soaring "Florida!!!" sees their intertwined vocals creating a sound as infectious as the "drug" they sing about.

J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan inspired Swift on "cardigan" ("Tried to change the ending/Peter losing Wendy") but now the Lost Boy gets his own track on The Anthology ’s "Peter." The ever-inquisitive Swift pleads, "You said you were gonna grow up/Then you were gonna come find me" and confronts this man who wouldn’t grow up. She even puts herself in the shoes of Wendy who waited for Peter Pan to return but has grown tired of waiting.

TTPS Is All Quill And Fountain Pen Songs

A few years ago, Taylor Swift categorized her songwriting according to three writing devices: glitter gel pens for fun tracks, fountain pens for songs using modern imagery and lyrics, and quill pens for tracks with flowery, figurative language. Although devoid of the glittery gel pen songs that comprise many of Swift's hits, TTPD and its accompanying anthology are steeped in fountain and quill writing. 

Most of The Tortured Poets Department are fountain pen tracks — thanks to 2024 Producer Of The Year Jack Antonoff ’s sleek pop production and synth use. Tracks like "Fresh Out The Slammer" and "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" are sharp, snappy, tongue-in-cheek tales of love affairs about to begin and coming to an end with the same sonic exuberance of past Swift & Antonoff songs, like "Out of the Woods" and "Getaway Car."

Tracks on The Anthology , mostly produced by Aaron Dessner , are stripped-back, folk-tinged quill songs brimming with sorrow and harrowing thematics and dives even deeper into her chaotic psyche. "The Prophecy" sees Swift beg to change a prophecy that has been laid out ahead of her — likely stemming from the pressure of being a global superstar when all she wants is to be loved.

This Is The End Of An Era (Or A Chapter)

To her occasional disdain, Swift's highly personal songwriting has created a global obsession with her inner life.  Although she's tired of the "public autopsy," Tortured Poets offers her time to reflect on the "events, opinions, and sentiments" over a time that was equal parts transient and transformative. 

From her growth from the country-twanged teen singer on her self-titled debut to woman who is fearless in her pursuit of happiness, love, and peace, Swift has transformed time and time again. By viewing her work in eras — or, in this case, a chapter in a book of her life — it’s clear that Swift sees this current chapter of her life coming to a close, turning the last page and no longer longing to look back. 

One could argue that Swift is an unreliable narrator, only ever presenting her side of the story. But she says that while considering the pain described on TTPS , many now-healed wounds turned out to be self-inflicted. With these stories immortalized, Taylor Swift has spoken her saddest story and is now "free of it." The tortured poets and poems will no longer take up space in this next chapter of her life.

Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon

Photo: Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Just over two months after Taylor Swift announced 'The Tortured Poets Department' at the 2024 GRAMMYs, the sprawling, bracingly personal album is here. Before you open the department door, arm yourself with the following knowledge.

We’ll be wandering through this Department for the foreseeable future.

Not only has Taylor Swift unleashed an absolute maelstrom with her 16-song new album, The Tortured Poets Department ; she’s dropped a whopping 15 additional tracks via its expanded version, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology .

Clearly, there’s an absolute treasure trove here — for Swifties and the merely Swift-curious alike. A mostly downbeat and discursive affair, The Tortured Poets Department feels like the shadow cast by the gilded, giddy, exhilarating Eras Tour , which isn’t over yet. (Which makes all the sense in the world, as she was simultaneously chipping away at the album while crisscrossing the globe.)

If you’re reading this, you’re probably bracing yourself for this long, solemn, darkly funny journey. Don’t go alone: here’s a brief breakdown of what you should know going in. (And keep checking GRAMMY.com, as there’s plenty more Taylor and Tortured Poets coming your way.)

The Tracklisting

As previously reported , here’s the standard tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department:

Side A "Fortnight" (feat. Post Malone ) "The Tortured Poets Department" "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" "Down Bad"

** Side B ** "So Long, London" "But Daddy I Love Him" "Fresh Out the Slammer" "Florida!!!" (feat. Florence + the Machine )

** Side C ** "Guilty As Sin?" "Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?" "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" "Loml"

** Side D ** "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" "The Alchemy" "Clara Bow"

The Expanded Tracklisting

Aside from The Black Dog Edition , The Albatross Edition , The Bolter Edition , and The Manuscript Edition — which consist of the standard edition of the album with its titular bonus track — here are the additional tracks that complete The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology .

"The Black Dog"

"Imgonnagetyouback"

"The Albatross"

"Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus"

"How Did It End?"

"So High School"

"I Hate It Here" "thanK you aIMee"

"I Look In People’s Windows"

"The Prophecy" "Cassandra" "Peter" "The Bolter" "Robin"

"The Manuscript"

Physical copies of The Tortured Poets Department feature an original poem by the one and only Stevie Nicks .

Titled "For T and me…," the poem starts off with "He was in love with her / Or at least she thought so / She was brokenhearted / Maybe he was too." It goes on to trace a doomed relationship — one party being "way too hot to handle" and the other "way too high to try."

Elsewhere, Post Malone lends a haunting vocal to opener and lead single "Fortnight," and Florence + the Machine elevate "Florida!!!".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiqoZyauhdA

The lion’s share of the album was produced by Jack Antonoff ; Aaron Dessner handled a handful of tunes on the standard edition and the majority of The Anthology .

The Easter Eggs

Where do we begin? For starters, most of the songs seem to be directed at ex Matty Healy of the 1975, but Joe Alwyn and Travis Kelce seem to pop up here and there as well.

In the title track, Swift describes embracing the "cyclone" of a relationship with a partner akin to a "tattooed golden retriever." And they’d be remiss to compare themselves to Patti Smith or Dylan Thomas or any other famously tortured poet of the 20th century: "We’re modern idiots… we’re two idiots."

Elsewhere, Lucy Dacus of boygenius — and Antonoff himself — pop up ("But you tell Lucy you’d kill yourself if I ever leave / And I had said that to Jack about you / So I felt seen").

Far be it from us to speculate on exact subjects, but there are shades of depression ("You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days"), a betrothal that wasn’t to be ("You swore that you loved me but where were the clues? / I died on the altar waiting for the proof") and the racket of fame ("The circus life made me mean").

As usual, Swift has dumped puzzle pieces on the carpet — daring her ardent, global fanbase to start at the edges and work their way to the center. But never to this degree, across such an ocean of material.

Tortured poets — and those who fall in love with them — assemble!

Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift’s Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon

• 1 Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's New Album 'Midnights'
• 2 11 Artists Who Influenced Taylor Swift: Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Tim McGraw & More
• 3 Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon
• 4 Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is A Post-Mortem Autopsy In Song: 5 Takeaways From Her New Album
• 5 Taylor Swift’s New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is Here: The Tracklisting, Guests, Easter Eggs & More

Taylor Swift Midnights tour - dates, venues and how to get tickets

Taylor Swift has announced she's going on tour next year in America after becoming the first artist in history to claim every slot in the top 10 of the US singles chart

• 14:41, 1 Nov 2022

Taylor Swift is going on tour next year after her new album Midnights has become 2022's fastest-selling release.

The Eras Tour is described as "journey through the musical eras of my career" by the star, 32, whose fans are getting ready to snap up tickets.

Sharing the news on Twitter , Taylor shared an image of a tour poster with the caption: “I’m enchanted to announce my next tour: Taylor Swift The Eras Tour, a journey through the musical eras of my career (past & present!)

“The first leg of the tour will be in stadiums across the US, with international dates to be announced as soon as we can!”

Taylor also confirmed she will be joined by a number of popular artists, including bands Paramore and Haim, as well as solo artists Phoebe Bridgers and Gracie Abrams.

The singer-songwriter will kick off the tour on March 18 in Glendale, Arizona at State Farm Stadium.

The 27-date run includes other stadium stops in Las Vegas, Arlington, Texas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles, where the U.S. leg wraps on August 5 2023.

Tickets for all US dates will go on sale at 10 a.m. (ET) on November 18. A pre-sale for Capital One cardholders runs from November 15-17.

The international leg of The Eras Tour is yet to be confirmed, but we'll let you know as soon as any dates and venues are confirmed.

Less than 24 hours after the release of Midnights on October 21, music streaming giant Spotify announced the album had amassed the most streams in a single day in the platform’s history.

Reacting to the news, Taylor wrote: “How did I get this lucky, having you guys out here doing something this mind blowing?!

“Like what even just happened?!”

The blonde bombshell took fans by surprise when she announced Midnights at the end of the 2022 MTV VMAs in New Jersey in August.

The singer has described the offering as the story of “13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life” and “a journey through terrors and sweet dreams”.

Midnights claimed the biggest first week of album sales since Adele’s 30 was released last November and took the title of the most streamed album of the year in its opening week with 72.5 million streams across the seven days.

Taylor has once again written the majority of the album with Jack Antonoff, lead singer of rock band Bleachers.

Midnights sees the star turn away from the intricate indie style of her two last albums, Folklore and Evermore, in favour of electronica, synth-pop and even a bit of hip hop.

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Taylor Swift Has Given Fans a Lot. Is It Finally Too Much?

Swift has been inescapable over the last year. With the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” her latest (very long) album, some seem to finally be feeling fatigued.

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By Matt Stevens and Shivani Gonzalez

Four new studio albums. Four rerecorded albums, too. A $1 billion oxygen-sucking world tour with a concert movie to match. And, of course, one very high-profile relationship that spilled over into the Super Bowl .

For some, the constant deluge that has peaked in the past year is starting to add up to a new (and previously unthinkable) feeling: Taylor Swift fatigue.

And it is a feeling that has only solidified online in the days following the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” which morphed from a 16-song album into a 31-song, two-hour epic just hours after its release .

Many critics (including The New York Times’s own) have suggested that the album was overstuffed — simply not her best. And critiques of the music have now opened a sliver of space for a wider round of complaint unlike any Swift has faced over her prolific and world-conquering recent run.

“It’s almost like if you produce too much… too fast… in a brazen attempt to completely saturate and dominate a market rather than having something important or even halfway interesting to say… the art suffers!” Chris Murphy, a staff writer at Vanity Fair, posted on X .

Which is not to say nobody listened to the album; far from it. Spotify said “Poets,” which was released on Friday, became the most-streamed album in a single day with more than 300 million streams .

And of course, many of Swift’s most ardent fans, known as “Swifties,” loved her 11th album or, at least, have decided to air any reservations in private conversations. The first days of the album’s release have been greeted with the usual lyrical dissections for key allusions hidden within the songs, attention to every word that few other artists receive.

But others, including some self-identified Swift fans, have freely admitted frustration. Fans and critics alike have contended that Swift’s lyrics have become a tad verbose and that the tracks on this latest album — many of them breakup songs — sounded a whole lot like others she has already put out . The internet has also provided an almost unlimited supply of jokes about the length of the album .

Some admonished Swift for selling so many versions of “Poets” only to double its size after those orders were in, part of a cynically corporate rollout . (Care for the CD , vinyl or the Phantom Clear vinyl ?) The Daily Mail cobbled together what it deemed “The 10 WORST lyrics in Taylor Swift’s new album — ranked!”

For its part, Reductress , the satirical women’s magazine, offered a post titled “Woman Doing Her Best to Like New Taylor Swift Album Lest She Face the Consequences.”

Those who dare to publicly criticize Swift are acutely aware of the potential for backlash. Murphy, the Vanity Fair writer, made a dark joke about it . At least one X user who posted a lengthy thread eviscerating Swift, the album and its rollout took the post private after it got more than three million views. Paste Magazine opted not to put a byline on its harsh review of Swift’s album, citing safety concerns for the writer.

In an unusual twist, even Swift herself is widely viewed as admonishing her most militant defenders in one particular song on the new album, “But Daddy I Love Him.” Some contingents of Swift’s fanbase strongly disapproved of her brief relationship with Matty Healy of the 1975 and appear to now be bristling at the amount of record real estate Healy consumes on the latest album .

Weird, complicated times in Taylor land.

“It might be a tough few days for the fanbase,” Nathan Hubbard, a co-host of the Ringer podcast, “ Every Single Album ,” wrote in a social media thread about “Poets” on Friday . “They’ll hear some valid criticism they aren’t used to (if the critics dare), and for many they’ll have to reconcile their own truth that this isn’t their favorite, while still rightly celebrating it and supporting her.”

Indeed, grinding through the 31-song double album after midnight had felt like “a hostage situation,” Hubbard wrote.

On a new podcast episode, which was released over the weekend, Hubbard and his co-host, Nora Princiotti, were among those who pointed out that while the album may be imperfect, Swift simply may have needed to purge herself of the songs on “Poets” to process a turbulent time in her life.

Princiotti said she enjoyed much of the album and was careful to stipulate that “Poets” did contain several “special songs.”

But she also allowed for some “tough love.”

“Musically, I do not really hear anything new,” she said, adding that Swift “could have done a little bit more self editing.”

“I don’t think the fact that this is a double-album that is more than two hours in length serves what’s good about it,” Princiotti said. “And I think that for the second album in a row, I’m still sort of left going, ‘OK, where do we go from here?’”

Princiotti ultimately graded “Poets” a “B.” And in the world of her podcast and universe of Taylor Swift, Princiotti acknowledged — that might have been an all-time low.

An earlier version of this article misstated the title of Taylor Swift’s new album. It is “The Tortured Poets Department,” not “The Tortured Poets Society.”

How we handle corrections

Matt Stevens writes about arts and culture news for The Times. More about Matt Stevens

Shivani Gonzalez is a news assistant at The Times who writes a weekly TV column and contributes to a variety of sections. More about Shivani Gonzalez

Inside the World of Taylor Swift

A Triumph at the Grammys: Taylor Swift made history  by winning her fourth album of the year at the 2024 edition of the awards, an event that saw women take many of the top awards .

‘The T ortured Poets Department’: Poets reacted to Swift’s new album name , weighing in on the pertinent question: What do the tortured poets think ?  

In the Public Eye: The budding romance between Swift and the football player Travis Kelce created a monocultural vortex that reached its apex  at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Ahead of kickoff, we revisited some key moments in their relationship .

Politics (Taylor’s Version): After months of anticipation, Swift made her first foray into the 2024 election for Super Tuesday with a bipartisan message on Instagram . The singer, who some believe has enough influence  to affect the result of the election , has yet to endorse a presidential candidate.

Conspiracy Theories: In recent months, conspiracy theories about Swift and her relationship with Kelce have proliferated , largely driven by supporters of former President Donald Trump . The pop star's fans are shaking them off .

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Forget the Eiffel Tower, Louvre or Arc de Triomphe.

From May 9-12, international superstar Taylor Swift will be The City of Light’s main attraction when she swoops into the Paris La Defense Arena for four huge back-to-back-to-back-to-back ‘Eras Tour’ concerts along with special guest Paramore .

And if you want to be there, last-minute tickets are available for all shows.

Better yet, they’re significantly cheaper than they were when the New York Post last reported on Taylor Swift ticket prices on April 26.

On that date, prices to see the “The Tortured Poets Department” singer live started at $425 USD before fees on Vivid Seats.

At the time of publication, tickets can now be scooped up for as low as $246 USD before fees .

That’s nearly $200 (!) in savings.

Sometimes “all of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation” as Tay Tay sings in “Dress,” really does pay off.

Want a closer look at how much tickets cost for Swift’s four shows in one of the world’s most romantic cities?

Keep scrolling, Swifties.

We’ve got everything you need to know and more below about Taylor’s Paris ‘Era’ below.

All prices listed below are subject to fluctuation.

Taylor Swift Paris tickets 2024

A complete calendar including all ‘Eras Tour’ Paris La Defense Arena concert dates and links to the cheapest tickets available can be found here:

(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout .)

Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. 

They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event.

Taylor Swift set list

While Swift is known for dropping a surprise song or two into her shows, the tracks stay surprisingly consistent for most gigs (although that will likely change in the wake of “TTPD’s” release).

In any event, here’s what Tay Tay played at her final 2023 concert in Brazil, according to  Set List FM :

“Lover” Era

01.) “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince” 02.) “Cruel Summer” 03.) “The Man” 04.) “You Need to Calm Down” 05.) “Lover” 06.) “The Archer” “Fearless” Era

07.) “Fearless” 08.) “You Belong With Me” 09.) “Love Story” “evermore” Era

10.) “’tis the damn season” 11.) “willow” 12.) “marjorie” 13.) “champagne problems” 14.) “tolerate it” “ Reputation” Era

15.) “…Ready for It?” 16.) “Delicate” 17.) “Don’t Blame Me” 18.) “Look What You Made Me Do” “Speak Now” Era

19.) “Enchanted” 20.) “Long Live” “Red ”  Era

21.) “22” 22.) “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” 23.) “I Knew You Were Trouble” 24.) “All Too Well”

“folklore” Era

25.) “the 1”

26.) “betty” 27.) “the last great american dynasty” 28.) “august” 29.) “illicit affairs” 30.) “my tears ricochet” 31.) “cardigan” “1989” Era

32.) “Style” 33.) “Blank Space” 34.) “Shake It Off” 35.) “Wildest Dreams” 36.) “Bad Blood” Surprise Songs Era

37.) “Say Don’t Go” 38.) “it’s time to go” “Midnights” Era

39.) “Lavender Haze” 40.) “Anti‐Hero” 41.) “Midnight Rain” 42.) “Vigilante Shit” 43.) “Bejeweled” 44.) “Mastermind” 45.) “Karma”

Taylor Swift ‘Eras Tour’ news

Our team has been following the ‘Eras Tour’ closely over the past year.

Over the past few months, we spoke to a Swiftie who  shared some helpful tips  about seeing Taylor live, reported on dropping ticket prices and  came up with a list of all the most exciting fan trends .

Taylor Swift new music

As noted above, Swift’s  “The Tortured Poets Department”  was released at midnight (and subsequently at 2 a.m.) on Friday, April 19.

While every listener will likely come away with their own favorites, we particularly enjoyed the sleek, synth-y “Fortnight,” icy “So Long, London,” anthemic “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” bombastic slow build of “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and gorgeously arranged “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus.”

If you want to give it a spin — if you haven’t already, that is — you can find “The Tortured Poets Department”  here .

The Hayley Williams-fronted pop-punk rockers are opening for Swift from May through August this year. This may come as a bit of surprise to some fans considering that the group mounted a successful arena tour of their own in 2023.

That tour, came on the heels of Paramore’s 2022 reunion; prior to that, the band had been on a five-year hiatus.

For fans who want to check out their latest, their 2023 album “This Is Why” can be heard here .

Huge stars on tour in 2024

Although it will cost an arm and a leg (sometimes more!) to see Swift live this year, there are much more affordable — likely stateside — concerts you can attend this year.

Here are just five of our favorite artists you won’t want to miss live.

•  Olivia Rodrigo

•  Kacey Musgraves

•  Chappell Roan

•  Billie Eilish

Who else is on the road this year? Check out our list of the  50 biggest concert tours in 2024  to find out.

Why you should trust ‘Post Wanted’ by the New York Post

This article was written by Matt Levy , New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed Bruce Springsteen and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.

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A guide to everyone Taylor Swift sings about in ‘Tortured Poets Department’ — and their reactions

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Taylor Swift didn’t hold back on calling everyone out on her newest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” and the reactions are rolling in.

The surprise double album was released in two parts on April 19, giving exuberant Swifties plenty of material to analyze — including multiple celebrity call-outs.

Kim Kardashian

Swift and Kardashian have a long-standing feud, which started with Swift and Ye back in the day and goes back to Kimye’s infamous doctored phone call , which appeared to prove Taylor had given consent for a nude wax figure of her to appear in Kanye’s “Famous” music video. TLDR: The call was edited, but Swift was ripped to shreds online anyway, an experience that inspired her now legendary “Reputation” album.

Swift isn’t quite letting Kardashian off the hook, and “TTPD’s” “thanK you aIMee” pointedly had the letters of Kardashian’s first name capitalized in the title.

Taylor Swift turns heel, owning her chaos and messiness on ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Swift’s 11th studio LP, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ released at midnight Eastern time, follows a busy period in the 34-year-old’s personal and professional spheres.

April 18, 2024

“And so I changed your name and any real defining clues / And one day, your kid comes home singin’ / A song that only us two is gonna know is about you,” Taylor wrote, apparently referencing daughter North West’s TikToks that have featured her songs in the past.

Kardashian didn’t respond directly to the taunt, but she did post a throwback photo with Swift’s ex-best friend Karlie Kloss on mutual pal Derek Blasberg’s birthday. Whether it was a coincidence is anyone’s guess.

Matty Healy

The 1975 frontman was the surprise “TTPD” guest star. He and the “Bejeweled” singer appeared to have had a short fling following her split from Joe Alwyn, but the lyrics in “TTPD” have led to speculation that the two were involved for far longer.

The title track is particularly damning: “You left your typewriter at my apartment,” Swift sings, referencing Healy’s apparent penchant for the old-school device. (“Who uses typewriters anyway?” she later asks.)

Swift goes on to call him a “tattooed golden retriever” before describing his smoking habits.

“But you tell Lucy you’d kill yourself if I ever leave / And I had said that to Jack about you so I felt seen,” she continues, referencing Boygenius member Lucy Dacus, who performed with Swift on the Eras tour, and her producer and bestie Jack Antonoff. Sounds super healthy and normal!

The best songs from Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’ double album

Taylor Swift released the 16-track “Tortured Poets Department” at the stroke of midnight on Friday — and surprised fans with 15 more songs two hours later. Here are the best songs from the double album.

April 19, 2024

And all that’s from just one song. “But Daddy I Love Him,” “Fresh Out the Slammer,” “Guilty as Sin?,” “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” all pile on the blame.

Healy responded coolly on Wednesday. “I haven’t really listened to that much of it,” the singer told paparazzi, “but I’m sure it’s good.”

His tone marks a stark difference from when he called dating Swift “ emasculating .”

His mom, Denise Welch, was similarly unbothered, saying on British talk show “Loose Women” that she “wasn’t aware [Swift] had an album out at all.”

Unlikely, considering “TTPD” just became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day, but whatever.

Just as fans predicted, Taylor’s ex-boyfriend of six years was spared little sympathy. Even the album title is supposedly a reference to the name of a group chat between the actor, Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, called the “Tortured Man Club.”

“So Long, London” is Taylor’s most obvious hit at Alwyn, considering he inspired the track “London Boy” on her 2019 album “Lover.”

“I didn’t opt in to be your odd man out,” she sings about the end of their relationship. “I founded the club she’s heard great things about / I left all I knew, you left me at the house by the Heath.”

The 5 tracks you need to hear from Taylor Swift’s surprise ‘Tortured Poets’ companion

Released two hours after “The Tortured Poets Department” on Thursday night, Taylor Swift’s second set of new songs contains a handful of highlights.

It’s clear Alwyn promised Swift a lot more than what he gave her. In “LOML” she laments how “You s—-talked me under the table / Talkin’ rings and talkin’ cradles / I wish I could unrecall / How we almost had it all.”

The marriage references don’t stop. In “imgonnagetyouback,” Swift tries to decide “whether I’m gonna be your wife or gonna smash up your bike.”

Fans have also latched onto a line in “Fortnight,” which features Post Malone, as proof that Alwyn wasn’t always faithful to Swift. “My husband is cheating, I wanna kill him,” Swift sings.

According to a source , Alwyn “has listened to the album, and he is slightly disappointed, but not surprised at all.” Maybe he’s upset about Healy stealing his spotlight?

Travis Kelce

Of course, Swift couldn’t leave current beau Kelce behind. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is the apparent subject of “The Alchemy” and “So High School,” both of which are riddled with football metaphors.

“The greatest in the league / Where’s the trophy? / He just comes running over to me,” she sings in “The Alchemy,” referencing the couple’s viral kiss after Kelce‘s team won the Super Bowl in February.

“You know how to ball, I know Aristotle,” she added in “So High School.” “You knew what you wanted and, boy, you got her,” she concludes in the song, alluding to how Kelce pursued her after seeing her perform on the Eras tour.

Science & Medicine

Taylor Swift’s new album is rife with breakup songs. Psychologists explain why we love them

Taylor Swift’s new ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ album draws inspiration from her own breakups. What attracts us to songs about failed relationships?

“I have heard some of it, yes, and it is unbelievable,” Kelce said at a sports event in February, ahead of the album’s release. “I can’t wait for her to shake up the world when it finally drops.”

He’s “very proud of her,” a source told E! News after the record dropped earlier this month.

“Travis is so supportive of the entire album,” the source continued, “and loves that he is a part of Taylor’s story.”

Kelce’s mom, Donna, even chimed in the conversation with her own praise. “I listened to the whole album, and I listened to it all morning long when it was released,” she told People this week.

“I was just very impressed,” she said. “She is a very talented woman, and I think it is probably her best work.”

More to Read

It’s another all-Taylor Swift edition of the Hot 100 chart this week

April 30, 2024

‘I love when we get crazy’: Swifties revel in the ‘joy’ of Taylor Swift’s album release and their avid fan culture

April 22, 2024

A field guide to the references on Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

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Eva Hartman is a spring 2024 reporting intern with the Fast Break Desk at the Los Angeles Times. She is a senior at the University of Southern California studying international relations, where she has served as the news assignments editor and magazine editor at the Daily Trojan.

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Here’s How Taylor Swift Should Update Her Eras Tour Setlist to Include ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

The crowd was chanting "More!"

By Hannah Dailey

Hannah Dailey

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Leading up to the release of Taylor Swift ‘s The Tortured Poets Department , one question lingered in the backs of Swiftie minds for months: How would the new album affect the already three-hour-plus setlist of the pop star’s ongoing global Eras Tour?

When the record finally dropped April 19, bringing with it not just 16 pre-announced tracks, but 15 surprise bonus songs as well, their concerns were only exacerbated. How could Swift possibly slim down her pre- Tortured Poets setlist to fit any new material once she hit the road again? Where would she even begin selecting just a handful of the 31 songs on TTPD to include? Would she even bother trying? (Based on a video the singer posted of recent rehearsals for her next run of shows, which kicks off May 9 in Paris, the answer to that last question is most likely a “Yes.”)

It’s no small task, especially given that no matter what the “Anti-Hero” singer cuts or adds, some fans are bound to be upset when their favorites inevitably don’t make the final listing. Even so, Billboard has risen to the challenge, selecting the best possible collection of Tortured Poets tracks to represent Swift’s newest era while trimming the fat of past eras for an updated, ultimate dream Eras Tour setlist.

Some songs were hard to say good-bye to (sorry, “Mastermind”), and others were truly painful to not extend an invitation (don’t hate us, “Guilty as Sin?”). But in service of a well-rounded, comprehensive Eras experience, difficult decisions had to be made. Keep reading to see how Swift should move forward with her trek, Tortured Poets and all — plus, an idea on how her debut album Taylor Swift can finally get its flowers — below.

ACT I: 'Lover'

• “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince”
• “Cruel Summer”
• “The Man”
• “You Need to Calm Down”
• “Lover”

CUT: “The Archer”

Note: Swift could also probably benefit from shortening her meandering pre-“The Man” monologue in Act I to save room for more songs later on.

ACT II: 'Fearless'

• “Fearless”
• “You Belong With Me”
• “Love Story”

Note: At three songs, the Fearless era is already the perfect length, holistically comprised of the album’s title track and its two breakthrough hits, which made Swift a global star. No room for cuts here.

ACT III: 'Evermore'

• “‘Tis the Damn Season”
• “Willow”
• “Champagne Problems”
• “Tolerate It”

CUT: “Marjorie”

Note: Swift definitely deserves to drink in the applause for a moment after her magnificent piano performance of “Champagne Problems,” but at past Eras shows, she’s allowed the ovations to last for upwards of eight minutes . To save room for more songs, she may want to keep things moving at future stops.

ACT IV: 'Reputation'

• “…Ready For It?”
• “Delicate”
• “Don’t Blame Me”
• “Look What You Made Me Do”

Note: If you’ve been to an Eras show, you know: There’s no messing with the Reputation set. The already ear-splitting crowd somehow gets even louder as soon as this first notes of “Ready For It” blast through the speakers, and the stadium stays at peak volume throughout the traditional “1, 2, 3, Let’s go b–ch” chant during “Delicate” and the seamless transition between “Don’t Blame Me” and “Look What You Made Me Do.” No cuts.

ACT V: 'Speak Now'

• “Enchanted”
• “Long Live”

Note: Justice for Speak Now . Swift’s third album deserves a proper showcase each night, so we sincerely hope that the pop star doesn’t scrap “Long Live” — which she only added to the setlist four months into the Eras Tour’s first leg — to make room for TTPD.

ACT VI: 'Red'

• “22”
• “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
• “I Knew You Were Trouble”
• “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”

Note: It may seem like an easy time-saver to simply swap out the ten-minute version of “All Too Well” for Swift’s original five-minute version, but doing so would be robbing Swifties of the best ten-minute segment in the entire show. We simply won’t hear of it. That song aside, the other three hits on this mini-set — similar to the Fearless era — form a perfect bite-sized capsule of the album they represent, leaving no excess behind.

ACT VII: 'Folklore'

• “Betty” 
• “August”
• “Illicit Affairs” (Bridge Only) 
• “My Tears Ricochet” 
• “Cardigan”

CUTS: “The 1” / “Invisible String” & “The Last Great American Dynasty”

Note: Sorry, Folklorians: It’ll always have a special place at the heart of the Eras Tour show, but Swift has now released three new albums since her initial alt-folk pivot — hence the harsher cuts here.

ACT VIII: '1989'

• “Style”
• “Blank Space”
• “Shake It Off”
• “Wildest Dreams”
• “Bad Blood”

Note: It’s almost impossible to imagine cutting any of the five songs on the 1989 setlist, each of them massive, stadium-rocking hits a full ten years after their original release (three of them peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while “Wildest Dreams” and “Style” reached Nos. 5 and 6, respectively). A time-saving mashup between two or more of them could, however, be an avenue to explore if needed, with a majority of the tracks boasting similar keys and corresponding musical styles.

INTERLUDE: Surprise Songs

• Surprise Song No. 1
• Surprise Song No. 2

Note: It’s safe to assume that the nightly surprise song section will be where Swift makes up for unused Tortured Poets songs, giving fans the chance to hear acoustic versions of the 20+ tracks on her newest album that probably won’t make it onto the regular setlist .

ACT IX: 'Midnights'

• “Lavender Haze” 
• “Anti-Hero” 
• “Vigilante Shit” 
• “Bejeweled”
• “Karma” 

CUTS: “Midnight Rain” & “Mastermind”

Note: The only non-single to remain safe, “Vigilante Shit” would’ve been next on the chopping block. But honestly — what would the Eras Tour be without Swift’s iconic sultry, Chicago -esque dance break?

ACT X: 'The Tortured Poets Department'

• “Fortnight”
• “The Tortured Poets Department”
• “Down Bad”
• “So Long, London”
• “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
• Mashup: “Teardrops on My Guitar” x “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
• “But Daddy I Love Him”

Note: As Swift’s newest album, Tortured Poets deserves to be the finale. And while, upon first listen, the record may not seem like it has enough stadium-ready bops to close out the show, the above songs 100% have the potential to be converted into the high-energy moments the Eras Tour commands. Just imagine the theatrical potential of “Who’s Afraid,” the meta-ness of a real-life crowd chanting “More!” during “Broken Heart,” and confetti falling from the sky during the final chorus of “But Daddy…” We picture gothic visuals, writing desks, typewriter props, period costumes and lightning strikes during this section.

Now, about that mashup. It’s absurd that Swift has never included any songs from her 2006 self-titled debut album — aka her first-ever era — on the main Eras Tour setlist. But it’s not too late to rectify that.

Picture this: The lights go down after Swift performs “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” Costumes change, a tiger cage and other circus-themed set pieces are wheeled away. Then, the songwriter — her silhouette barely visible under the dim glow of an aquamarine spotlight — sings a cappella the final chorus of the first song about faking smiles in the face of heartbreak she ever released: “Teardrops on My Guitar.” Emphasis on the lyric, “the only one who’s got enough of me to break my heart.”

After she trails off on the last line — “Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won’t see” — the stadium comes to life once more as the crowd’s multi-color light-up bracelets go haywire, an explosion of sound filling the space. “I can read your mind,” Swift jumps in, surrounded by dancers as the lights suddenly go up, revealing one last fabulous costume. “‘She’s having the time of her life…'”

Once that’s done, she’ll move on to the finale, flipping off the haters, embracing her truest fans and proudly proclaiming her love for the man of her dreams in one fell swoop with “But Daddy I Love Him,” disappearing offstage before concertgoers have even finished singing along. Fin.

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The Viral Travel Trend That Taylor Swift Fans May Not Even Know They Helped Create

T aylor Swift's concerts are so popular globally that they've inspired a new buzzword in the travel realm: gig-tripping. It's when you marry your vacation with one or more concerts, with some hardcore fans following the same musical artist to different destinations worldwide. Your trip will be somewhat constrained by where your favorite artist is performing, but you can use the off hours (when you're not concertgoing) to work in some sightseeing along the way.

Conventional gig-tripping might just mean hitting the road to see one of the best music festivals in the U.S . In its travel trend report for 2024, Skyscanner identified the new wave of gig-tripping as a "culture-led" vibe that's been taking fans abroad as they link up with stops on international concert tours. In 2023, Swift's Eras Tour became the world's highest-grossing tour — and the first in history to reach the billion-dollar mark. This not-so-coincidentally dovetailed with the colloquial rise of gig-tripping.

Another travel booking company, eDreams, told Reuters that demand for flights to Warsaw, Poland, was up 339% for Swift's concert dates there. A mother writing for Insider (via Yahoo News ) said that her $5,000 trip to Warsaw, which included the cost of a hotel, flight, and three VIP Swift tickets, was still cheaper than buying two tickets for the nosebleed section stateside. The trip offered her and her kids a chance to see Swift perform live on stage for three hours while connecting with their Polish heritage in a top-ranked vacation spot in Europe.

Read more: 28 Bucket List Destinations That Everyone Needs To Experience At Least Once

What's Behind The Gig-Tripping Surge

According to Skyscanner, 44% of U.S. travelers "would fly short haul to see their favorite artist live, with 18% saying they'd fly long haul." Yet 60% "would consider traveling to a gig or festival in a different country if it would help save them money." If that seems counter-intuitive, just consider that mother choosing Warsaw after dealing with the price-gouging of U.S. ticket scalpers online. As CNN Business reported, Taylor Swift tickets went for thousands of dollars on StubHub after Ticketmaster's website experienced a system overload during the Eras Tour pre-sale.

The pre-sale came in late 2022 when concert ticket sales bounced back after an almost three-year pandemic slump. In addition to Swift's ultra-committed fanbase, the globetrotting energy of gig-trippers may have been partially fueled by pent-up, post-pandemic demand for travel and concert outings. In Skyscanner's report, another trend among traveling culture vultures for 2024 was "main character energy," which involves seeking out real-life locations you've seen onscreen in streaming shows like Netflix's "Emily in Paris." Substitute Taylor for Emily, and you've got a recipe for gig-tripping.

In building up a community of jet-setting fans around her music, chart-topper and record-setter Swift is just the latest artist to capitalize on the market for gig-tripping. Viewed through a music history lens, her fans didn't single-handedly birth gig-tripping, but they codified it in the cultural lexicon, taking it beyond borders. The world's music lovers and travelers are now armed with new shorthand for the preexisting phenomenon. 

Swifties Gave Gig-Tripping A Name

Ask certain baby boomers, Gen Xers, or millennials — ones who can't name a single Taylor Swift song other than her biggest Billboard hit, "Shake It Off" — and they might tell you domestic gig-tripping is a time-honored travel tradition. In the 1970s, a similar community of traveling fans — proto-gig-trippers — sprung up around the psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead. As Time notes, the band added to its appeal by foregoing any canned set list and delivering a new musical experience in every city.

Swift fans have become known as "Swifties," with the term even being a finalist for the Oxford Word of the Year 2023 . It's not in Webster's Dictionary yet, but you'll find its boomer doppelganger, "Deadhead," in there. For their improvisational performances, the Dead also gave rise to the phrase "jam band," per Grammys.com . That term has since been applied to acts like Phish, with major news outlets repeating it even when the band and its rabid cult following (or "Phamily") entered the $2 billion Las Vegas Sphere in April 2024.

In the same way, Swifties have now popularized the idea of international gig-tripping. In this case, the trend is more the viral spread of the word and the globalization of travel since concertgoers and sightseers have seen what it signified before at the local level. What sets Swift apart as a global trendsetter is her level of pop stardom and the lengths to which some fans are willing to go to see her.

Broaden Your Horizons With Gig-Tripping

Deadheads, young and dedicated in the heyday of bands on tour buses, were perhaps likelier to embark on U.S. road trips than board planes. The classic image of a cross-country hippie van (really, a Volkswagen Bus, manufactured in Germany) is one that's lingered in the public imagination. Swifties, by comparison, are taking things to the next level in the 21st century by flying all around Europe to see her.

In February 2024, Tim Elrod, a vice president at the Florida-based agency Travelmation, told Fox News Digital , "I just booked a family on a European trip built entirely around Taylor Swift. My client wanted to see the Eras Tour with her daughters, but they couldn't get tickets in the U.S. They instead turned to her international shows and were able to snag seats in Milan. That's when they called me, and three nights in Milan has snowballed into them now visiting cities all over Italy."

Hopefully, while shaking off scalpers and gig-tripping to the beat of Taylor Swift, that family will find time to visit some of Italy's best sites for ancient history . Weaving some non-music culture into one's overseas trip could make for an even more meaningful vacation. In a sense, that's what separates gig-tripping from the grind of garden-variety concert touring. Otherwise, you risk traveling to amazing new places without seeing much outside concert venues or hotel rooms. Picture a souvenir T-shirt reading, "I went to Italy, and all I saw was Taylor Swift!"

Where Gig-Tripping Meets Travel Trouble

Warsaw and Milan are but two of several cities that have seen travel interest spike around an upcoming Taylor Swift concert. You don't have to be a diehard Swiftie or even a globetrotter to go gig-tripping, either. Just stay safe while doing it in an unfamiliar place. The practical reality of concertgoing in a foreign country could unleash a world of potential travel trouble if you're jet-lagged and not familiar with the local language, laws, customs, or geography.

As Swifties following the news can probably attest, simple time differences can also breed confusion. When Swift performed her first-ever Tokyo string of concerts in 2024, it was right before she hopped on a plane to Las Vegas to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, play in the Super Bowl. Fans worried that she might be cutting it too close, leading the Embassy of Japan to issue a statement, assuring everyone she could make it in time "despite the 12-hour flight and 17-hour time difference."

If you're on the road, gig-tripping the old-fashioned way, you can still have a safe, rewarding trip by breaking it up with some much-needed hotel rest — and some adventurous travel detours. Of course, that's not always an option when you're a fan navigating sold-out U.S. shows and pricey ticket resellers. Your mileage and mode of transportation may vary, but for anyone underserved by the local concert tour circuit, gig-tripping offers a way to venture outside your usual radius while combining music with travel.

Read the original article on Explore