NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift does not merely announce albums. She curates occasions.
That is a pattern that actually didn’t start with the announcement of her twelfth studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl, ” on Tuesday.
She’s lengthy embraced new applied sciences and forward-thinking advertising and marketing alternatives that enable her to attach straight with followers. (Who might neglect her third studio album, 2010’s “Speak Now,” was introduced by way of the now-defunct Ustream? Or that 2012’s “Red” was introduced by way of Google+ Hangout — RIP — whereas over 70,000 followers watched by way of YouTube stream? Simply us?)
As her profile has risen, so too have her efforts. Easter eggs abound in her album rollouts. Listed here are a number of of her most memorable.
“Reputation” (2017)
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Aug. 23, 2017
HOW SHE DID IT: “Reputation” arrived with a lot hypothesis — on the time, the as soon as very public-facing Swift had begun to maintain a low profile, heightening the thriller. Per week earlier than Swift introduced the album — which arrived on the three-year anniversary of the announcement of her final album, 2014’s “1989” — Swift deleted each put up throughout her social media platforms. Just a few days later, she posted a 10-second video clip of a snake. Quickly afterward, she revealed the title of her album, its launch date, and the truth that the primary single from the challenge would arrive the very subsequent day.
RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 2017
“Folklore” (2020)
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: July 23, 2020
HOW SHE DID IT: Within the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Swift obtained artistic. She introduced that her eighth album, “Folklore,” would arrive the following day — lower than a yr after the discharge of her seventh, “Lover.”
“Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise,” she wrote on Instagram on the time. “I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation.”
It wasn’t simply the album announcement that was a shock. “Folklore” marked a sonic detour for the pop star.
RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2020
“Evermore” (2020)
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Dec. 10, 2020
HOW SHE DID IT: Just a few months after the shock launch of “Folklore,” the prolific Swift introduced “Evermore.” She referred to as it a “sister” to “Folklore.”
“To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs,” Swift wrote on social media in December. “I’ve never done this before. In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released.”
RELEASE DATE: Dec. 11, 2020
“Midnights” (2022)
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Aug. 28, 2022
HOW SHE DID IT: Swift took residence the highest prize on the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards earlier than she closed out the present with an enormous announcement: a brand new album.
“I thought it would be a fun moment to tell you that my new album comes out Oct. 21,” stated Swift. after she gained video of the yr for her challenge “All Too Well: The Short Film,” which claimed finest long-form video and route. “I will tell you more at midnight.”
On the anointed hour, Swift stated on social media that her tenth studio album could be referred to as “Midnights,” which she stated would contain “stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”
RELEASE DATE: Oct. 21, 2022
“1989 (Taylor’s Version)” (2023)
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Aug. 9, 2023
HOW SHE DID IT: Taylor Swift closed the 2023 U.S. leg of her landmark Eras Tour in Los Angeles in an enormous means, asserting the fourth version of her re-recording challenge: “1989 (Taylor’s Version).”
“Instead of just, like, telling you about it, I think I’ll just sort of show you,” she instructed the group because the display illuminated behind her. “’1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ available Oct. 27!” she cheered, stating that she was revealing this on the eighth month of the yr and the ninth day — a numerical clue.
Then she launched right into a shock efficiency of the ascendant “1989” monitor “New Romantics” and the “Reputation”-era piano ballad “New Year’s Day” for the primary time throughout her world tour.
RELEASE DATE: Oct. 27, 2023
“The Tortured Poets Department” (2024)
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Feb. 4, 2024
HOW SHE DID IT: The night time of the Grammys, Swift provoked mass hypothesis when her web site appeared to go down. Some theorized she was gearing as much as launch “Reputation (Taylor’s Version),” however cryptic clues on the “crashed” web site indicated that could be a misdirect. In basic Swift style, it was. Whereas accepting the Grammy for finest pop vocal album, Swift stated she’d been preserving a secret for 2 years: “The Tortured Poets Department,” an all-original album.
RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2024
“The Life of a Showgirl” (2025)
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Aug. 12, 2025
HOW SHE DID IT: For her twelfth studio album, Swift actually embraced the quantity. She introduced the album on her web site shortly after a countdown timer expired at 12:12 a.m. on Aug. 12.
The day earlier than, the Taylor Nation account — an official department of her advertising and marketing group — posted a TikTok slideshow of 12 photos captioned “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…’” That was posted 12 minutes after a picture of a mysterious silhouette appeared on the social media accounts for the “New Heights” podcast hosted by Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce, and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles middle Jason Kelce. Followers theorized the define was of Swift. They have been, after all, right.
Additionally at 12:12 a.m. on Aug. 12, the “New Heights” social media accounts confirmed Swift would seem on the podcast for the primary time. That look was scheduled for Aug. 13 — 13, after all, one other quantity necessary to Swift.
RELEASE DATE: It stays to be seen.
