The Tortured Poets Department
The Tortured Poets Department[a] (stylized in all caps) is the eleventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Released on April 19, 2024, via Republic Records, the album was written and produced by Swift, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner. Swift announced the album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, after winning Best Pop Vocal Album for her tenth studio album, Midnights (2022).
The Tortured Poets Department
Swift conceived The Tortured Poets Department shortly after finishing work on Midnights and continued developing the former during the Eras Tour (2023–2024), her ongoing sixth concert tour. Self-described as her "lifeline" album, The Tortured Poets Department was perceived by Swift as a culmination of imperative songwriting. Issued as a double album, the album's second volume is subtitled The Anthology, which was surprise-released two hours after the first. Post Malone features on the opening track "Fortnight", which was released as the lead single, and Florence and the Machine features on "Florida!!!".
Musically, the album is a synth-pop record with rock and folk stylings, driven by synthesizers and drum machines alongside live instruments such as piano and guitar. The subject matter of the songs delve into Swift's psyche and introspect on her public and private lives, blending sorrow and humor. Music critics praised The Tortured Poets Department for its cathartic, self-conscious songwriting and the understated production style, though they were divided over whether it is a musical evolution or stagnation for Swift.
Commercially, the album broke a string of records. It surpassed Midnights to achieve the highest single-day streams for an album on the streaming platform Spotify, and marked the largest pre-order sum in the history of the retailer Target.
Conception
Swift characterized The Tortured Poets Department as a "lifeline" album—one that she "really needed" to make.[11] She began conceiving the album immediately after submitting Midnights to her record label, Republic Records, and continued working on it in secret throughout the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour in 2023.[12] According to Swift, creating the album proved to her the integral role of songwriting in her life. She stated, "I have never had an album where I needed songwriting more than I needed it on Tortured Poets."[13]
In an Instagram post announcing the album's release, Swift further characterized the album as "an anthology of new works that reflect events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time – one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure."[14]
Promotion and release
The Tortured Poets Department was released on April 19, 2024, during National Poetry Month.[8] A double album edition, subtitled The Anthology and containing 15 bonus tracks, was surprise-released two hours later on the same day.[48] Swift revealed the standard track list and guest features on her social media on February 6, 2024.[15] Four physical editions of the album, each titled after and containing a bonus track, namely "The Manuscript", "The Bolter", "The Albatross", and "The Black Dog", was also be made available for purchase; Swift announced the latter three editions during the Asia-Pacific leg of the Eras Tour, her sixth headlining concert tour.[49] One of the collector's edition deluxe CDs of the album sold out on her website in its first two hours of availability.[50][51] Physical copies of the album also feature an original poem by Stevie Nicks.[52]
The album was promoted by digital service providers such as Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads. It included five Swift-curated Apple Music playlists inspired by the stages of grief and an Easter egg hunt for new lyrics within the playlists' songs;[53][54][55] a pop-up library of curated articles at The Grove, Los Angeles, hosted by Spotify;[56] QR code murals in various cities worldwide that lead to unlisted YouTube shorts on Swift's channel;[57][58] a countdown to the album's release revealed upon refreshing Swift's Instagram profile; and special shimmer effects on Threads posts tagged with hashtags related to Swift and the album.[59] Radio platforms iHeartRadio, which temporarily rebranded as iHeartTaylor, and Sirius XM also announced special programs in tribute of the album, featuring exclusive content from Swift.[60][61][62] NBC provided live updates on the album's release.[63]
The standard edition of the album was leaked in its entirety on April 17, 2024, two days before its official release,[64] which resulted in the phrase "Taylor Swift leak" being temporarily banned from searches on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).[65] On April 18, Swift announced "Fortnight" as the lead single, released in conjunction with the album.[66] Later that day, Swift posted a teaser trailer for its accompanying music video, set for release on the album's release day.[67] Following several Easter eggs hinting to the number "2", including a countdown on Swift's Instagram page, The Anthology was released two hours after the standard edition.[68]
Commercial performance
On April 18, 2024, a day before the release, Spotify announced that The Tortured Poets Department broke the record for the most pre-saved album in the platform's history.[82] It was then announced that the album became 2024's most streamed album in a single day in less than 12 hours after its release.[83] The album became the first in Spotify history to surpass 200 and 300 million streams in one day, thus breaking the all-time record for most streamed album in a single day, previously held by Swift's own Midnights and helping her surpass her own all-time record for most streamed artist in a single day.[84] The album also became the most streamed album in a single day on Amazon Music with less than 12 hours of availability,[85] and surpassed Midnights to become the most streamed pop album in a single day on Apple Music.[86] Target Corporation confirmed that The Tortured Poets Department was its "largest music pre-order of all time".[87] In the U.S., Billboard reported that the album sold 1.6 million equivalent units in its first day alone, including 243.4 million on-demand streams and 1.4 million pure copies, of which 600,000 were vinyl LPs.[88]
Notes