As She Wins Her Thirteenth Grammy (Her Lucky Number), Taylor Swift Announces New Album ‘The Tortured Poet’s Department’

Fans sensed Swift was up to something, but few probably expected this.

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Taylor Swift
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Even before Taylor Swift took the stage to accept the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights, Swifties felt that something was brewing, that something was in the water tonight. The fan theories ran rampant: was her white Schiaparelli gown and black opera gloves a teaser for a forthcoming Reputation (Taylor’s Version) album? Was the fact that one of Swift’s necklaces—which happened to be a watch—being set to midnight a code for something deeper than the fact that the album of the same name was Grammy nominated this evening?

Swift’s dedicated (read: enamored) fan base felt the Swiftie ESP, and they were right—Swift did have a bombshell up her sleeve (er, opera glove?). It might not have been what anyone was expecting, but perhaps was more: Swift has a new album coming out, titled The Tortured Poet’s Department, complete with a risqué album cover and a release date that is relatively soon—April 19.

The new album is set for release almost one year to the day from when Swift split with her boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn; fan speculation has turned from Reputation to Midnights to “is the name of the album a dig at Alwyn?”

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Swift’s surprise announcement coincided with her thirteenth Grammy award—a number long established as her “lucky number.”

“I want to say thank you to the members of The Recording Academy for voting this way,” Swift said. “But I know that the way that The Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion of the fans. So I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years, which is that my brand new album comes out on April 19.”

As she left the stage, she added “I’m gonna go and post the cover right now backstage. Thank you. I love you. Thank you.”

Taylor Swift album cover

Swift's next album, "The Tortured Poet's Department," is out April 19

(Image credit: Taylor Swift Instagram)

Midnights won over Kelly Clarkson’s Chemistry, Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation, Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts, and Ed Sheeran’s — (Subtract). So, yes, Swift certainly was a winner tonight, but, with this surprise and delight announcement, it turns out the rest of us are, too—and that's about as Taylor Swift as it gets.

Rachel Burchfield
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.