Taylor Swift Reveals ‘Tortured Poets Department’ Back Up Plan In Case She Didn’t Win a Grammy

Jon Blistein
·2 min read
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Taylor Swift performing in Tokyo, Japan. - Credit: Christopher Jue/TAS24/Getty Images
Taylor Swift performing in Tokyo, Japan. - Credit: Christopher Jue/TAS24/Getty Images

Taylor Swift officially kicked off year two of her Eras Tour in Tokyo today (or, technically, tonight if you’re in Japan), Feb. 7, and took the opportunity to start sharing some details about her next album/era — The Tortured Poets Department.

Swift announced her 11th LP (out April 19) after winning Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights at the Grammys this past Sunday, though as she told the crowd in Tokyo, there was a backup plan in place just in case she didn’t win any trophies (can you imagine?).

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“Going to the Grammys, going in, I had this plan,” she said, adding that she’d shared it with only a few people, including producer Jack Antonoff. “But I really hadn’t told very many other people. I thought, ‘OK, if I’m lucky enough to get up there and win one thing tonight, I’m just gonna do it. I’m just gonna announce my new album.’”

After pausing for some extremely loud cheers, Swift continued: “And luckily enough, that ended up happening. My backup plan was I was going to do it tonight in Tokyo. But thanks to you and your support, I was lucky enough to win a Grammy and tell you about it on stage at the Grammys. And now we can talk about it afterward, we can do like a debrief tonight.”

Swift proceeded to share a few details about Tortured Poets Department, including the fact that she began working on it immediately after turning in Midnights (which would’ve been months before that album was actually released).

“I’ve been working on it for about two years,” she said. “I kept working on it throughout the U.S. tour, and when it was perfect, in my opinion — when it was good enough for you — I finished it. I am so, so excited that soon you’ll get to hear it, soon we’ll get to experience that together.”

After announcing Tortured Poets Department at the Grammys, Swift immediately shared the album artwork and, not long after, the track list. The 17-song record features a couple of collaborations as well, including songs with Post Malone and Florence + the Machine.

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