Taylor Swift Reveals When She Started Working on New Album ‘TTPD’ and Says She’s ‘So Excited’ About It
Taylor Swift spilled some secrets while performing in Japan on Wednesday, February 7. During her first show back on the Eras tour after more than two months off, the pop star shared more details about her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department.
“I’ve been working on Tortured Poets since right after I turned in Midnights,” Taylor, 34, told the crowd during the Evermore set of the concert. She explained that albums are usually turned in “months in advance,” which allowed her to start writing songs for TTPD long before Midnights was released.
“I’ve been working on it for about two years,” she continued. “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. And I am so excited that soon you’ll get to hear it. Soon we’ll get to experience it together.”
Taylor announced the upcoming record while accepting the award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys on Sunday, February 4. In her speech, she told fans that her exciting news was something she had been keeping a “secret” for about two years. The timeline shocked Swifties, as a two-year secret meant that the album was in the works months before Midnights’ October 2022 release date.
While it’s unclear exactly when Taylor turned in Midnights, fans have speculated that she finished the album around the end of 2021. In November 2023, Jack Antonoff revealed that the song “You’re Losing Me,” which was seemingly the final track written for the record, was recorded on December 5, 2021.
The U.S. leg of Taylor’s Eras tour took place during summer 2023, which means that she was working on TTPD for more than a year before completing it. The record is set to be released on April 19.
During her Tokyo concert, Taylor also thanked her fans for continuing to love her work. “I’m just, like, over the moon about the fact that you guys care about my music,” she said. “It still blows my mind. I love doing this. I know I keep saying that but it’s true. Everybody’s like, ‘Why do you make so many albums?’ I’m like, ‘Man, because I love it!’ I love it so much.” She also confirmed that she was “in a really good mood” following her win for Album of the Year at the Grammys.
The “Karma” singer was seen partying with friends after the award show and likely hopped on a plane immediately after that to make it to Japan for her first of four concerts at the Tokyo Dome. After the final show on Saturday, February 10, she’s expected to return to the United States to attend the February 11, Super Bowl, where her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, will be taking the field with the Kansas City Chiefs.
