Why Taylor Swift Says She 'Never Needed Songwriting More' Than on New Album

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift got candid with the crowd during her latest Eras Tour concert, as she opened up about writing her upcoming new album, The Tortured Poets Department, at a time when she really needed it.

Swift, 34, was in the middle of her acoustic set getting ready to play a surprise song on the piano, when she took a moment to talk openly with the crowd about the making of the new album, which drops in April.

"This album, this new one, 'Tortured Poets,' is an album that I think more than any of my albums that I've ever made—I needed to make it," said the "Mastermind" songstress, who already has 10 studio albums under her belt.

"It was really a lifeline for me, just the things I was going through, the things I was writing about," she continued. "It kind of reminded me of why songwriting is something that like actually gets me through my life."

"I've never had an album where I needed songwriting more than I needed it on 'Tortured Poets,"' she further stated while the crowd roared in support.

After her speech, the 14-time Grammy winner went on to sing her heartbreaking breakup song, "You're Losing Me," which her fan base largely believes to be about the downfall of her relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn.

Even though she released "You're Losing Me" as one of the vault tracks for her 2022 Midnights, Swift brought into question the timeline of her split with Alwyn when her pal and collaborator Jack Antonoff revealed the song was written all the way back in late 2021, a time when fans believed she was still happily dating Alwyn.

News of their breakup eventually went public in April 2023, but Swifties have still wondered what happened between them, and why she wrote such a sad song in the midst of their six-year romance.

The announcement of The Tortured Poets Department has further convinced fans that Swift and Alwyn may have had trouble long before they officially called it quits, as the singer said she's been waiting two years to release the album when announcing it at the Grammys earlier this month. Plus, the album's track list has no shortage of hints that appear to be digs at the British actor, including "So Long, London" and "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)."

But the Swifties will have to wait for the album to come out to hear more clues in the new lyrics, which will undoubtedly pack an eloquent punch, as they always do.

The Tortured Poets Department drops Friday, April 19.

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