Taylor Swift just unveiled a new album at the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday, and it’s not the one her fans were expecting.
Upon accepting the ceremony’s pop vocal album, Swift thanked the Recording Academy for its support, which is a “direct reflection of the fans.” As a token of her gratitude to her devoted fan base, she announced her newest release, “The Tortured Poets Department” is on its way.
“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,” she said. “Which is that my brand new album comes out April 19.”
She concluded her speech telling fans that she would post the cover art for her newest release on Instagram — and she made good on that promise. “All’s fair in love and poetry…,” she captioned a photo of the cover art. Her Instagram post also included a new set of what look to be lyrics to a song.
The self-proclaimed chairman of the Tortured Poets Department took her fans by surprise on Sunday. Ahead of ceremony, fans speculated that Swift would announce “Reputation (Taylor’s Version),” a re-release of her 2017 album.
Swifites noticed that the singer unarchived a 2017 Instagram post announcing the arrival of the album, which featured hits “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Getaway Car.” Swifites also noticed that the singer recently updated her social media profile pictures with a black-and-white version of the same photo.
For the uninitiated, Swift’s “Reputation” featured a black-and-white photo of the singer as its album art. At the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019, “Reputation” earned a nomination for pop vocal album.
On Sunday, fans also noticed that Swift’s merchandise store was locked, and required a password for access.
Fueling even more “Reputation” speculation, Swift donned a monochrome white Schiaparelli gown. She accessorized the flowy gown — which featured a leg slit — with a black bedazzled clock choker, black arm-length gloves and black peep-toe heels.
“The Tortured Poets Department” will arrive after a landmark year for the Grammy-winning singer. In 2023, Swift launched her highly lucrative Eras tour, broke box office records with a film about her tour and began her highly-public romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
When Swift made Time magazine history as the first woman to appear twice on its annual Person of the Year cover, she told the magazine, ““This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been.”
Coming into Sunday’s awards show, Swift nominated for six categories. Her “Midnights” took home a Grammy for pop vocal album.
This story originally Appeared on LATimes