Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’ is almost here: Live updates heading into the release (2024)

What is a ‘fortnight’? Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets’ single sparks memes about the popular video game

30m ago / 2:55 AM UTC

In the first look at her upcoming music video for "Fortnight," Taylor Swift seems like she is on some kind of warpath.

The six-second clip opens with a typewriter writing out the phrase, "I love you, it's ruining my life."

The rest of the clips are so fast, if you blink you'll miss them. But most scenes feature Swift in a rage, clad in some sort of full-length gown.

At one point, she stands in an office setting, in a black Victorian-style outfit as papers on fire land around her. In another scene, clad in a strapless white dress, she throws a chair through a window in an attempt to escape a clinical-looking room.

One close shot of Swift shows her shackled to a bed, with her eyebrows drawn on in thin lines. Fans were quick to note that the look is reminiscent of Hollywood starlet Clara Bow, who's name makes up the 16th track of the album.

Branded Tinseltown's first true "It Girl," Bow was a film actor who lived from 1905-1965. She got her start in silent films before transitioning to "talkies" and her look — bowed lips, doll-like face, thin eyebrows — became the look du jour of the 1920s.

But things weren't always easy for Bow, who became the target of much gossip and speculation over the years. For more on her life, click here.

1h ago / 2:11 AM UTC

While we wait, we're trying to decipher all the "two" theories.

2h ago / 1:51 AM UTC

Ahead of the release ofher highly anticipated 11th studio album“The Tortured Poets Department” on April 19, rather than drop a single from the record, Taylor Swift released five new playlists of her own songs instead.

Swift’s playlists, with titles thatrefer to the cover art from special editions of “The Tortured Poets Department,”encompass thefive stages of grief:denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

But some of her choices sparked strong reactions from fans. For example, on her playlist about denial — or as Swift describes it, a phase of heartbreak that involves missing “red flags” — the singer included her romantic 2019 song, “Lover,”which is thought to be inspired by her ex, Joe Alwyn.

Read on to learn more about each of Swift’s playlists, and some of the surprising songs included.

‘I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life,’ or denial

For“I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life,”Swift explained, “This is a list of songs about getting so caught up in the idea of something that you have a hard time seeing the red flags, possibly resulting in moments of denial and maybe a little bit of delusion. Results may vary.”

Songs from this playlist include “Snow on the Beach” and “Bejeweled” from “Midnights,” “Cruel Summer” and “False God” from “Lover,” “Style” and “Wildest Dreams” from “1989,” “Treacherous” from “Red,” and more.Two of the songs included, “Betty” and “Sweet Nothing,” were co-written byAlwyn under the pen name William Bowery.

‘You Don’t Get to Tell Me About Sad,’ or anger

“These songs all have one thing in common: I wrote them while feeling anger,” Swift explained. “Over the years, I’ve learned that anger can manifest itself in a lot of different ways, but the healthiest way that it manifests itself in my life is when I can write a song about it and then oftentimes, that helps me get past it.”

Among the songs on the playlist were“Vigilante S--t” and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” from “Midnights,” “Exile” and “Mad Woman” from “Folklore,” “Bad Blood” from “1989,” “Dear John” and “Better Than Revenge” from “Speak Now,” and “Tell Me Why” and “Forever & Always” from “Fearless.”

‘Am I Allowed to Cry?,’ or bargaining

“Times when you’re trying to make deals with yourself, or someone that you care about. You’re trying to make things better,” she explained. “You’re oftentimes feeling really desperate because oftentimes we have a gut intuition that tells us things are not going to go the way that we hope which makes us more desperate which makes us bargain more.”

Swift included her songs “This Is Me Trying” and “Peace” from “Folklore,” “The Archer” and “Cornelia Street” from “Lover,” “Come Back…Be Here” from “Red,” and her feature on the song “Renegade” by Big Red Machine, a band composed of two of her collaborators, Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon.

‘Old Habits Die Screaming,’ or depression

In her playlist“Old Habits Die Screaming,”Swift said she wanted to take listeners through her songs that explore “the feelings of depression that often lace their way” through her music.

“In times like these, I’ll write a song because I feel lonely or hopeless and writing a song feels like the only way to process that intensity of an emotion,” she explained. “And while these things are really, really hard to go through, I often feel like when I’m either listening to songs or writing songs that deal with this intensity of loss and helplessness, usually that’s in the phase where I’m close to getting past that feeling.”

Swift included“Bigger Than the Whole Sky”from “Midnights,” “My Tears Ricochet” from “Folklore,” “Champagne Problems” and “Right Where You Left Me” from “Evermore,” “Nothing New” and “All Too Well” from “Red,” and “Last Kiss” from “Speak Now.”

She also included the vault track “You’re Losing Me,” released shortly after news of her split with Alwyn broke, which fans at the timesaid had some of “the saddest lyrics ever.”

‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,’ or acceptance

In her final playlist, Swift explained that her“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”playlist brings songs where “we finally find acceptance and can start moving forward from loss or heartbreak.”

“These songs represent making room for more good in your life,” she explained. “Making that choice because a lot of times when we lose things, we gain things too.”

She included the songs “Labyrinth” from “Midnights,” “August” and“Invisible String”from “Folklore,” “Happiness” and “Long Story Short” from “Evermore,” “This Love” and “Clean” from “1989,” “Begin Again” from “Red,” and “Breathe” from “Fearless.”

Click here for the full article.

2h ago / 1:15 AM UTC

Shortly after Swift announced "The Tortured Poets Department" at the Grammys, music lovers confused it with the title of a throwback Hollywood movie starring the late Robin Williams.

After Swift’s surprise announcement, Google searches for the 1989 drama “Dead Poets Society” skyrocketed 588%, according to NoDepositRewards.com, an online group that promotes casinos around the world.

Other than both employing the word “poets” in their titles, the movie, which takes place at a fictional elite boarding school, and Swift’s album don’t appear to have much else in common.

Except ...

There’s the fact that “Dead Poets Society” was released in 1989, which is Swift's birth year and the title of one of her albums. And, of course, her new album could possibly feature songs exploring sorrow and heartbreak, topics the movie explored, too.

Come to think of it, Williams’ character in the movie, an unorthodox English teacher named John Keating, inspires his young students to live by the Latincredocarpe diem,or “seize the day.” Didn’t Swift say kind of the same thing in her 2014 hit “Shake It Off”?

Click here for the full article.

2h ago / 1:05 AM UTC

Fans famously thought Swift's black-and-white profile picture change and her 2024 Grammys outfit predicted news of "Reputation."

Feb. 4 came after months of hints that seemed to point towards the rerecording, from a slew of green outfits reminiscent of a snake, the album’s signature motif, to a tweet filled with capital S’s tied to her Time Person of the Year interview. Plus, fans have already heard snippets of the “Taylor’s Version” “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Delicate” tracks.

It seemed like every few weeks fans predicted a new date for the anticipated rerecording, including Nov. 10, Nov. 26, Dec. 13 and of course, Feb. 4, the date of the Grammys.

The official X account for the Empire State Building even fell for it at one point.

Instead, Swift announced "Tortured Poets," a brand new album.

Still, just hours before the new album arrives, fans are holding out for a "Reputation" surprise.

Similar to (incorrect) theories surrounding the October 2023 release of "1989 (Taylor's Version)," fans think "Tortured Poets" could be a "double album" drop, meaning the singer would release a second surprise tied to "Tortured Poets."

Some have even assembled theories that the "Reputation" rerecording could be involved. The reveal of the Apple Music puzzle result —"We hereby conduct this post mortem" — immediately reminded Swifties of the imagery surrounding "Reputation" in 2017, specifically a line from a poem associated with the album: "And in the death of her reputation / She felt truly alive."

One user found "REP" like part of a word search in one of Swift's Instagram posts.

"im not trying to be ungrateful im just delusional but i think dropping reputation taylor’s version together with the tortured poets department would be kinda perfect because they’re two bookends of the same relationship," one fan wrote on X, pointing out that while "Reputation" is thought to be about Joe Alwyn, "Tortured Poets" is thought to be about their split.

But some Swifties are tired of the "Reputation" speculation. The months of failed predictions have led the "theorizing" to be re-classified as "clowning."

2h ago / 12:58 AM UTC

The red herring that started it at all.

When Taylor Swift arrived to the Grammys Feb. 4 dressed in black and white, fans were convinced that an announcement regarding her "Reputation" rerecording was imminent.

Swift arrived to the 2024 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in a stunning strapless white gown, with black elbow-high gloves.

The stark tones of her Grammys look, combined with the new black-and-white tint to her profile pictures online, fueled theories that Swift’s next major announcement will center on the rerecording of her sixth studio album.

Theoriginal album art for “Reputation”featured the singer in black-and-white with print covering the side of her face, almost like a newspaper.

Swift’s acceptance speech for her 13th Grammy Awards complicated that theory, however: She revealed anew album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was on the way. This album cover is also black and white, like “Reputation.”

The outfit now reveals the aesthetic of the album, later confirmed through the official cover art.

Sensuous, luxurious and almost old-Hollywood style — fitting for the final track "Clara Bow" —captures the vibe of "Tortured Poets."

The music video teaser for "Fortnight" also revealed Swift in a white dress with a similar silhouette to the one she wore on Grammys night.

Click here for the full article.

3h ago / 12:37 AM UTC

Taylor Swift's official fan account, Taylor Nation, announced official "Tortured Poets Department" merchandise around 8 p.m. ET, less than four hours before the album's release.

Products include hoodies, sweatpants, earrings, a choker necklace and more.

A black jacket with "All's fair in love and poetry" along the back as well as "Tortured Poets Department" jacket sold out in less than 30 minutes.

Taylor Nation dubbed the attire, "Department-issued uniforms and matching accessories."

3h ago / 12:19 AM UTC

Taylor Swift is revealing a first look at her upcoming music video for "Fortnight" off her new album. The song will debut on her "Tortured Poets Department" album in just under four hours.

In a post shared Thursday night, a video shows snippets in black-and-white from the music video, which drops Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

"At this hearing, I stand before my fellow members of The Tortured Poets Department with a summary of my findings," she captioned the post. "Album tonight. Fortnight music video tomorrow at 8pm et."

4h ago / 11:54 PM UTC

While Travis Kelce, football superstar and boyfriend of Taylor Swift, isn't expected to be the inspiration behind her next album "The Tortured Poets Department," the tight end has previously commented on it.

Ahead of Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas, which his team went on to win in overtime, Kelce told reporters that he had already listened to part of the album.

“I have heard some of it. It is unbelievable,” Kelce said, per Variety. “I can’t wait for her to shake up the world when it finally drops.”

Kelce and Swift first sparked dating rumors in July 2023, after he talked about attending one of her "Eras Tour" shows on his podcast. Her first appearance at a Chiefs game in September 2023 came nearly five months after reports of Swift's split with Alwyn broke in April 2023.

Click here for a refresher on the timeline of Kelce and Swift's relationship.

4h ago / 11:02 PM UTC

Swift's 11th studio album became the most pre-saved album on Spotify Thursday, the streaming platform announced around 11:15 a.m. — 12 hours before the album drops at midnight.

The countdown page lists all the tracks on the standard version of the album. By pre-saving, the album is automatically added to a user's library once the album becomes available to stream.

5h ago / 10:44 PM UTC

After Swift announced her new album while winning her 13th Grammy, her social media accounts also shared the news.

“And so I enter into evidence my tarnished coat of arms/ My muses, acquired like bruises, my talismans and charms/ The tick, tick, tick of love bombs/ My veins of pitch black ink/ All’s fair in love and poetry…” the post read, signed "The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department."

Then, during the solar eclipse on April 8, Swift shared a video of an old-fashioned typewriter typing out the following phrase:

Crowd goes wild at her fingertips, half moonshine, full eclipse

Swift would go on to announce that Target will carry special vinyl variants of the album on April 14 with another post to her Instagram, writing what appeared to be more lyrics in the caption: “I wish I could un-recall how we almost had it all.”

Then, as part of a Spotify pop-up event in Los Angeles, several more lines were revealed starting on April 16:

Even statues crumble if they’re made to wait

One less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen

As she was leaving, it felt like breathing

Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?

Come one, come all / it’s happening again

5h ago / 10:01 PM UTC

Anyone who knows Taylor Swift also knows that she loves an important message that's hidden in plain sight. Easter eggs, one could call them, or clues or signs.

Fans of Swift believe they've detected a new clue that could indicate something important: A pattern of Swift plotting the number two everywhere as of late.

Allow this Swiftie TikToker to break it down for you:

Here's a recap of where we've seen twos:

- When Swift revealed at the Grammys she’s releasing “TTPD,” she said she had been working on the album for two years and held up two fingers. (Review the video here.)

- The “TTPD” logo looks like a Roman numeral II.

- In an animated video released by Swift this week teasing her upcoming music video, a clock is seen on a wall set to 2:00.

- In a pop-up Spotify installation in Los Angeles promoting "TTPD," fans spotted a few two references: there's a statue of a hand holding up two fingers and there are clocks also set to 2:00. (See more Easter eggs from this pop-up in the blog post below.)

And, on Wednesday, Swift tweeted on X, "✌️ days til THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT."

So what could all this mean? Swifties on TikTok have some theories: Could Swift be releasing a double album or a doing a two-album drop? ("Reputation (Taylor's Version)" anyone?) Or could this indicate a second act coming to "The Eras Tour"? After all, one would expect "TTPD" to be incorporated into the tour somehow, especially considering "The Eras Tour" as we know it has been memorialized with a concert film that's now streaming.

The possibilities behind the "two theory" are quite endless — but keep an eye on those twos.

6h ago / 9:50 PM UTC

Taylor Swift has been revealing more lyrics from her upcoming album at a Spotify pop-up in Los Angeles.

Held at The Grove, an outdoor shopping mall, a library-like display will continue to unveil more stanzas featured in the upcoming album.

Here are the lyrics we’ve seen so far at the display:

• Crowd goes wild at her fingertips, half moonshine, full eclipse
• Even statues crumble if they’re made to wait
• One less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen
• As she was leaving, it felt like breathing
• Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?
• Come one, come all / it's happening again

In addition to the lyrics being revealed from an old-fashioned book, the decor from the “library” is also believed to hold many more clues, fans believe.

Below, we’ve rounded up and synthesized some of the fan theories.

Card Catalog

Back in ye olden days before everything was online, we used to look up books in the library by using the physical card catalog.

The Spotify display includes one such dresser, with 72 drawers total and six of them open with flowers and lace spilling out.

Fans have suggested that the open six drawers represent the six years Swift spent with her ex, actor Joe Alwyn, and the total of 72 represents the total months they spent together.

Other fans (disclaimer: some of whom did not initially seem to know what card catalog is) postulated that the display also reminded them of a mausoleum and that the album is a post-mortem of Swift and Alwyn’s relationship.

Globes

There were a few globes on display in the pop-up, all with Miami, Florida, marked by a pin or in one instance, a nail.

As we know, there is a song titled “Florida!!!” on the album. There are fan rumors that something happened in Florida, so we’ll have to wait and see what the lyrics reveal.

Typewriters

There are a few typewriters in the scene — matching the aesthetic of the album— including one that is labeled No. 3. The paper in the No. 3 typewriter is the track list, leading some Swifties to think that the label means that the third song of “TPD” —“My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” — will be the first single.

Some fans have pointed out that the T and B keys seem to be slightly off or askew on a few of the typewriters.

Cages

For the birdcage, some fans speculated it might be a metaphor for how Swift felt in her previous relationship but one particularly interesting theory comes from @FolklorianAna on X.

“I’m sure that Taylor (Swift) has read ‘A Doll’s House’ by Henrik Ibsen and used it as a huge inspiration for TTPD,” she posted. “This play portrays a woman who cares for her husband but feels like she’s in a cage (the cages on Spotify library). Her husband also calls her constantly ‘Little Skylark.’”

There is also a statue of birds resting on a tree branch featured in the display.

Clocks

All the clocks point to 2:00 — it’s unclear exactly what is happening but we personally are rooting for it to be something at 2 p.m. and not 2 a.m.

We should mention that in the video she released earlier this week, there was a yellow clock seemingly set in the “Midnights” album universe that also said 2:00.

Dried/dead flowers

There are loads of dried flowers in the display, which fans have noted include lavender — a reference to “Lavender Haze” from “Midnights” which Swift has previously alluded to being about Alwyn in a now-deleted video.

Fans have also speculated that the flowers include dried Cornelia roses — truthfully, our knowledge of plants is limited and we didn’t take a close-up photo of the flowers for later analysis but that does feel right.

Swift’s song “Cornelia Street” from her 2019 album, “Lover.” That album is widely believed to be about Alwyn in general, and the song is about the beginning of a relationship and falling in love.

Another fan, @giftedswifted, wrote they spotted daisies and poppies in the display underneath the book.

Swift wrote in “Don’t Blame Me” on her 2017 album “Reputation” that “I once was poison ivy, but now I’m your daisy.”

The poppy reference could be from her 2022 album “Midnights” in the song “The Great War.”

“Say a solemn prayer, plant a poppy in my hair,” she sings in a song clearly about a breakup using war as a metaphor.

Lace

On a related note, there is a ton of lace all around the display, which many fans have speculated is tied to how Swift and Alwyn did not get married despite being together for the aforementioned six years.

Puzzles

In jars on the shelves, there are puzzle pieces. Some fans have said that the pieces are from The Lines puzzle, a known difficult puzzle to solve.

This could just be a meta puzzle moment — Swift literally had us at the mall on a Tuesday morning looking for easter eggs in a display and fans around the globe doing different but similar investigations — or it could be something more.

Tambourines

There are literally just a bunch of tambourines throughout the display. We didn’t have any great theories on this but one fan online, @BlankSpaceProd, has postulated that the tambourines have something to do with feat. Florence + The Machine, who is featured on “Florida!!!”

December 13

One of the dates featured in the display is Friday, Dec. 13. Some fans have pointed out that Swift’s birthday is on Dec. 13 but she was born on a Wednesday. This year’s Dec. 13, Swift’s 35th birthday, is on a Friday, so it’s probably safe to assume the calendar is referencing is 2024.

(Another date keeper featured in the display says April 19, which is probably a reference to the date the album drops. Famous last words, though, right?)

“The Story of Us”

There is a (seemingly blank) notebook on a shelf with the handwritten letters “US” in what appears to be black pen scribbled on the front. Some fans have suggested that this is a reference to “The Story of Us” (Taylor’s Version) from her album “Speak Now.”

The books

Obviously, a library has to have books and many of them feature the titles of Swift’s songs on them.

The fan account @TSwiftErasTour noted that the book for “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” from the upcoming album seems to have scribbled handwriting all over it. Another book — one that looks “disgusting” as @TSwiftErasTour pointed out — seems to have “Saint” embossed on the side.

Peace sign

There is a statue of a hand forming the peace sign or the number two on one of the shelves. Swift made the same gesture as she announced her new album after winning her 13th Grammy on Feb. 4.

Swift’s main X account also used the peace hand symbol to mean two on April 17.

Statues

There are white busts featured in the display, including one that seems to be Diana (Artemis) of Ephesus, the goddess of childbirth, fertility and the moon.

One viral tweet from @vigilantesht claims that the “original statue of Diana crumbled while waiting to be shipped to London in the 6th century due to years of neglect, succumbing to the passage of time and the elements.”

TODAY.com has not been able to verify this theory and there are many surviving statues of Diana/Artemis that look similar to the bust featured in the Spotify display.

Questionable theories

Because the display is in person in Los Angeles, most Swifties are getting their information about the pop-up online from people’s photos and videos.

Some fans have said that there is a bullet in the display but based on our analysis and experience, what fans perceived to be a bullet is actually just a fountain pen cap.

6h ago / 9:06 PM UTC

Starting earlier this week, Apple Music had debuted a game for Swifties: It put together a scavenger hunt of words hidden within lyrics stored in Swift's songs on Apple Music.

On Day 1, capitalized letters spelling out "HEREBY" were found in the track "Glitch." The same pattern continued in the following five days.

Day 2: "CONDUCT" was found in "Peace."

Day 3: "THIS" was found in "Better Than Revenge."

Day 4: "POST" was found in "Clean."

Day 5: "WE" was found in "We Were Happy."

Day 6: "MORTEM" was found in "Begin Again."

When unscrambled, the final message reads, "We hereby conduct this post mortem." If you're wondering what that means, we are too.

7h ago / 8:52 PM UTC

A mysterious mural with a QR code and “Tortured Poets” text first cropped up in Chicago earlier this week, and later similar ones erected in other major cities around the globe, including Paris, Melbourne and Sāo Paolo.

When the mural in Chicago initially appeared, the QR code led to a YouTube short with animated typewriter text that said "Error 321." That QR code now leads to a clip of a typewriter printing the letter T. The QR codes left in other cities lead to similar clips providing a different letter.

These letters had to be a message from Swift left for fans to unscramble, right? Right! Swifties on social media were able to decode the letters — which ended up spelling out "for a fortnight."

As we now know, "Fortnight," a track off "TTPD" featuring Post Malone, is the album's first single, Swift shared Thursday afternoon. She revealed the news at taylorswift.com/forafortnight.

7h ago / 8:17 PM UTC

Taylor Nation earlier this morning released what it called a "listening agenda" for "TTPD," staying within the theme of manuscripts.

It's a page of paper that tells readers about a "board meeting" happening at 12 a.m. and to consult your "tortured muse" before attending. It lists the album's tracks as topics of discussion, followed by directions to bring a listening device, snacks, a uniform and a dictionary. Cute!

7h ago / 8:09 PM UTC

The day after Taylor Swift announced her 11th album at the Grammy Awards, she shared a first look at the track list and introduced the first special edition, subtitled "The Manuscript."

She went on the announce four total exclusive editions of the album available in CD or vinyl, each featuring a different bonus track. While vinyl versions of each variant were available for a limited time, currently all four special editions in CD form are available for pre-order at Target.

Here's a guide to all the variants of "The Tortured Poets Department" and all the bonus tracks:

‘The Manuscript’

The edition of the album was first announced Feb. 5. The cover art features Swift looking forlorn and features the text, "I Love You, It's Ruining My Life." This text is also the name of the first of Swift's "five stages of heartbreak" playlist, released through Apple Music on April 5.

This edition features a bonus track called "The Manuscript." You can listen to the track by purchasing a vinyl or CD, available for pre-order at Target or on Swift's official online store.

'The Bolter'

Swift announced "The Bolter" edition of "Tortured Poets" in Melbourne Feb. 16. The alternate cover features a new photo of Swift and the text, "You Don't Get to Tell Me About Sad."

The album's exclusive song, "The Bolter," can be heard on an exclusive CD version of the album, available for pre-order at Target.

'The Albatross'

Swift announced "The Albatross," another variant of the album, on Feb. 23 during her "Eras Tour" show in Sydney. This version features a photo of Swift looking down with the text, "Am I Allowed To Cry?"

This version, with the bonus track "The Albatross," is available as an exclusive CD for pre-order at Target.

'The Black Dog'

Swift announced her fourth and final special edition, "The Black Dog," on March 3 in Singapore. This album cover's subtitle reads, "Old Habits Die Screaming."

The bonus track "The Black Dog" can be heard on an exclusive CD available for pre-order at Target.

8h ago / 7:46 PM UTC

The standard version of "The Tortured Poets Department" album will have 16 songs.

Here's the track list, along with the length of each song, according to Spotify:

1. "Fortnight," featuring Post Malone —3:48
2. "The Tortured Poets Department" —4:53
3. "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" — 3:23
4. "Down Bad" —4:21
5. "So Long, London" — 4:22
6. "But Daddy I Love Him" — 5:40
7. "Fresh Out The Slammer" — 3:30
8. "Florida!!!," featuring Florence + The Machine — 3:35
9. "Guilty as Sin?" — 4:14
10. "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" — 5:34
11. "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" —2:36
12. "loml" — 4:37
13. "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" —3:38
14. "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" —4:05
15. "The Alchemy" — 3:16
16. "Clara Bow" — 3:36

But this is Taylor Swift we're talking about. Of course there are bonus tracks. Various special editions of “TTPD” will have bonus songs called “The Manuscript,” “The Bolter,” “The Albatross” and “The Black Dog.”

8h ago / 7:12 PM UTC

Hip-hop star Post Malone, known for his 2018 hit "Rockstar," is having a big year. His latest album, "Austin," dropped in July 2023, but the rapper is featured on what might be two of the biggest albums of the year.

Post Malone was featured on Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" album, which came out March 29. The rapper crooned a sweet duet with Beyoncé called "Levii's Jeans."

Then, he's set to be featured on "Fortnight," the opening track of "Tortured Poets" that's also going to be the album's lead single.

8h ago / 7:10 PM UTC

Since Taylor Swift announced her 11th album and shared the track list, alleged "leaked" versions of the tracks have popped up on social media — but most fans chalked it up to the use of artificial intelligence.

An alleged leak of "Fortnight," the first track on the album featuring Post Malone, cropped up on TikTok as early as Feb. 15, just 10 days after she released the track list. The upbeat version with the lyrics seemingly sung by Swift, "Never made it clear, never made it right/ I've been waiting here going on a fortnight," is believed by fans to be created through AI.

AI music generators allow users to select a genre, mood, theme and existing song inspirations to create a song.

Some purported "leaked" versions of tracks from "Tortured Poets" were later debunked to be existing songs overlaid with an AI voice generator made to sound like Swift. For example, one alleged leak of "loml" was actually the lyrics and tune of "Homemade Dynamite" by Lorde.

But murmurings of a leak picked up April 17, ahead of the album's drop at midnight on April 19. Online, largely anonymous users running fan accounts shared screenshots purporting to have the song files, some of which seemingly landed on X. Many Swifties rallied online to against those leaks.

TODAY.com has reached out to reps for Swift for comment.

Users were unable to search "Taylor Swift leak" on X by Wednesday afternoon. Typing the query into the search bar yielded a "Something went wrong. Try reloading" result. This was the same result that users got when they tried to search Swift's name around Jan. 27, shortly after explicit deepfakes of Swift went viral.

It wouldn't be the first time one of Swift's albums have leaked online. Variety reported that, in 2014, Swift's fifth studio album, "1989," leaked three days before it was set to come out.

9h ago / 6:07 PM UTC

"The Tortured Poets Department" will officially drop in 10 hours, at 12 a.m. ET on April 19 and 9 p.m. PT on April 18.

The album will be available to stream on Spotify here and on Apple Music here. You can also learn ways to buy physical copies here.

Swift, meanwhile, had put a clock on taylorswift.com/forafortnight counting down to *something* happening at 2 p.m. ET. It turned out to be a link to preorder a CD for the album’s lead single, “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone.

Swift earlier in the week released a video teasing her first music video off “TTPD,” which is presumably “Fortnight.” It drops at 8 p.m. ET on April 19.