Taylor Swift shocks fans with second Tortured Poets Department album drop

Taylor Swift shocks fans by confirming a popular fan theory around her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, and sends Swifties into a frenzy. Photo / AP
Fans speak about Taylor Swift's album The Tortured Poets Department at the Auckland release party. Video / Alyse Wright

Today, Taylor Swift released her much-anticipatedThe Tortured Poets Department at 4pm. Now, the pop icon has confirmed a popular fan theory and caused a mass frenzy online.

Two hours after her 11th album’s release, the Blank Space singer shocked fans by announcing there is a second half of her latest record, and Swifties are going crazy.

Many fans have been theorising if Swift would do a double album drop and the singer herself confirmed it via X, formerly Twitter.

The message, which was posted after the first 16 songs had dropped, read: “It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album.

“I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology.”

She concluded: “15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours.”

It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album. ✌️ I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine… pic.twitter.com/y8pyDK8VTd

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 19, 2024

Swifties flooded the comments section with excitement about the big album surprise.

“THE BEST 2AM SURPRISE EVER,” one wrote, while another said: “Thank you taylor we love you.”

One person added: “IM STILL RECOVERING FROM THE STANDARD EDITION BUT LETS DO THIS!!”

“You’re the most impeccable poet of the music industry,” another fan gushed.

Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department is her 11th studio album. Photo / Getty Images
Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department is her 11th studio album. Photo / Getty Images

Swift first announced The Tortured Poets Department at the 2024 Grammys while accepting her 13th Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.

After beating Ed Sheeran, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, and Olivia Rodrigo in the category, Swift grinned as she gave her acceptance speech saying: “Okay, this is my 13th Grammy. Which is my lucky number. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that.”

Revealing she has been secretly working on her 11th studio album, she said: “So I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I have been keeping from you for the last two years, which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19th it’s called The Tortured Poets Department.”

Megan Watts is a lifestyle multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald whose passions include honest journalism, backstage band chats and doing things for the plot.