Global music phenomenon Taylor Swift, the most-streamed artist on Spotify, is releasing yet another album. Her 11th studio album, it will be called “The Tortured Poets Department” and will be released on April 19. It will feature 16 total tracks, including three bonus tracks. However, it would not be a Taylor Swift album without her fans (affectionately called “Swifties”) finding Easter eggs in the teased tracks.
Swifties are already speculating that “Tortured Poets Department” is going to be a huge breakup album about her breakup with “Conversations with Friends” actor Joe Alwyn in early 2023. The two had been dating for six years before they ended the relationship around the time Swift started her record-breaking Eras Tour.
Swifties believe that this album will be about Alwyn and Swift’s relationship due to the fact that one of her tracks is titled “So Long, London” and Alwyn and Swift lived together in London. Of course, there are more juicy details to this story, as Swift loves to keep her fans on their toes 24/7. When Taylor released her sixth studio album “Reputation,” she made it very clear through her songs that she was in a relationship with Alwyn. Her twelfth track on the album, entitled “Dress,” includes the lyrics “Flashback when you met me; Your buzzcut and my hair bleached.” Swifties believe this lyric is referring to when Swift and Alwyn first met: the 2016 Met Gala.
At the Gala, Swift had cut her hair into a short bob and bleached it, while Alwyn sported a buzzcut. The pair started dating in late 2016 after Swift’s split with “Loki” actor Tom Hiddleston. Swift and Alwyn kept things as secret as possible, dodging paparazzi, not posting about each other on social media, and avoiding talking about each other in interviews.
The couple dated for nearly six years, making their relationship public in May of 2017. Swift not only wrote most of the songs on “Reputation” about Alwyn, but made another album dedicated to her ex-boyfriend. This album was titled “Lover,” and is a fan-favorite. Swift released this album in 2019 when the couple had allegedly been together for about three or four years. The 11th track on that album is titled “London Boy,” and talks about Swift and Alwyn falling in love and the time she spent in London with him while they were keeping their relationship on the down low.
Now this is where it gets messy. Swifties have freaked out over track five of “The Tortured Poets Department” entitled “So Long, London.” Fans are connecting this song to “London Boy” on the “Lover” album and believe this song will be about Alwyn. Some fans also believe this song is insinuating that Taylor is saying goodbye to Alwyn and London since they are no longer together, making the endearing love song “London Boy” now tragic and heartbreaking… or maybe not.
New rumors about their breakup have been spreading around on social media, specifically X and TikTok, saying that Alwyn cheated on Swift and that’s what actually led to their breakup. Originally, Swift’s team came out in early April of last year saying the couple split due to just drifting apart. Now, it appears that that may not have been the case. And the Swifty drama goes on…and on…and on.
“The Tortured Poets Department” will be released April 19 and will be available on all music platforms. Whether or not it truly is a breakup album remains to be seen.
