It’s no secret that Taylor Swift has released yet another album– it’s been encircling everyone’s feeds and lives for the last couple of months since she kicked off her intense marketing for it. The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) is a heart-rending poetry album that goes into the depths of her previous and current relationships, as well as personal struggles and triumphs against herself.
Before diving into the album itself, let’s discuss the overall marketing for the album. It was released on April 19, but Swift made the official announcement during her acceptance speech at the 2024 Grammys on February 4. This is not a typical amount of time that an artist will announce an album; typically it is hyped up for months before finally being released, but Swift played her cards and made sure that the album would not be drowned out in a few weeks. Announcing the album close to the release date is a great way to make sure that it stays fresh in the news. Another strategy she used that Swift is very well known for is releasing different types of vinyl in stores. Every few weeks leading up to the release of The Tortured Poets Department she would advertise a new vinyl version of the album, typically the only thing changing being the color of the actual record and the “extra song” at the end of the tracklist. This type of collective marketing is being picked up and used by other artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, who used it for her release of Guts, presumably because she saw the success of it with Swift’s previous vinyl sales. Roping in collector fans is one of the most effective strategies for releasing merchandise as an artist.
The album itself was originally advertised as a single album, but Swift did what she’s known for and completely floored the world. A second album with 15 additional songs called The Anthology was released along with The Tortured Poets Department. These 31 tracks have put Swifties and non-Swifties on two separate sides of the fence. Some love it, and some believe it is her first-ever album flop.
Kenzee Lathrop, an avid Taylor Swift fan, said she loves The Tortured Poets Department because it describes what Swift has really gone through, not just what everyone sees from her. “The reason I think this album isn’t as well received as her others is because it is too real for them. You have to look at the real meaning behind the songs and people don’t like that she is expressing what her life was really like through the years,” Lathrop said.
People also seemed to be confused by the sudden genre-switches that Swift is notorious for. Her previous new album, Midnights, fell into the pop category, but TTPD lacks the upbeat rhythm that many fans craved. She announced it was a poetry album but many people were still disappointed that it wasn’t like her recent releases. The miscommunication and expectations of fans ultimately made this album a hit or miss for everyone.
Overall, the songs on the album seem to be deeper than most of her others and carry a little bit more baggage. It is interesting to hear bits and pieces of her life through lyrical poetry and try and de-code what all of it means. It brings meaning to listening to music, rather than just turning it on for white noise like lots of people find themselves doing.
Flop or not, The Tortured Poets Department has broken a handful of records not even a month after release. It currently holds the second-biggest debut hit on the Billboard 200 with 891.37 million streams. The album had 1.5 million first-week sales, 700,000 of them being vinyl. Swift also broke her previous Spotify record for the fastest album to reach 1 billion streams, zooming past her Midnights record in October of 2022.
Taylor Swift continues to trend, even with the opinions of her album up in the air. The dedication of her fans and her haters is truly unmatched in the music industry.
