Taylor Swift Releases Surprise Double Album 'The Tortured Poets Department'

Taylor Swift surprised fans on Friday with the release of a new album, "The Tortured Poets Department," which turned out to be a surprise double album.

The album was announced with a philosophical post on social media that addressed the themes of the album, including breakups, self-reflection, and healing.

The Tortured Poets Department. An anthology of new works that reflect events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time - one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure. This period of the author's life is now over, the chapter closed and… pic.twitter.com/41OObGyJDW

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 19, 2024

"The Tortured Poets Department. An anthology of new works that reflect events, opinions, and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time-one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure. This period of the author's life is now over; the chapter is closed and boarded up. There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed. And upon further reflection, a good number of them turned out to be self-inflicted. This writer is of the firm belief that our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page. Once we have told our saddest story, we can be free of it. And then all that's left behind is the tortured poetry," the star wrote in her social media post.

Two hours after the album initially dropped, Swift revealed that there was a second part to the album titled "The Anthology" with an additional 15 songs.

The first album, "The Tortured Poets Department," includes 17 tracks and features collaborations with Post Malone ("Fortnight") and Florence + the Machine ("Florida!!!"). A music video for "Fortnight" is set to be released on Friday evening.

The surprise announcement follows months of Swift teasing lyrics and dropping musical clues leading up to the album's release.

The album is available on vinyl, cassette, CD, and digital streaming services.