Taylor Swift has mastered the art of not just releasing albums, but curating them in a way that resonates with the Swifties world. Its more about creating a trend, one that certainly didn’t begin with the announcement of The Life of a Showgirl yesterday (Tuesday).
Taylor Swift has totally nailed the art of leveraging new tech and forward-thinking marketing to connect with her fans, on a super personal level- it’s a game-changer!
A decade and a half ago, Swifties third studio album, Speak Now (2010), was announced via the now-defunct Ustream. Similarly, 2012’s Red was announced via Google+ Hangout -RIP-while over 70,000 fans watched via YouTube stream.
Here’s a look at Taylor Swift’s most memorable album announcements, which some might call clever marketing gimmicks- let’s take a walk down memory lane!
Announcement date: Aug 23, 2017
The story behind: Reputation arrived with much speculation - the once very public facing Swift had begun to keep a low profile, heightening the mystery.
A week before the album announcement, Swift deleted every post across her social media platforms. Then, a few days later, she posted a 10-second video clip of a snake.
Soon after, she revealed the album’s name, release date and that the first single would drop the very next day.
Release date: Nov 10, 2017
Announcement date: July 23,2020
The story behind: In the midst of the pandemic, Swift got creative. She announced that her eighth album, Folklore, would arrive the next day - less than a year after release of her seventh album, Lover.
Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore.
Surprise, she wrote on Instagram at the time. “I’ve poured all my whims, dream, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation.”
Release date: July 24, 2020
Announcement date: Dec 10, 2020
The story behind: Just a few months after the surprise release of Folklore, Swift announced Evermore, calling it a “sister” to Folklore.
She wrote, “To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs. I’ve never done this before.
"In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off-eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released,” she said.
Release date: Dec 11, 2020
Announcement date: Aug 28, 2022
The story behind: Swift took home the top size prize at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards before she closed out the show with a big announcement: A new album.
”I thought it would be a fun moment to tell you that my new album comes out Oct 21. I will tell you ,more at midnight,” Swift said, after she won video of the year for her project All Too well: The Short Film, which claimed best long-form video and direction.
At the anointed hour, Swift said on social media that her 10th studio album would be called Midnights, which she said would involve “stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”
Release date: Oct 21, 2022
The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
Announcement date: Feb 4, 2024
The story behind: The night of the Grammys, Swift provoked mass speculation when her site seemed to go down. Some theorized she was gearing up to release Reputation (Taylor’s Version), but cryptic clues on the “crashed” site indicated that might be a misdirect.
In classic Swift fashion, it was. While accepting the Grammy for best pop vocal album, Swift said, she’d been keeping a secret for two years: “The Tortured Poets Department,” an all-original album.
Release date: April 19, 2024
The Life of a Showgirl (2025)
Announcement date: Aug 12, 2025
The story behind: For her 12th studio album, Swift really ran with the theme. She announced the album on her website right after a countdown timer hit 12:12 a.m. on Aug 12, embracing the numerological tie-in with 1989 in style.
A day before the announcement, the Taylor Nation account posted a TikTok slide show with 12 images, captioned “Thinking about when she said 'see you next era…’”-12 minutes after a mysterious silhouette popped up on Travis Kelce’s podcast. Fans caught on quick and yes, it was Swift’s outline.
The New Heights social media accounts sealed the deal, confirming Swift’s first-ever appearance on the podcast…and it was set for Aug 13, because, you guessed it, 13 is Swift’s lucky number. All the numerology wasn’t subtle.
