Taylor Swift Announces Surprise New Album ‘Folklore’ Is Dropping Tonight

Taylor Swift surprised fans on Thursday morning by announcing the release of a surprise new album, called Folklore, which will be dropping at midnight EST on Friday, July 24. The singer revealed the album’s artwork and tracklist via her Instagram page early on the morning of July 23, sending the internet into a happy frenzy.

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folklore will have 16 songs on the standard edition, but the physical deluxe editions will include a bonus track called “the lakes.” Because this is my 8th studio album, I made 8 deluxe CD editions and 8 deluxe vinyl editions that are available for one week😄 Each deluxe edition has unique covers, photos, and artwork. Available exclusively at taylorswift.com

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 23, 2020 at 5:03am PDT

1. Folklore was recorded in isolation. Since pretty much the entire world has been in lockdown for the past several months, artists have gone to work creating new projects. Taylor Swift revealed that Folklore was written and recorded in isolation. “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,” she wrote. “And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise 🤗Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into.”
2. The album includes some pretty exciting collaborations. Taylor Swift is the queen of amazing collabs and Folklore is no different. This album includes contributions from the likes of Bon Iver, William Bowery, Aaron Dressner, and other people that Swift considers to be “musical heroes” of hers.
3. It just seemed like the right time to release Folklore despite everything that’s going on. Swift went on to explain that while album releases are often meticulously planned, she simply wanted to put the music ou there without overthinking things this time around. “Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed,” she wrote. “My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much.”
4. Folklore contains 16 tracks. That’s no small amount! The first single, or at least the first song to get a video, is called “Cardigan” and will be released online tonight. Deluxe editions of the album will have a bonus song called “The Lakes,” and there are eight special editions each on CD and vinyl, if you’re a bigtime Taylor Swift fan and collector. We can’t wait to listen!

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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 🤗Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation but got to collaborate with some musical heroes of mine; @aarondessner (who has co-written or produced 11 of the 16 songs), @boniver (who co-wrote and was kind enough to sing on one with me), William Bowery (who co-wrote two with me) and @jackantonoff (who is basically musical family at this point). Engineered by Laura Sisk and Jon Low, mixed by Serban Ghenea & Jon Low. The album photos were shot by the amazing @bethgarrabrant. Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much ♥️

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 23, 2020 at 5:00am PDT