Taylor Swift announces surprise new album ‘Folklore’
Is this news beyond our ‘Wildest Dreams’? Absolutely!
Miss Corona, look what you made Taylor Swift do… make a new quarantine record, that’s what.
No one can accuse the pop superstar of slumming it during lockdown after she announced that she is dropping her eighth studio album, ‘Folklore’, tonight [Thursday].
The follow-up to 2019’s ‘Lover’ was made with some of her “musical heroes”, including The National’s Aaron Dressner and Bon Iver, aka Justin Vernon – socially distanced, of course.
We’re already getting all the country vibes.
The singer – who was due to headline Glastonbury earlier this month – shared the surprising news on her social media earlier today.
Accompanied by a black-and-white picture of herself roaming the woods, she wrote: “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,” she continues.
Shaking off the schedules that she’d usually stick to, Swift, 30, said she felt compelled to do things differently 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.
“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,” she explains.
Aaron Dessner said: “I’ve rarely been so inspired by someone and it’s still hard to believe this even happened – these songs came together in such a challenging time.”
Swift revealed that she wrote and directed the music video for first single ‘Cardigan’, also out tonight.
“The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other, and I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling,” she added.
Not missing a beat, music’s savviest star has even designed an accompanying cardy that you can buy on her website – she really does have the ‘knit’ factor.
Other titles on the 16-track LP are ‘Exile’ (featuring Bon Iver), ‘Illicit Affairs’ and ‘The Last Great American Dynasty.’
As luck would have it, Swift’s long-time rival Kanye West is also set to drop his album, ‘Donda: With Child,’ this week.