Taylor Swift's New Album Name Slyly Suggests She's Still Hung Up On Joe Alwyn
Taylor Swift announced the release of her new album at the 2024 Grammy Awards. While taking the stage to accept the award for Best Pop Vocal Album, Swift surprised fans by announcing a break from her historic re-recordings and promising a brand-new album. "I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I've been keeping from you for the last two years, which is that my brand new album comes out April 19," Swift said during her acceptance speech, per Entertainment Weekly. "It's called 'The Tortured Poets Department.'" Naturally, Swift's fans flew into a frenzy, attempting to uncover any possible Easter eggs hidden within the release date, album cover, and of course, the mysterious and foreboding title of the album.
However, "The Tortured Poets Department" may not be as mysterious as we initially thought, as Swift's fans have already started connecting it back to her relationship with actor Joe Alwyn. You see, Alwyn once admitted during Variety's "Actors on Actors" that he and Paul Mescal had a WhatsApp group called "The Tortured Man Club." Swift is known to be highly calculated, so the chances of her accidentally choosing a similar title for her album seem very slim. TMZ posited that Swift could be taking a dig at Alwyn but we'd even go one step further to suggest that the similar titles could be a sign that Swift has some lingering feelings for the British star, which she may have needed to channel through a breakup album.
But what could this mean for Swift and her current beau, Travis Kelce?
Could there be trouble in paradise between Taylor and Travis?
If you're a true Swiftie, then you probably believe Taylor Swift already acknowledged her relationship troubles with Joe Alwyn on her "Midnights" vault track, "You're Losing Me." The song contains the line, "I wouldn't marry me either," leading fans to speculate that marital differences eventually led to their split. While Swift's musical partner, Jack Antonoff, confirmed that Swift wrote the song in 2021, while she and Alwyn were still together, Swift also previously admitted that not every song she writes is autobiographical. So there's no way to know if "You're Losing Me" is about Alwyn unless Swift confirms or denies.
Either way, an entire album dedicated to her breakup with Alwyn would likely contain more questionable references and attract attention to their relationship. Just think: Swift would have to do photoshoots and music videos, essentially pulling back the curtain on their famously private bond. While that would be great for fans, it could prove to be a prickly inconvenience for Swift's bond with Travis Kelce. After all, the new couple has spent the past six months parading their bond to the world, and a breakup album about Alwyn would definitely dilute their presence.
Could it be that Swift is okay with fans splitting their attention between her bond with Kelce and her past relationship with Alwyn? Or, could it be that she's not nearly as content with Kelce as she seems? Hopefully, Swift's release will answer these questions and more.