Taylor Swift has shocked the world again with the announcement of her 11th studio album! At the 66th annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony this past Sunday (February 4), Swift won the Best Pop Vocal Album award for her 2022 album Midnights. This marked her 13th win at the GRAMMYs, and to celebrate, she announced her upcoming album The Tortured Poets Department during her acceptance speech. If you know anything about Taylor Swift, you know that 13 is her lucky number. To give a gift to her fans while celebrating this important win was a meaningful moment for her to share.

The Midnights Era began when Swift announced the album at the 2022 VMAs, so it is fitting that the era came to its official end at an award show. Not only was Swift awarded Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights, but she also received the GRAMMY Award for Album of the Year. This win was historic, because Swift is now the only performer to receive that award four times. She was previously tied at 3 awards with Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Frank Sinatra. She has truly established herself among legends. The Midnights Era went out with a bang, and now we’re thrilled to enter the era of The Tortured Poets Department! The album is set to release on April 19, 2024. 

February 4, 2024, was a busy day for Swift. Not only did she attend the GRAMMYs, but she also sent her fans on an Easter Egg hunt prior to the award show. She is known for signaling to her fan base when something new is happening. In the morning, she changed her profile picture across all social media platforms to a black and white photo. This led fans to believe she was hinting toward the announcement of reputation (Taylor’s Version) since the album has a black and white aesthetic. UMG, the label Swift is signed to, also changed the images on their website to black and white. Swifties felt even more validated in their assessment when Swift’s website appeared to be down just hours later. The website featured a false error code which read “hneriergrd: DPT: 321”. Fans quickly realized “hneriergrd” is an anagram for “red herring”. A red herring is a literary device intended to mislead people so they do not pay attention to the true focus. Looking back now, fans have realized that “DPT: 321” backwards reads as “123 Tortured Poets Department”. The true hint was there all along.

Swift has always been thoughtful with her Easter Eggs, and this hunt was no exception. Fans had already been anticipating the announcement of reputation (Taylor’s Version) for quite some time, so many did not question the appearance of its aesthetic on Swift’s online channels. Her arrival at the GRAMMYs wearing a black and white outfit further added fuel to the fire. She fooled everyone brilliantly by presenting a new album that shares the black and white aesthetic. The announcement came just days before Swift’s return to touring on February 7, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan.