Taylor Swift Scores The Second-Largest Chart Debut Ever With 'The Tortured  Poets Department'

 

Taylor Swift put her Swifties in a frenzy after releasing a new video of her Eras Tour rehearsals.

Just days following the release of her latest album The Tortured Poets Department, the 34-year-old superstar took to YouTube to share a Short video showcasing her practice for the return of the tour, which resumes on May 9 in Paris, France.

The montage was set to the tune of her new hit single Fortnight featuring Post Malone.

Fans readily identified several scenes from the original Eras Tour, but some speculated that Taylor might be adding songs from her latest album into the set list, based on a few unfamiliar moments.

One in particular, in which Swift is positioned at the center of the stage, flanked by her dancers adorned in top hats and grasping canes, had a Swiftie commenting, ‘Taylor Swift you have some explaining to do!!’

Taylor Swift put her Swifties in a frenzy after releasing a new video of her Eras Tour rehearsals

Just days following the release of her latest album The Tortured Poets Department, the 34-year-old superstar took to YouTube to share a Short video showcasing her practice for the return of the tour, which resumes on May 9 in Paris, France

The fan with the username armaisacat.1989 added: ‘Since when do background dancers have a top hat and canes?!’

Additionally, there’s a snippet of Taylor seated with her guitar, sparking speculation among fans that this could herald a fresh performance moment.

The Eras Tour, which kicked off in March 2023, is compilation concert of songs from all of her albums since her 2006 self-titled debut record.

Fans remain uncertain whether Taylor will introduce a dedicated set for The Tortured Poets Department or incorporate the songs into her surprise song segment until her performance in Paris.

Of course, the Swifties have been hard work since the release of The Tortured Poets Department earlier last week – with some figuring out dates that she recorded tracks off the album.

The Bad Blood songstress also recently gave insight into the meanings behind a few tracks on the 11th studio album, such as Fortnight and Clara Bow.

Earlier last year during breaks in her sold-out Eras Tour, the Grammy winner stopped by Electric Lady Studios in NYC. Unbeknownst to fans at the time, she had been recording songs for her new album.

Jack Antonoff – who helped produce TTPD – recently shared behind-the-scenes moments of the recording process, which aided fans in comparing outfits to configure when recordings for certain tracks had taken place.

Fans readily identified several scenes from the original Eras Tour, but some speculated that Taylor might be adding songs from her latest album into the set list, based on a few unfamiliar moments

One in particular, in which Swift is positioned at the center of the stage, flanked by her dancers adorned in top hats and grasping canes, had a Swiftie commenting , 'Taylor Swift you have some explaining to do!!'

Additionally, there's a snippet of Taylor seated with her guitar, sparking speculation among fans that this could herald a fresh performance moment

Taylor Swift fans have been hard work since the release of The Tortured Poets Department earlier last week - with some figuring out dates that she recorded tracks off the album

One social media user on X with the handle @bigsurlor shared side-by-side photos taken at the studio as well as the BTS images uploaded by Antonoff.

He had shared both snaps and short videos and captioned each with what song they had recorded.

The fan on X first uploaded a photo of Taylor leaving the music studio on May 18 of last year wearing a short-sleeved, white shirt as well as a pair of floral-print trousers.

Her blonde locks were pulled back into a simple ponytail at the back of her head, allowing her bangs to gently fall onto her forehead.

Jack had also shared a reel of Swift in the midst of recording The Black Dog while sporting the same ensemble and hairstyle.

Later that same month on May 24, the singer was spotted returning to the studio in a white cropped top as well as a matching, maxi skirt.

In polaroid photos shared by Antonoff, Taylor could be seen donning the same outfit alongside Florence Welch from Florence & The Machines, revealing that was the same day the pair recorded Florida!!!

On May 31 of last year, the beauty opted for a black dress that had a black, leather belt wrapped around the waist.

Her hair was pulled back away from her face and the producer shared a photo of Taylor donning the same look while recording Fresh Out The Slammer.

The following month on June 29, Taylor was dressed for summer in a white and red-patterned, floral top as well as a pair of black, denim shorts.

Her locks were styled into a ponytail while she slipped into a pair of comfy, closed-toed black shoes. She had notably worn the same outfit when recording the track titled Down Bad.

The fan on X lastly shared a video snippet of Post Malone appearing on The Howard Stern Show last year in October.

In the clip, the Circles hitmaker explained, ‘I recently got to hang out with her [Taylor] and she is genuinely one of the most, like, kind and considerate and a f***ing hell of a songwriter. Holy s**t. Amazing.’

Based on his comment in the interview, the fan on X assumed their collaboration on Fortnight occurred ‘between october 4-october 10, 2023.’

Earlier this week, Taylor revealed the inspirations behind some songs on TTPD in a special, track-by-track experience that is available to stream on Amazon Music.

In regards to Florida!!!, she explained, ‘I’m always watching Dateline. People have these crimes that they commit; where do they immediately skip town and go to? They go to Florida.’

‘They try to reinvent themselves, have a new identity, blend in. I think when you go through a heartbreak, there’s a part of you that thinks, “I want a new name. I want a new life. I don’t want anyone to know where I’ve been or know me at all.”‘

‘And so that was the jumping off point. Where would you go to reinvent yourself and blend in? Florida!’

She also talked about Fortnight featuring Post Malone – which became Spotify’s most-streamed song in a single day.

‘Fortnight is a song that exhibits a lot of the common themes that run throughout this album,’ Swift explained.

‘One of which being fatalism—longing, pining away, lost dreams. I think that it’s a very fatalistic album in that there are lots of very dramatic lines about life or death.’

‘”I love you, it’s ruining my life.” These are very hyperbolic, dramatic things to say. It’s that kind of album.’

She also delved into other tracks and their meaning, including Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?, My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys, Down Bad and Clara Bow – which she said was written ‘as a commentary on what I’ve seen in the industry that I’ve been in over time.’

Other records TTPD has broken include the star having the biggest first-week sales to date, per Billboard.

The LP also became Spotify’s most pre-saved countdown and she broke her own record of single-week vinyl sales.

On Spotify, TTPD also became the most-streamed album in a single day with over a whopping 300 million streams.

Earlier last week on April 19, Swift notably dropped the music video for Fortnight, with not only Post Malone making an appearance, but also Dead Poets Society stars Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles.

Not long after the music video released on Friday, Taylor took to her main Instagram page to share a series of behind-the-scenes images.

She also shared a message to her fans about the meaning behind the music video and penned, ‘When I was writing the Fortnight music video, I wanted to show you the worlds I saw in my head that served as the backdrop for making this music.’

‘Pretty much everything in it is a metaphor or a reference to one corner of the album or another. For me, this video turned out to be the perfect visual representation of this record and the stories I tell in it.’

She gushed, ‘@postmalone blew me away on set as our tortured tragic hero and I’m so grateful to him for everything he put into this collaboration.’

‘I’m still laughing from getting to work with the coolest guys on earth, @ethanhawke and @mrjoshcharles (tortured poets, meet your colleagues from down the hall, the dead poets).’

In conclusion, Swift also gave a special shout out to the other collaborators that brought Fortnight to life.

Next month on May 9, Taylor is slated to resume her Eras Tour following a two-month break which will kick off in France, followed by other dates throughout Europe.