Taylor Swift announces surprise album No 8, Folklore
The unexpected arrival of Swift’s new album, written with The National’s Aaron Dessner, is hours away
For several months, one of the world’s most popular musicians had been sitting on a secret: during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor Swift had been working on new music with some unexpected collaborators.
“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 on Instagram on Thursday night. “And that thing is my 8th studio album, Folklore.”
At 2pm on Friday afternoon, Australian time, Folklore — and a music video for its first
single, Cardigan — will be published online, with Swift’s millions of fans worldwide clamouring for information about something they did not know existed 24 hours ago.
Describing the 16-track release as a collection of songs “I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into”, Folklore came about when the 30-year-old US singer-songwriter approached multi-instrumentalist and record producer Aaron Dessner — known for his work with rock band The National — in late April to begin working on music remotely.
“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,” wrote Swift. “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.”
Dessner had been isolating with his family during the pandemic and writing music himself, but was “excited and honoured” for the chance to work with Swift, 14 years his junior.
As well, Folklore will feature a collaboration with indie folk band Bon Iver, which is led by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon and set to visit Australia next year for a national tour that includes Bluesfest.
When Dessner shared some of his music with Swift, he thought it would take a while for Swift to digest and respond. “But a few hours after sharing music, my phone lit up with a voice memo from Taylor of a fully written version of a song — the momentum never really stopped,” he wrote on Instagram.
“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,” wrote Dessner. “She is one of the most talented, hardworking and deeply caring artists I’ve ever encountered. There’s a palpable humanity and warmth and raw emotion in these songs that I hope you’ll love and take comfort in as much as I do.”
Folklore arrives less than a year after Lover, Swift’s pop-centric seventh album, which debuted at No 1 on sales charts in Australia, the US and Britain, among many other countries. Given her enduring popularity, the surprise release of album No 8 could see her matching that feat again.
Last year, Swift exposed the murky machinations of the pop music business by spectacularly unloading on her former label, Big Machine Records, when it was sold for more than $US300 million ($429m).
“Thankfully, I am now signed to a label that believes I should own anything I create,” she wrote in a blog post in July last year. “Hopefully, young artists or kids with musical dreams will read this and learn about how to better protect themselves in a negotiation. You deserve to own the art you make.”
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