Taylor Swift.
The 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department (also known by its abbreviated title TTPD) was released by Taylor Swift, one of the most significant and influential artists of the era. Officially her eleventh studio album, it was issued on April 19, 2024 via Republic Records.
Swift recorded and produced the album during the span of her Eras Tour in 2023, a period of heightened media scrutiny and personal introspection, which heavily inspired the record’s lyrical content. The album was co-produced by Taylor along with long‑time collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, while also featuring guest appearances from artists like Post Malone and Florence Welch on tracks such as “Fortnight” and “Florida!!!” respectively.
Remarkably, two hours after the standard 16-track version dropped, Swift quietly released a companion “double album” subtitled The Anthology, adding 15 bonus tracks, bringing the total track count to 31. This ambitious surprise expansion contributed to its critical position as one of the most expansive and emotionally raw works in her catalog.
Commercially, the album shattered numerous records. It registered the highest single‑day and single‑week streams for an album on platforms such as Spotify, reached #1 across international charts, and spent a staggering 17 weeks atop the U.S. Billboard 200, earning six‑times platinum certification by the RIAA. At one point, Swift made history by occupying the top 14 positions simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100, led by “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone.
Critically, the reception was initially polarizing. While many praised the album’s confessional lyricism and Swift’s willingness to confront grief, fame, and personal turmoil head-on, others found it overly long or too centered on meta-commentary about her public image. Over time, however, the album has been increasingly seen as a pivotal and mature artistic statement. In retrospective assessments, including a look back one year later in 2025, critics and fans alike have reappraised The Tortured Poets Department as a defining moment in Taylor Swift’s discography, her most emotionally direct and narratively layered work to date.
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