'evermore' will be released on Friday at 12 a.m. ET.
Taylor Swift is releasing her second album of 2020! Following the surprise July release of her eighth studio album, folklore, the 30-year-old singer announced on Thursday that her ninth album, evermore, will drop at midnight Eastern time on Friday, Dec. 11.
"I’m elated to tell you that my 9th studio album, and folklore’s sister record, will be out tonight at midnight Eastern. It’s called evermore," Swift wrote alongside a pic of herself from behind, rocking a French braid and a plaid coat. "To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs. To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in."
"I’ve never done this before. In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released," Swift continued. "There was something different with folklore. In making it, I felt less like I was departing and more like I was returning. I loved the escapism I found in these imaginary/not imaginary tales. I loved the ways you welcomed the dreamscapes and tragedies and epic tales of love lost and found into your lives. So I just kept writing them."
Swift went on to praise her folklore collaborators, Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff, William Bowery (aka her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn), and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. She also teased that the group "welcomed some new (and longtime) friends to our musical kitchen table this time around."
In a second post, Swift shared the track list for the album, which will include 15 songs on the standard edition and 17 on its deluxe counterpart. It was in this post that Swift revealed that the album includes collaborations with Haim, The National and Bon Iver.
"Ever since I was 13, I’ve been excited about turning 31 because it’s my lucky number backwards, which is why I wanted to surprise you with this now," she explained alongside a photo of herself in a field ahead of her Sunday, Dec. 13 birthday. "You’ve all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful on my birthdays and so this time I thought I would give you something!"
"I also know this holiday season will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you," Swift continued, alluding to the COVID-19 pandemic. "There are 15 tracks on the standard edition of evermore, but the deluxe physical edition will include two bonus tracks - 'right where you left me' and 'it’s time to go' ⌛️ All *digital downloads* of the album will include an exclusive, digital booklet with 16 brand new photos."
Swift also announced that the first music video, for a song called "willow," will premiere at the same time as the album itself. In a shot from the music video, Swift, wearing a white lace gown and floral headband, is kneeling on a wood platform.
"Tonight the story continues, as the music video for 'willow' drops at midnight eastern," she wrote. "I’m forever grateful to the following creatives who have helped and guided me to be able to direct my own videos: Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, producer Jil Hardin, 1st AD Joe ‘Oz’ Osbourne, Co-1st AD Ev Salomon, Exec Producer Rebecca Skinner, editor Chancler Haynes, set designers Ethan Tobman and Regina Fernandez and visual effects geniuses Grant Miller and David Lebensfeld."
"Thank you to our medical inspector who made sure every precaution was taken for our safety," Swift added. "I’ll see you guys in the YouTube premiere page chat before midnight to answer some questions."
Watch the video below for more on Swift.
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