taylor swift tour folklore

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Taylor Swift Eras tour adds Tortured Poets Department and combines Folklore and Evermore eras – as it happened in Paris

Join us live as the epic show begins again at La Défense Arena in Paris

• Read more: Taylor Swift debuts new tracks as she returns to The Eras Tour
• 2d ago End Game
• 2d ago The missing songs
• 2d ago Eras Tour Europe: the new setlist
• 2d ago First Europe show ends
• 2d ago On to Midnights...
• 2d ago It's the acoustic set
• 2d ago Taylor moves to I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
• 2d ago Taylor sings The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
• 2d ago Taylor sings Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
• 2d ago Taylor performs But Daddy I Love Him
• 2d ago Taylor moves to The Tortured Poets Department
• 2d ago On to 1989!
• 2d ago Evermore and Folklore eras combined.
• 2d ago On to Folklore
• 2d ago Another shift, with several Folklore songs skipped
• 2d ago Reputation
• 2d ago Another change: Long Live skipped
• 2d ago Taylor sings epic 10-minute All Too Well
• 2d ago International crowd in Paris
• 2d ago Moving on to the Red era
• 2d ago Second setlist change: Red instead of Evermore!
• 2d ago Taylor moves to Fearless era
• 2d ago First setlist change…
• 2d ago Lover Era
• 2d ago Taylor Swift appears on stage
• 2d ago How will tonight’s performance differ from earlier performances?
• 2d ago Paramore on stage
• 2d ago 'The tour will be different,' Paris arena official says
• 2d ago French fans in the merch line
• 2d ago Welcome to the blog

Eras Tour Europe: the new setlist

Will this be the new lineup for this leg of the show? Time will tell, but here’s what we witnessed in Paris tonight.

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince

Cruel Summer

You Need to Calm Down

You Belong With Me

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

I Knew You Were Trouble

All Too Well (10-minute version)

… Ready For It?

Don’t Blame Me

Look What You Made Me Do

Folklore/Evermore

Now combined as one Era

champagne problems

illicit affairs

my tears ricochet

Blank Space

Shake It Off

Wildest Dreams

The Tortured Poets Department

But Daddy I Love Him

So High School

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

Surprise songs

Paris (from Midnights)

loml (from TTPD)

Lavender Haze

Midnight Rain

Vigilante Shit

Thanks so much to everyone who followed the blog, to the fans in Paris who shared their thoughts throughout the day and to the readers who sent tips. It’s been a memorable evening.

Special thanks to the Guardian’s head of digital (live) Claire Phipps , a fellow Swiftie.

You can read more about tonight’s show here:

Taylor has three more nights at Paris La Défense Arena before heading to Stockholm, Lisbon and Madrid in the coming weeks.

1/4 ✅ Thank you @taylorswift13 🥹💖 #ParisTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/KKF3X4rlUA — Paris La Défense Arena (@ParisLaDefArena) May 9, 2024

The missing songs

To make way for seven new performances of songs from The Tortured Poets Department, some songs that previously were staples of the Eras tour weren’t there tonight and presumably have now disappeared from the setlist … for now.

The Archer (from Lover era)

Long Live (from Speak Now era)

the 1 (from folklore era)

the last great american dynasty (from folklore era)

’tis the damn season (from evermore era)

tolerate it (from evermore era)

Thanks to Phoebe Woodward for compiling this list.

Catch up here on Taylor’s performance of the song Paris… in Paris!

🚨| Taylor Swift performing "Paris" for the first time ever in Paris! #ParisTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/eQOCYAAm6p — The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) May 9, 2024

Fans will certainly be analysing this evening’s performance for some time.

New setlist, new performances, new outfits – while some songs were cut.

First Europe show ends

“I love you so much,” Taylor tells the crowd in the Paris arena, closing the first night of the Europe leg of her Eras tour, where she revamped her setlist and performed new music for the first time.

Taylor is singing Karma.

‘Cause karma is my boyfriend Karma is a god Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend Karma’s a relaxing thought Aren’t you envious that for you it’s not? Sweet like honey, karma is a cat Purring in my lap ‘cause it loves me Flexing like a goddamn acrobat Me and karma vibe like that

We’re on the last song :(

“This has been an unforgettable night in Paris, we love you so much!” Taylor tells the audience.

We’re close to the end of the show…

Taylor is now singing Mastermind. Love these lyrics:

What if I told you none of it was accidental And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me? I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork The dominoes cascaded in a line

“So on the weekends She don’t dress for friends Lately she’s been dressing for revenge”

She’s moved to Vigilante Shit.

And here’s footage from the earlier TTDP set:

🚨| Taylor Swift performing "The Smallest Man Who Ever Liver" on 'The Eras Tour' #ParisTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/c4OI2lkcl9 — The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) May 9, 2024

Midnight Rain is up now.

“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me At tea time, everybody agrees I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero”

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Taylor Swift Explains Why Folklore And Evermore Are Combined On The Eras Tour

10 May 2024, 14:54 | Updated: 10 May 2024, 14:58

By Abbie Reynolds

After the release of TTPD Taylor Swift has rejigged her Eras Tour setlist and combined Folklore and Evermore into one era - here's why.

Listen to this article

Taylor Swift kicked off the European leg of The Eras Tour at La Défense Arena in Paris on May 9th with a completely revamped setlist .

Songs like 'The 1' and 'The Archer' were dropped to make room for songs from her recent release , 'The Tortured Poets Department' , such as ' But Daddy I Love Him ' and ' So High School '.

• Read more: What Is The Taylor Swift Bill?
• Read more: 69 Taylor Swift Lyrics For Your Eras Tour Instagram Captions

But one change to the set that had fans going crazy was Taylor's decision to merge Folklore and Evermore into one era. The two records are known to be 'sister' albums after they came out in the same year with less that five months between their release dates.

Taylor surprised fans when she dropped Folklore in July 2020 and then went on to release Evermore in December 2020 - even a global pandemic couldn't stop this gal!

But why are they now combined on The Eras Tour? Here's what she told the crowd...

Why are Folklore and Evermore combined sections on The Eras Tour?

At the first European date on The Eras Tour in Paris, Taylor softly played the piano and said: "So, on The Eras Tour we have now reunited the sisters, combined them into one chapter.

"You can call it 'Folklore', you can call it 'Evermore', you can call it 'The Sister Albums' - you can call it anything you want, as long as you promise to sing 'Champagne Problems' really, really loud for me."

Then, of course, Taylor broke into her hit song from the 'Evermore' album, 'Champagne Problems'. One fan, who shared a video of Taylor's announcement, called it the FolkMORE set which has a nice ring to it.

She also revealed that Folklore represents spring and summer while Evermore is a representation of fall and winter - you've heard it from the mother's mouth now, argue amongst yourselves.

The reaction to the 'Willow' singer combining the albums was wild with the Swifties being sent into an absolute tizzy and they went straight to X, formerly Twitter, to share their feelings.

Proving that Swfities have zero chill, one fan even dismissed the mega news of Justin and Hailey Bieber having a baby , saying: "No one cares Taylor Swift just combined folklore and evermore into one era."

folklore and evermore finally reunited in one set #ParisTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/CwyX1Xwb4t — cris | TTPD 🪶🤍 (@gotthatohimean_) May 9, 2024

Of course not all of the reactions were positive, with some fans so passionate about the albums separately they did not approved of combining them.

One ardently wrote: "why the f**k do I care if folklore and evermore are sisters they are two different individuals they deserve to have their own individual space not to be mash upped as if they were lover remixes on spotify."

Another said: "I’m actually really devastated that Folklore and Evermore have been combined into one set and shortened."

Most were concerned by the amount of songs from the sister albums that will have been cut to make room for TTPD song.

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Taylor Swift debuts ‘Tortured Poets’ songs live as Eras Tour resumes

Swift made some significant changes to the 3-hour-and-15-minute set when she kicked off the European leg of her record-shattering tour Thursday after a two-month break.

Taylor Swift’s record-shattering Eras Tour has essentially been a well-oiled, steady machine since it launched in March 2023 — she switched up a few songs on occasion, but mostly stuck to the same set list during the 3-hour-and-15-minute spectacle. And Swift’s loyal fan base has spent hours studying footage from around the world, with millions tuning in on fan-hosted live-streams to memorize every detail.

But on Thursday, Swift made some significant changes to the show for the first time as the tour kicked off its European leg at Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre, France, for the first of four sold-out concerts. As many predicted, she debuted live performances of her songs from her 11th studio record, “The Tortured Poets Department,” a double album that contains 31 tracks and sold the equivalent of 2.61 million albums in its first week (combining physical sales and streams) when it dropped in mid-April .

🚨| Taylor Swift performing "Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?" on 'The Eras Tour'! #ParisTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/O9FkuejQrN — The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) May 9, 2024

“You are so present and it means the world to us as performers when you show up to a concert and when you act this way. … It makes us want to show you all kinds of fun surprises,” Swift, 34, told the extremely enthusiastic audience early in the night, calling the Eras Tour “the best experience of my life, honestly.”

The concert was live-streamed by fans on TikTok. One viewed by The Post featured a news ticker running at the bottom of the video with updates about the show: new outfits, new video screen visuals, a new order for some of the songs. Swift, who divides her set list into “eras” from her 18-year career, kicked off the “Tortured Poets” era about two hours into the concert with “But Daddy I Love Him” — a track that many interpret to be a message to her fan base about their, ah, extreme interest in her love life and the men she dates.

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“I’ll tell you something about my good name, it’s mine alone to disgrace,” Swift sang, running back and forth across the stage throughout. “… God save the most judgmental creeps who say they want what’s best for me, sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I’ll never see.” At the end, she sat down with her dancers and added a verse from “So High School” with lines that include “You know how to ball; I know Aristotle” — thought to be a reference to her boyfriend , the very famous football player Travis Kelce. (Swift did not sit for any interviews about the album and has provided very little detail for the ideas behind the lyrics.)

Taylor Swift performs "So High School" at her Paris Eras Tour show. pic.twitter.com/iOyXlGVUeA — Variety (@Variety) May 9, 2024

Even if they were being scolded, the fans loved it. The ecstatic screaming and cheering continued in the audience as Swift continued through “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” which appears to detail the downsides of fame, along with breakup anthems “Down Bad” and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” along with her new single with Post Malone, “Fortnight.” Swift added all kinds of new dance routines and set pieces, including one that made it look as if she were levitating across the stage.

And she performed a brief play before “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” an upbeat track about how she was able to perform on the Eras Tour even through heartbreak. Two magicians dragged her lifeless body to another part of the stage where they “forced” her to change into another sparkly outfit as she rolled her eyes and reluctantly got ready to dance.

Taylor Swift's outfit change between "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" and "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" during her Paris Eras Tour show. pic.twitter.com/rdwTqL0M3y — Variety (@Variety) May 9, 2024

“So you were the first crowd ever to see ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ chapter of the Eras Tour!” Swift said cheerfully during the next set where she played a couple of surprise acoustic songs. “Or as I like to call it, ‘Female Rage: The Musical.’”

Otherwise, many chapters of the show stayed the same. Though some wondered whether Swift would simply extend the concert to four hours, she cut six songs overall and condensed the “Folklore” and “Evermore” eras into one, explaining that she considers them “sister albums” because she recorded them during the same year early in the pandemic.

“I’ve always thought ‘Folklore’ to me represents spring and summer and ‘Evermore’ represents fall and winter. So on the Eras Tour, we have now reunited the sisters and combined them into one chapter,” she said. She wrapped up the concert with “Karma” a little after 11 p.m. Paris time after running through 45 songs, and thanked her dancers and band for learning all the new material.

The European leg of the Eras Tour will run through mid-August, and the tour will resume in the United States and Canada in the fall.

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Taylor Swift Fans Are Having Fun With ‘Fokelore’ Typo in New Eras Tour Trailer: ‘Who Let Travis Edit the Promo Video?’

An official teaser accidentally misspells the album title, and Swifties are sharing their best reactions.

By Hannah Dailey

Hannah Dailey

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Turkey with a side of spell-check? Taylor Swift ‘s Eras Tour movie trailer for the extended version of the film is out now, but with misspelled album title Monday (Nov. 27) on two verified accounts associated with the superstar, and Swifties are having some fun with the oversight.

Taylor Swift Celebrating Birthday By Bringing Expanded Eras Tour Movie to On-Demand

Trending on billboard.

Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Nation (@taylornation)

At press time, the slightly imperfect trailer is still up on Taylor Nation and the film’s Instagram accounts. And the longer it goes unfixed, the funnier it seems to be getting for fans on social media.

Countless Swifties have been taking to Twitter to shares jokes ever since the new promo video was posted — all in good fun, of course. For instance, one person ribbed it with a play on a lyric from Swift’s Lover lead single “Me!,” writing, “i don’t think spelling is fun for taylor nation.”

Others joked that Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce , was to blame for the spelling error. The football star recently went viral after several of his decade-old tweets resurfaced online , many of them comprised of hilariously misspelled words. (See: “i just gave a squirle a peice of bread and it straight smashed all of it!!!!”)

“okay who let travis edit the promo video???” teased one Swiftie, sharing a screenshot of the “Fokelore” frame.

“they’re really soulmates guys,” quipped another fan.

See some of the best fan reactions to the typo below:

okay who let travis edit the promo video??? pic.twitter.com/jhAYqkbTH8 — 𝔞𝔟𝔟𝔦𝔢 ♡ (@tayvisnation) November 27, 2023

taylor: fokelore travis: squirle they’re really soulmates guys 🥰 pic.twitter.com/s5M4Efgn0K — ver🪩nica⸆⸉ (@VIsOnCorneliaSt) November 27, 2023

album of the year: fokelore — ally 🦋✨🎧⸆⸉ (@ally_sheehan) November 27, 2023

Ah yes my favorite album fokelore pic.twitter.com/1QeafjaNdd — laur ᱬ #1 catradora stan 🇵🇸 (@folkllaur) November 27, 2023

“fokelore” “who runs taylor nation” there are real tears in my eyes rn oh my god lmao pic.twitter.com/oaWl0iek75 — Kristin🍀 (@kristinsaysvote) November 27, 2023

how tired are you? 😭 taylor nation: pic.twitter.com/RIWoAlR6JL — maxie ✧˖°. —— (Swift Stuff) (@swiftstuff13) November 27, 2023

my mind turns your life into ✨fokelore✨ pic.twitter.com/HngYI9JeqP — lucille 🤍 NOLA ‘24 (@__theantihero__) November 27, 2023

folklore? never heard of her. i only know of fokelore. — emma 🙂 ⸆⸉ (@emmalovesred) November 27, 2023

i don’t think spelling is fun for taylor nation pic.twitter.com/zQBLXrznbU — isobel✨🥂 (@taylorintrees) November 27, 2023

fokelore mi album pic.twitter.com/NBFRqGvGTQ — Gåbi – 12/11 🫀 (@Carolinamyysong) November 27, 2023

Which swiftie is going to be the first to make a fokelore friendship bracelet? I’d do it but I am once again out of the letter “e” — Callie (Taylor’s Version) (@calliewhatuwnt2) November 27, 2023

fokelore is my fav album — sil (@silvialinarb) November 27, 2023

i think i’m gonna listen to 2020 album of the year fokelore now — daniel⸆⸉ 🖤 (@danofmyheart) November 27, 2023

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Parent item expand the sub menu, brooke shields wants to help women over 40 feel optimistic about aging, mytheresa is considering going private, sources said, a preview of paris’ new spaceship-like dover street market, a closer look at taylor swift’s eras tour looks.

The singer is letting her love of Roberto Cavalli and its designer Fausto Puglisi shine through on this tour.

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Taylor Swift is officially in her “Eras” era. On March 17 and 18, the singer kicked off her Eras tour in Glendale, Arizona, which temporarily renamed itself Swift City, ERAzona, in honor of the start of the tour.

It might only be the first leg of her Eras Tour , but Swift is already delivering when it comes to fashion. During her Glendale set, the singer sported looks from Oscar de la Renta, Alberta Ferretti and Versace, among many other notable designers. While her fans are attending the tour for the music, Swift is poised to give a mini-fashion show at each leg. WWD has rounded up some of the singer’s looks so far.

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These famous moms have made their mark in fashion, fausto puglisi handed guido carli prize .

Swift unveiled another sequin Versace number during the Las Vegas leg of the Eras Tour. The silver sequin blazer dress was coordinated with silver sequin Louboutin boots that hit below the knee.

Swift donned another version of her custom bodysuit from Versace for her Arlington, Texas performance. This bodysuit came with a different color scheme, featuring sequins in bronze, gold and aqua.

Nicole Felicia Couture

Swift looked like a Disney princess come to life in this Nicole Felicia custom ballgown. The costume alluded to a previous gown Swift wore on the “Speak Now Tour” that was designed by Valentino. Swift also wore this designer in her “I Bet You Think About Me” music video.

Oscar de la Renta

For the finale act of weekend one of the Eras Tour, Swift wore two looks from Oscar de la Renta. The first was a black sequin bodysuit with fringe trim paired with sparkling black Louboutin boots, and the second was a midnight bodysuit, crystal T-shirt and lavender faux fur coat, both inspired by her “Midnights” album.

For her MetLife Stadium leg of the tour, Swift brought out Ice Spice to perform the remix of her song “Karma.” Swift wore a custom midnight blue sequin bodysuit from Oscar de la Renta.

Roberto Cavalli

Another standout look that set the internet abuzz was an asymmetrical sequin bodysuit with a beaded pattern of snakes on it referencing what some fans called her “snake era.”

In a classic Taylor Swift look, the singer wore a sparkling fringe dress with sparkling silver boots. She wore a similar gold fringe dress from Roberto Cavalli for the opening of her Speak Now Tour.

A stylie that was a testament to the craftsmanship of the Roberto Cavalli brand was a dégradé look created using thousands of hand-applied Swarovski crystals. The outfit was paired with knee-high sequin Christian Louboutin boots.

Alberta Ferretti

Swift wore two custom Alberta Ferretti gowns for her Glendale dates, both featuring Grecian and cottagecore inspiration. Both gowns were made from chiffon and featured airy fluid silhouettes.

Channeling her “Folklore” era, Alberta Ferretti created this dress for Taylor Swift channeling a wood nymph fairy. This green dress with its leaf design detail is a custom look from Alberta Ferretti’s spring 2023 collection worn for the Tampa leg of the Eras Tour.

Zuhair Murad

For another bohemian cottagecore look, Swift wore an orange ruffled, tie-front dress. The one-of-a-kind dress was created by Etro’s creative director Marco de Vincenzo.

Swift poked fun at herself in this custom T-shirt from Ashish Studio. Underneath the T-shirt, she wore a sequin bodysuit that looked like a regular pair of shorts.

On the East Rutherford leg of her tour, Ashish draped Swift in this custom red sequin duster with a trench-style silhouette. The duster contrasted with her sparkling black guitar.

Swift was the bell of her own ball for the night one of the Tampa Swift leg of her tour wearing a dark beige silk tulle ballgown featuring a silver crystal embroidered bodice with long sleeves, scoop neckline, and a dramatic, cascading skirt fully embroidered with gardenia-colored organza petals from Elie Saab’s fall 2022 couture collection.

Jessica Jones

Swift unveiled her red tiered pleated dress custom designed by Jessica Jones during the Tampa performance of the Eras Tour. She joined fellow musician Aaron Dessner on stage as they did a guitar duet.

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Taylor Swift tour has many 'eras.' We tracked her movements to give you the look and feel.

"It's been a long time coming ..."

Taylor Swift is performing her first stadium tour in five years, and she put in all the stops so fans can enjoy every second of the three-hour-plus-long concert.

With more than 2 million tickets sold on the first day they were available – the most sold by an artist in a single day – The Eras Tour is a historically monumental event that's breaking stadium records at nearly every stop.

Fifty-two shows are planned across 20 U.S. cities from March through August, and each show  boasts a 44-song set list spread out over 10 distinctly different sets, representing the albums – or eras – from the past 17 years of her career.

To see where Swift is on stage for each song through the show, Twitter user Vinoj @MRPERFECTLYFlNE  mapped her movements during each song on stage, and we confirmed them at the show in Tampa April 14. Here's a look: 

The 'Lover' era begins as Swift emerges from beneath the stage 

The show kicks off with dancers carrying large pastel-colored tapestries across the stage, then setting them down so Swift can emerge from underneath the stage in a bejeweled bodysuit .

She then performs six songs from her 2019 studio album "Lover." She had planned a tour to promote the album with dates in 2020, but it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic .

Each era comes with its own stage props, costume changes and visual effects . The stage itself is a screen that changes throughout the concert, and it features multiple moving platforms.

The bedazzled 'Fearless' era follows 

Swift then changes into a golden dress with a bedazzled guitar to perform three songs from her 2008 studio album "Fearless." She also plays alongside a band, including guitarist Paul Sidoti and bassist Amos Heller , who have both been touring with her since 2007.

Fearless was the first of her albums to receive a Grammy for album of the year in 2010. The Fearless Tour was her first headlining tour , spanning 118 shows from April 2009 through July 2010. 

Earthy vibes for the 'Evermore' era

The stage then changes to feature trees and a moss-covered piano as Swift wears a yellow dress and plays five songs from her 2020 studio album "Evermore." 

It was her second "pandemic album," released less than five months after the first, and features folk music in contrast to her country and pop albums. 

Snakes and slithering: The 'Reputation' era excites

As Swift transitions into the "Reputation" era, a snake slithers around the screens and across the stadium through the crowd's lighted bracelets. She then enters in a black, one-legged catsuit featuring a red snake as she sings four songs from the 2016 studio album.

The Reputation Stadium Tour, which also kicked off in Glendale, Arizona, included 53 shows over seven months in 2018 and was the highest-grossing music tour by a female artist that year. 

Glamour and periwinkle: The 'Speak Now' era

The stadium then features purple visual effects on all its screens as Swift walks toward center stage in a ballgown to sing one song from her 2010 studio album.

"Speak Now," aside from its deluxe edition, is entirely self-written by Swift and is rumored to be the next rerecorded album she will release. She also did a concert tour to promote "Speak Now" that included 110 shows from February 2011 through March 2012.

Who's Taylor Swift anyway? The 'Red' era

The stadium then turns red as a dancer appears with a box that plays snippets of songs from Swift's 2012 studio album. She then emerges wearing a shirt that features lyrics or phrases from songs in the album.

She plays four songs from "Red," including the 10-minute version of "All Too Well" released in 2021. The song is so notable that Stanford University has an entire course devoted to examining its lyrics .  

"Red" also had its own world tour, including 86 shows from March 2013 through June 2014.

The visually impressive 'Folklore' era

Like the "Evermore" era, the "Folklore" era transformed the stage into a forest. Swift starts the set by singing while lying on the mossy roof of a cabin and wearing a flowing gown, then performs seven songs from her 2020 studio album.

"Folklore" was the first of Swift's two "pandemic albums" and won a  Grammy for album of the year , making her the first woman in history to win the award three times.

Neon lights hark back to the '1989' era

The forest fades away and a neon skyline emerges on the screens to signal the 1989 era. Swift wears a matching beaded top and skirt to perform five songs from her 2014 studio album.

"1989" received her second Grammy for album of the year, and its stadium tour ran for 85 shows from May to December 2015. The 1989 World Tour was the world's highest-grossing music tour in 2015 .

The acoustic set, unique song choices

Swift then puts on a matching dress over the "1989"-era outfit to perform two "surprise songs" that are unique to each show on the tour. She plays one song on guitar and the other on a piano painted with flowers.

MORE: Tracking The Eras Tour set list and surprise songs

There are no visual effects during this set, but she has brought guests out to play with her, including Marcus Mumford and Aaron Dessner.

Swift ends with the 'Midnights' era, her latest album

After finishing the acoustic set, Swift dives under stage and emerges in a faux fur coat and sparkly T-shirt dress to perform seven songs from her most recent studio album, "Midnights."

She announced the release of "Midnights " at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2022, then released it two months later in October.  

Why The Folklore Set In Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Works Better On The Big Screen Than Live In Concert

I was not ready for the Folklore set!

I’ll be the first to admit that going into the Eras Tour I had questions about how folklore would be presented on such a massive stage, and eventually screen. The album by Taylor Swift , which was surprise dropped in 2020, is an intimate folky project that’s more indie than pop, and it sounds like something that should be played in small venues for tiny audiences. However, during the pop star’s show, she performs the songs from her eighth album for 70,000 people. While the set works incredibly well live, it truly thrives on the big screen, and seeing the Eras Tour concert film highlighted just how magical this compilation of tracks is.  

Folklore Is Story Driven And Detail Oriented

Between the high-energy Red and 1989 sets of the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift brings it down for a bit to highlight her songs from folklore . She performs “The 1,” “Betty,” “The Last Great American Dynasty,” “August,” part of “Illicit Affairs” and “My Tears Ricochet” – “Cardigan” is played live, but was cut from the concert film (that is shorter than the live show) . All these tracks tell stories, and they truly highlight Swift’s superpower, which is songwriting. She tells tales about teenage love triangles and the history of her house from her folklore cabin with just a guitar and a few other instruments, and it's one of the smaller moments in the show, intentionally.

I’m A Casual Taylor Swift Fan Who Went To The Eras Tour Movie On Opening Night, And I’ve Come Back With A Warning  

When I saw the Eras Tour in person , the details of these moments were hard to see because I was in the nosebleeds behind the stage. I enjoyed the songs, don’t get me wrong. However, because it was more stationary and stayed toward the back of the stage, I couldn’t really take it in. So, when I saw the concert in a movie theater, and I had a front-row ticket to Taylor Swift’s concert, the moment that hit differently (and better) was this set. 

Take the track “The Last Great American Dynasty” for example. This is one of my favorite songs by Swift, but I couldn’t see the five-star film that was going on during the concert. During the movie, I was up close with all the dancers in their fine gowns as they told the story of Rebecca’s Holiday House that was eventually bought by Swift. Between the dancing and the visuals on the big screen, the ensemble told a beautiful story about a woman growing up and dealing with fame. I was able to fully appreciate all the fine details of the tale, from the train on the screen to the pop star and her dancer representing Rebecca switching places, and overall, it really brought the song to life. 

Not only could I see the visuals on the big stage screen and the full cabin set, but I could also clearly see every dancer’s expression and movements along with Swift’s. It created a gorgeous story, showed what a talented storyteller Swift is, and emphasized how she and her team masterfully visualized her music for the stage. 

The Folklore Set Is Taylor Swift’s Most Intimate 

The double-edged sword of folklore is its intimacy. Each song is so emotional and almost delicate. From the airy effortlessness of “Betty” and “The 1” to the tender yet brutal nature of a song like “My Tears Ricochet,” the album feels like a small and contained project of songs that are meant to be sung around a fire.

With that said, the challenge of doing something like this is performing it live to 70,000 people and making it so every audience member can feel that intimacy. When I saw the Eras Tour this summer, I adored this set, however, I really wasn’t able to fully appreciate it. 

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I couldn’t properly see the wonderful cabin, that she also used during the Grammy’s performance in the video below. I couldn’t really feel the power of Swift and her dancers walking down the stage during “My Tears Ricochet.” 

It sounded amazing, and the visuals were still phenomenal. However, I couldn't feel the closeness that this set was trying to convey.  

However, when I saw this film in theaters, I could see every dancer’s dark expression as they walked down the stage in their sparkly long black jackets during “My Tears Ricochet.” And I could fully feel the infectious whistful energy of “The 1,” because I could clearly see Swift’s expressions during the number as she laid on the roof of her cabin singing. 

Admittedly, before even seeing the Eras Tour live, I figured folklore would be the set I could sit through. I adore both albums, I sang along to every word in concert, and I fell head over heels in love with the orange and blue lights from the audiences’ bracelets during “August.” However, my investment in the set wasn’t as high as it was for super high-energy, made-for-stadium moments, like the Reputation set.

My tune completely changed though when I saw this movie in theaters. I was on the edge of my seat during the folklore set, and I was drinking in all the magical stories and Van Gogh-like visuals. Swift said at the concert I attended in Denver, Colorado that she imagined this album taking place in a forest in the mountains, and watching it in the movie theaters I could totally feel that energy. 

Overall, the entire Eras Tour movie (which is still playing in theaters as part of the 2023 movie schedule ) exemplifies everything that’s magical about Taylor Swift’s concert. And in some ways, it illuminates glorious aspects of the show that might not have been noticeable live. I’m so grateful I found a new appreciation for folklore through the film, and was able to really take in and notice everything about the set that makes it so special.

Along with the Eras Tour movie, Taylor Swift has lots of projects on the horizon. Her latest re-release 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is now available, and she’ll be setting out on her international Eras Tour in November, where you'll be able to catch the folklore set live. 

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows  Ted Lasso  and  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel . She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to  Fire Country , and she's enjoyed every second of it.

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A mere 11 months passed between the release of Lover and its surprise follow-up, but it feels like a lifetime. Written and recorded remotely during the first few months of the global pandemic, folklore finds the 30-year-old singer-songwriter teaming up with The National’s Aaron Dessner and longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff for a set of ruminative and relatively lo-fi bedroom pop that’s worlds away from its predecessor. When Swift opens “the 1”—a sly hybrid of plaintive piano and her naturally bouncy delivery—with “I’m doing good, I’m on some new shit,” you’d be forgiven for thinking it was another update from quarantine, or a comment on her broadening sensibilities. But Swift’s channeled her considerable energies into writing songs here that double as short stories and character studies, from Proustian flashbacks (“cardigan,” which bears shades of Lana Del Rey) to outcast widows (“the last great american dynasty”) and doomed relationships (“exile,” a heavy-hearted duet with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon). It’s a work of great texture and imagination. “Your braids like a pattern/Love you to the moon and to Saturn,” she sings on “seven,” the tale of two friends plotting an escape. “Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long.” For a songwriter who has mined such rich detail from a life lived largely in public, it only makes sense that she’d eventually find inspiration in isolation.

July 24, 2020 16 Songs, 1 hour, 3 minutes ℗ 2020 Taylor Swift

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The Eras Tour Stage: See the Intricate World-Building of Every Set in Taylor Swift’s Most Ambitious Shows Ever

By Katherine McLaughlin

Since kicking off in March of 2023, the Eras Tour stage has provided an immersive backdrop to Taylor Swift’s most ambitious shows to date. Indeed, there was a joke circling the internet following the opening weekend of the now nonpareil: look at any random collection of photos taken throughout the night—some even snapped mere minutes apart—and you’d never know they all came from the same show. What starts in a hazy pink, cotton candy dreamscape ends in a sultry, sparkling twilight—with plenty of undulating stops in the middle, from ethereal fairytale woods to the energetic skyscrapers of the concrete jungle.

“[The stage] changes for almost every song, which is crazy to think about considering most artists have the same stage for their entire set list,” Maya Minocha, a fan who has attended multiple shows, tells  AD. Broken down by “era,” the concert takes fans on a three-plus-hour journey through nearly every album in the singer’s 18-year career. “The sets absolutely made this possible,” Ginnie Low, a fan who attended the tour and runs the TikTok account The Thrifty Swiftie , says. “I didn’t move from my tiny little seat area the whole concert, but was transported to 10 different worlds.” Ariel Miranda , another concert-goer agrees. “It was such an immersive experience,” she says.

Now, over a year into the global phenomenon, the singer is still keeping fans on their toes with an ever changing assortment of costumes, track lists, and even a brand new set to commemorate her latest release, The Tortured Poets Department . With a distinct focus on world building,  AD takes a look at the incredible set design that helps bring her music to life throughout the triumphant concert.

The Lover Era

Swift during the opening number of the Eras Tour

Swift opens the show with tracks off of her seventh studio album,  Lover. “It was as if she picked up right from where she left off,” Miranda says, referring to Swift’s COVID-19-induced cancellation of her sixth headline tour, Lover Fest, in 2020. Having characterized the album with yellow, pink, and blue pastels, Swift—outfitted in a shimmering leotard—belts songs like “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince” and “Cruel Summer” while dancers wielding billowing tapestries perform beneath a rosy glow. Screens show two pink triumphal arcs, which were historically built to honor a person or commemorate an important event—a fitting gesture to begin the one-of-a-kind spectacle.

Taylor Swift performs in front of the Lover House during the Eras Tour.

A familiar dollhouse-like home appears behind Swift later in the set, which many fans recognize from her “Lover” music video. “The screen begins flashing images that eventually piece together to become the Lover House, which was a huge Easter egg,” Miranda adds. In the video, Swift and costar Christian Owens move through various colored rooms  within a house in a snow globe. When the music video first dropped, fans theorized that each room represented one of her existing albums, and with the release of three new albums, many believe the home is now complete .

During “The Man,” Swift uses scaffolding and office props to emulate a corporate environment.

Other notable scenes from the Lover section of the show include a full-scale office cosplay moment during “The Man,” where Swift sings about the sexism she’s faced throughout her career. While it’s been a part of the show since 2023, it certainly fits into the “ corporate fetish ” trend of late, in which offices have become unlikely muses.

The Fearless Era

Projects and stage lights provide a golden glow during the Fearless era.

By Michelle Duncan

By Erika Owen

Next up in the night, Swift performs three songs from her second album,  Fearless, for which she won album of the year in 2010 at the Grammys (the youngest artist to ever win the accolade). Though she was certainly popular in country circles following her self-titled debut album, it was this second record that established her mainstream success. And not only does the singer bring back some classic circa 2009  dance moves , she also showcases a dazzling gold motif that she employed when promoting the album over a decade ago.

Taylor Swift with her bejeweled guitar

Outfitted in soft curls and sequins, Swift was often portrayed as the girl next door and an American sweetheart during this period. Though she did, at times, lean into this persona, fans remember her determination to be bold, strong, and, yes, fearless. The sparkles and shine acted as visual representation of this.

For fans, perhaps the most exciting Easter egg was a nod to the bedazzled guitar that she toured with during her  Fearless era. In an Instagram story, Swift revealed that it was her parents who artfully stuck the shimmering crystals onto her acoustic instrument just days before the Eras Tour started.

The Red Era

Taylor Swift wears an outfit nearly identical to one she wore in the “22” music video.

During the European leg, Swift switched up the order of her sets, and moved the Red era to the third spot. The original tour for the album, which took place between 2013 and 2014, was her biggest at the time. It included a seven-piece band, fifteen dancers, multiple costume changes, as well as jumbotrons and multilevel stages. Though the Eras Tour stage certainly honors some of these larger-than-life moments from the first  Red tour, it also shows considerable restraint.

Swift wears a sparkling red coat during an acoustic set.

During one particularly emotional moment, Swift sings the 10-minute version of her critically acclaimed “All Too Well” with just her acoustic guitar. However, this doesn’t mean it wasn’t exciting. “Even some of her slower songs like “All Too Well,” where it was just her and a guitar, had insane stage effects that you wouldn’t expect, like snow confetti falling across the stadium and the stage rising when she starts singing a high note,” Minocha tells  AD.

The Speak Now Era

Swift sings “Enchanted” during the Speak Now set.

Though Swift only performs one song from her third album,  Speak Now —much to the disappointment of some fans—she makes sure it counts. The singer belts in a ballgown in a digitally crafted field of flowers, thanks to projections on the screens and the stage floor. The color purple defined the album’s aesthetic, and, though the shade is often associated with royalty, it can also symbolize ambition, power, and independence. Following her historic win at the Grammys for  Fearless,   Speak Now was a pivotal moment in her career. Could she keep up the pace or was she another teen star who lost momentum as they reached young adulthood? Not only did Swift deliver, she proved she could do it on her own: Speak Now was the first album she wrote entirely solo.

The Reputation Era

Swift stands atop a raised stage during the Reputation era of the concert.

Spawned from Swift’s 2016 public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West,  Reputation represented the singer’s reflection on fame, public perception, and an opportunity to rewrite the “good girl” narrative she’d carried around for years. Though the album is often billed as defensive and reactive, it remains one of her most misunderstood collections: It’s also full of love songs and sweet moments. The dark stadium and blood red risers certainly support the most common perception of the album; however, it’s hard to miss the lit candles just below her. After all, it’s no coincidence burning is just as frequently used to describe rage and anger as it is passion and love.

The backup dancers pay homage to Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” music video.

During “Look What You Made Me Do,” Swift’s backup dancers perform in doll boxes dressed in outfits inspired by previous looks she’s worn. The moment is a direct nod to the song’s  music video , in which Swift reenacts various moments throughout her time in the public eye in an eruptive, Easter egg-filled video.

The Folklore and Evermore Era

Taylor Swift on an A-frame during the Folklore set

To make room for new material, Swift now combines two albums, Folklore and Evermore, into one set. “I was so obsessed with the  Folklore set because it seemed like Taylor was living her best life in a little remote forest cabin even though some 60,000 people were watching her,” Minocha says of watching the opening night show in Glendale, Arizona back in 2023. (A version of this home was first seen in her  2021 Grammy’s performance .)

Thematically,  Folklore explored a fictional woodland world Swift dreamed up during quarantine, and while a cabin certainly captures that aura, the choice of an A-frame specifically is notable. Because they were relatively cheap and easy to build, the style of home grew in popularity in the United States following World War II as vacation properties—an appropriate connection given the album is centered around an escapist fantasy.

A-frames also represented a unique moment for architects who, with little financial consequences at stake, were able to test out their more speculative creative ideations. In many ways, with lockdowns, limited promotion, and no obvious answer for how or if the music would be performed live, this is what Swift’s  Folklore era represented too: the opportunity to explore,  uninhibited . “I love that album and she really created this whole world for it,” Low adds, “Building the folklore cabin and bringing us all into that world with her was just so cool.”

Swift uses a moss-covered piano for songs during this set.

Swift’s ninth album, Evermore, was positioned as a deeper exploration of the “folklorian woods,” the fictional, cottagecore-inspired place Swift used to direct her first foray into indie folk music. In the combined set, trees circle the singer on the screens behind her while Swift croons behind a moss-covered piano.

The 1989 Era

The 1989 set of Swift’s Eras Tour

“Another thing that I loved about the stage design in general was how there are basically three different parts of it that all connected together: the main stage, the diamond stage, and the catwalk that leads to the end of the stage,” Miranda says. “She really utilizes each and every one of these sections of the stage at different times during the night.”

Swift and dancers wield golf clubs during “Blank Space.”

Though examples are abundant, a particularly creative use comes during Swift’s  1989 set, a record which won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2016. While performing “Blank Space” on the central diamond, the raised portion displays a Shelby Cobra, which Swift and backup dancers “hit” with light-up golf clubs in a live reenactment of an iconic scene from the song’s music video.

The Tortured Poet’s Department Era

Following much speculation, Swift added a brand-new set to the Eras Tour when the show began its European leg in Paris on May 9. Designed for her latest record-shattering album, The Tortured Poet’s Department , the stage takes on a noir palette for this portion of the show. Screen projections and props include a UFO ship that beams a spotlight on the singer as well as a rolling bed-table hybrid seemingly designed to resemble a 19th-century hospital bed.

“For a minute I knew cosmic love,” Swift sings beneath the beam of a UFO.

The Tortured Poet’s set also includes the addition of a new stage piece: an elevated box that mirrors the floor projections, giving the appearance that Swift is levitating around the stage. Some fans have endearingly describe the prop as a “ stage Roomba. ”

The bed recalls Swift’s “Fortnight” music video.

The set ends with a highly theatrical performance of the singer’s “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” in which the stage takes on the appearance of a vaudeville-, burlesque-style theater . Many fans linked the design to Clara Bow, a silent film star who Swift name-checks on the album. However, perhaps the most notable aspect is the simulated proscenium arch. In theater architecture, the detail marks the metaphorical plane separating performers from the audience, similar in concept to the “fourth wall.” It’s a unique addition considering the architectural detail is not possible in a stadium designed for 360-degree views—generally the only venues in which Swift performs.

It’s particularly impactful when considering a recurring theme on the album: Swift’s complex relationship with fame and fans . In songs like “But Daddy I Love Him” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” she sings about the pressure to please fans and her frustration with commentary about her life and decisions. The proscenium could represent a metaphorical separation between Swift, the performer, and Swift, the person, showcasing which version of her she believes fans are entitled to.

The Midnights Era

During the final set of the show, Swift performs songs from her album Midnights.

The non-stop show ends with cuts from Swift’s 2022 album,  Midnights,  with the stage cast in dark light, representative of both the title of the album and the end of the concert. Standing firmly in the present,  Midnights still has its roots in the past, since the album tells “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life,” Swift explained in a  Instagram post . It’s easy to follow the way the previous two-plus hours of sonic reflection—aided through the incredible set design—brings her to where she is now. As Minocha summarizes, “I’ve been to almost all of Taylor’s past tours ,and the stage and production has always been above and beyond, but because this one explores all the eras of her career, everything is just next level.”

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Taylor Swift at the 2021 GRAMMYs

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Taylor Swift Wins Album Of The Year For 'Folklore' | 2021 GRAMMY Awards Show

Taylor Swift takes home the massive Album Of The Year win for 'Folklore' at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards show

Taylor Swift   won Album Of The Year for Folklore  at the   63rd GRAMMY Awards . This marks their 11th career GRAMMY win and third Album Of The Year win.

The "mirror ball" singer/songwriter accepted the award wearing a floral print dress, alongside her collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner.

Her album bested  fellow nominees   Jhené Aiko , Black Pumas , Coldplay , Jacob Collier , HAIM , Dua Lipa   and  Post Malone .

Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com and our Twitter for all things GRAMMY Awards, and make sure to catch the rest of the Biggest Night In Music live on CBS and Paramount+.

Check out all the   complete 2021 GRAMMY Awards show winners and nominees list here .

Taylor Swift Brings ‘Folklore’ Album to Life With 2021 GRAMMYs Medley | 2021 GRAMMY Awards Show

Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Jon Batiste’s Encouraging Speech For His 2022 Album Of The Year Win For 'We Are'

Jon Batiste accepts the Album Of The Year award for We Are, a win that he dedicated to "real artists, real musicians."

Jon Batiste walked into the 2022 GRAMMYs with a whopping 11 nominations, making him the most recognized artist of the evening. By the end of the night, he received five GRAMMYs for Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song, Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media, Best Music Video, and the highly coveted Album Of The Year.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind , watch Batiste take the stage to accept the award for Album Of The Year for his sixth studio album, We Are

Batiste began his praises by acknowledging God: "I just put my head down and work on the craft every day. I love music, he said. "I've been playing since I was a little boy. It's more than entertainment for me — it's a spiritual practice." He also thanked the "many people that went into making this album," including his grandfather, nephew, father, and executive producer, Ryan Lynn.

"This [award] is for real artists, real musicians. Let's just keep going. Be you! That's it. I love you even if I don't know you," Batiste cheered.

Press play on the video above to hear Jon Batiste's complete acceptance speech and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

Watch: Jon Batiste Delivers A Heartfelt Performance Of “Ain’t No Sunshine” & “Lean On Me” | 2024 GRAMMYs Performance

Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

11 Artists Who Influenced Taylor Swift: Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Tim McGraw & More

From Paul McCartney to Paramore, Emily Dickinson and even "Game of Thrones," read on for some of the major influences Taylor Swift has referenced throughout her GRAMMY-winning career.

As expected, much buzz followed the release of Taylor Swift 's 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , on April 19. Fans and critics alike have devoured the sprawling double album’s 31 tracks, unpacking her reflections from "a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time" in search of Easter eggs, their new favorite lyrics and references to famous faces (both within the pop supernova’s closely guarded orbit and the historical record). 

Shoutouts abound in The Tortured Poets Department : Charlie Puth gets his much-deserved (and Taylor-approved) flowers on the title track, while 1920s screen siren Clara Bow, the ancient Greek prophetess Cassandra and Peter Pan each get a song titled after them. Post Malone and   Florence + the Machine ’s Florence Welch each tap in for memorable duets. Relationships old (Joe Alwyn), new (Travis Kelce) and somewhere in between (1975’s Matty Healy) are alluded to without naming names, as is, possibly, the singer’s reputation -era feud with Kim Kardashian. 

Swift casts a wide net on The Tortured Poets Department , encompassing popular music, literature, mythology and beyond, but it's far from the first time the 14-time GRAMMY winner has worn her influences on her sleeve. While you digest TTPD , consider these 10 figures who have influenced the poet of the hour — from Stevie Nicks and Patti Smith to Emily Dickinson, William Wordsworth, Arya Stark and more.

Stevie Nicks

If Taylor Swift is the chairman of The Tortured Poets Department , Stevie Nicks may as well be considered its poet laureate emeritus. The mystical Fleetwood Mac frontwoman earns an important mention on side A closer "Clara Bow," in which Swift ties an invisible string from herself to a pre- Rumours Nicks ("In ‘75, the hair and lips/ Crowd goes wild at her fingertips"), and all the way back to the 1920s It Girl of the song’s title.

For her part, Nicks seems to approve of her place in Swift’s cultural lineage, considering she penned the poem found inside physical copies of The Tortured Poets Department . "He was in love with her/ Or at least she thought so," the Priestess of Rock and Roll wrote in part, before signing off, "For T — and me…"

Swift’s relationship with Nicks dates back to the 2010 GRAMMYs, when the pair performed a medley of "Rhiannon" and "You Belong With Me " before the then-country upstart took home her first Album Of The Year win for 2009’s Fearless . More recently, the "Edge of Seventeen" singer publicly credited Swift’s Midnights cut "You’re On Your Own, Kid" for helping her through the 2022 death of Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie .

Patti Smith

Swift may see herself as more "modern idiot" than modern-day Patti Smith, but that didn’t stop the superstar from name-dropping the icon synonymous with the Hotel Chelsea and punk scene of ‘70s New York on a key track on The Tortured Poets Department . Swift rather self-deprecatingly compares herself to the celebrated Just Kids memoirist (and 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame nominee) on the double album’s synth-drenched title track, and it’s easy to see how Smith’s lifelong fusion of rock and poetry influenced the younger singer’s dactylic approach to her new album. 

Smith seemed to appreciate the shout-out on "The Tortured Poets Department" as well. "This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Thank you Taylor," she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of herself reading Thomas’ 1940 poetry collection Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog .

Emily Dickinson

When it comes to iconic poets, Swift has also taken a page or two over her career from Emily Dickinson. While the great 19th century poet hasn’t come up explicitly in Swift’s work, she did reference her poetic forebear (and actual sixth cousin, three times removed !) in her speech while accepting the award for Songwriter-Artist of the Decade at the 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards.

"I’ve never talked about this publicly before, because, well, it’s dorky. But I also have, in my mind, secretly, established genre categories for lyrics I write. Three of them, to be exact. They are affectionately titled Quill Lyrics, Fountain Pen Lyrics and Glitter Gel Pen Lyrics," Swift told the audience before going on to explain, "If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great-grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre," she went on to explain.

Even before this glimpse into Swift’s writing process, Easter eggs had been laid pointing to her familial connection to Dickinson. For example, she announced her ninth album evermore on December 10, 2020, which would have been the late poet’s 190th birthday. Another clue that has Swifties convinced? Dickinson’s use of the word "forevermore" in her 1858 poem "One Sister Have I in Our House," which Swift also cleverly breaks apart in Evermore ’s Bon Iver-assisted title track ("And I couldn’t be sure/ I had a feeling so peculiar/ That this pain would be for/ Evermore").

The Lake Poets

Swift first put her growing affinity for poetry on display during her folklore era with "the lakes." On the elegiac bonus track, the singer draws a parallel with the Lake Poets of the 19th century, wishing she could escape to "the lakes where all the poets went to die" with her beloved muse in tow. In between fantasizing about "those Windermere peaks" and pining for "auroras and sad prose," she even manages to land a not-so-subtle jab at nemesis Scooter Braun ("I’ve come too far to watch some name-dropping sleaze/ Tell me what are my words worth") that doubles as clever wordplay on the last name of Lake Poet School members William and Dorothy Wordsworth.

Swift revealed more about why she connected to the Lake Poets in her 2020 Disney+ documentary folklore: the long pond studio sessions . "There was a poet district, these artists that moved there. And they were kind of heckled for it and made fun of for it as being these eccentrics and these kind of odd artists who decided that they just wanted to live there," she explained to her trusted producer Jack Antonoff . "So ‘the lakes,’ it kind of is the overarching theme of the whole album: of trying to escape, having something you wanna protect, trying to protect your own sanity and saying, ‘Look, they did this hundreds of years ago. I’m not the first person who’s felt this way.’"

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney and Swift have publicly praised one another’s work for years, leading to the 2020 Rolling Stone cover they posed for together for the special Musicians on Musicians issue . The younger singer even counts Sir Paul’s daughter Stella McCartney as a close friend and collaborator (Stella designed a capsule collection for Swift’s 2019 studio set Lover and earned a shout-out of her own on album cut "London Boy").

However, Swift took her relationship with the Beatles founder and his family a step further when it was rumored she based Midnights deep cut "Sweet Nothing" on McCartney’s decades-long romance with late wife Linda. While the speculation has never been outright confirmed, it appears Swift’s lyrics in the lilting love song ("On the way home, I wrote a poem/ You say, ‘What a mind’/ This happens all the time") were partially inspired by a strikingly similar quote McCartney once gave about his relationship with Linda, who passed away in 1998. To add to the mystique, the Midnights singer even reportedly liked a tweet from 2022 espousing the theory.  

The admiration between the duo seems to go both ways as well, with the former Beatle admitting in a 2018 BBC profile that the track "Who Cares" from his album Egypt Station was inspired by Swift’s close relationship with her fans.

From her days as a country music ingénue to her ascendance as the reigning mastermind of pop, Swift has credited the Chicks as a seminal influence in her songwriting and career trajectory. (Need examples? Look anywhere from early singles like "Picture to Burn" and "Should’ve Said No" to Evermore ’s Haim-assisted murder ballad "no body, no crime" and her own Lover -era collab with the band, "Soon You’ll Get Better.") 

In a 2020 Billboard cover story tied to the Chicks’ eighth album Gaslighter , Swift acknowledged just how much impact the trio made on her growing up. "Early in my life, these three women showed me that female artists can play their own instruments while also putting on a flamboyant spectacle of a live show," she said at the time. "They taught me that creativity, eccentricity, unapologetic boldness and kitsch can all go together authentically. Most importantly, they showed an entire generation of girls that female rage can be a bonding experience between us all the very second we first heard Natalie Maines bellow ‘that Earl had to DIE.’"

"Game of Thrones"

When reputation dropped in 2017, Swift was on a self-imposed media blackout, which meant no cover stories or dishy sit-down interviews on late-night TV during the album’s roll-out. Instead, the singer let reputation speak for itself, and fans were largely left to draw their own conclusions about their queen’s wildly anticipated comeback album. Two years later, though, Swift revealed the dark, vengeful, romantic body of work was largely inspired by "Game of Thrones."

"These songs were half based on what I was going through, but seeing them through a 'Game of Thrones' filter," she told Entertainment Weekly in 2019. "My entire outlook on storytelling has been shaped by ["GoT"] — the ability to foreshadow stories, to meticulously craft cryptic story lines. So, I found ways to get more cryptic with information and still be able to share messages with the fans. I aspire to be one one-millionth of the kind of hint dropper the makers of 'Game of Thrones' have been."

Joni Mitchell

Swift has long made her admiration of Joni Mitchell known, dating back to her 2012 album Red , which took a cue from the folk pioneer’s landmark 1971 LP Blue for its chromatic title. In an interview around the time of Red ’s release, the country-pop titan gushed over Blue ’s impact on her, telling Rhapsody, "[Mitchell] wrote it about her deepest pains and most haunting demons. Songs like ‘River,’ which is just about her regrets and doubts of herself — I think this album is my favorite because it explores somebody’s soul so deeply."

Back in 2015, TIME declared the "Blank Space" singer a "disciple of Mitchell in ways both obvious and subtle" — from her reflective songwriting to the complete ownership over her creative process, and nearly 10 years later, Swift was still showing her appreciation for Mitchell after the latter’s triumphant and emotional appearance on the GRAMMY stage to perform "Both Sides Now" on the very same night Taylor took home her historic fourth GRAMMY for Album Of The Year for Midnights .

Fall Out Boy & Paramore

When releasing the re-recording of her third album Speak Now in 2023, Swift cited two unexpectedly emo acts as inspirations to her early songwriting: Fall Out Boy and Paramore . 

"Since Speak Now was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time and ask them to sing on the album," she wrote in an Instagram post revealing the back cover and complete tracklist for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) , which included Fall Out Boy collaboration "Electric Touch" and "Castles Crumbling" featuring Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams .

For one of Swift’s original career inspirations, we have to go all the way back to the very first single she ever released. "Tim McGraw" was not only as the lead single off the 16-year-old self-titled 2006 debut album, but it also paid reverent homage to one of the greatest living legends in the history of country music. 

In retrospect, it was an incredibly gutsy risk for a then-unknown Swift to come raring out of the gate with a song named after a country superstar. But the gamble clearly paid off in spades, considering that now, when an entire generation of music fans hear "Tim McGraw," they think of Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is A Post-Mortem Autopsy In Song: 5 Takeaways From Her New Album

Photos (L-R): Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management, Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear Channel

Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon

Upon the arrival of Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' take a deep dive into her discography and see how each album helped her become the genre-shifting superstar she is today.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 19 to reflect the release of The Tortured Poets Department.

The world now knows Taylor Swift as a global pop superstar, but back in 2006, she was just a doe-eyed country prodigy. Since then, she's released 11 studio albums, re-recorded four as "Taylor's Version," and cultivated one of the most feverish fan bases in music. Oh, and she's also won 14 GRAMMY Awards, including four for Album Of The Year — the most ever won by an artist.

Swift has become one of music's most notable shapeshifters by refusing to limit herself to one genre, moving between country, pop, folk and beyond. A once-in-a-lifetime generational storyteller, one could argue that she is music's modern-day maverick, constantly evolving both her music and the culture around her.

Every album era has seen Swift reinvent herself over and over, which has helped pave the way for artists to explore other musical avenues. In turn, Swift hasn't just become one of the biggest artists of all time — she's changed pop music altogether.

To celebrate Taylor Swift's newest era with The Tortured Poets Department , GRAMMY.com looks back on all of her albums (Taylor's Versions not included) and how each era shaped her remarkable career.

Taylor Swift : Finding Her Place In Music

In a genre dominated by men, the odds were already stacked against Swift when she first broke into country music as a teenage female artist. The thing that differentiated her from other writers — and still does to this day — is her songwriting. She didn't want to be just "another girl singer" and knew writing her own songs would be what set her apart. 

Written throughout her adolescence, Taylor Swift was recorded at the end of 2005 and finalized by the time Swift finished her freshman year of high school. Serving as a snapshot of Swift's life and teenhood, she avoided songwriting stereotypes typically found in country music. Instead, she wanted to capture the years of her life while they still represented what she was going through, writing about what she was observing and experiencing, from love and friendship to feeling like an outsider. 

As a songwriter, Taylor Swift set the tone for what would be expected of her future recordings — all songs were written by her, some solely and others with one or two co-writers. One writer in particular, Liz Rose , applauded Swift's songwriting capabilities, stating that she was more of an "editor" for the songs because Swift already had such a distinct vision. 

The album's lead single, "Tim McGraw," an acoustic country ballad inspired by Swift knowing her relationship was going to end, represents an intricate part of Swift's songwriting process; meticulously picking apart her emotions to better understand them. With its follow-up, "Our Song" — which spent six consecutive weeks on the top of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart — she became the youngest person to solely write and sing a No. 1 country single; she also became the first female solo artist in country music to write or co-write every song on an album. 

Although Swift's eponymous debut is underappreciated now — even lacking its own set on Swift's Eras Tour — Taylor Swift 's forthcoming rerecording is arguably the most anticipated by fans, who are eager to hear the songs with the singer's current and more refined vocals. Still, for fans who haven't properly explored Taylor Swift , it's easy to tie together Swift's earlier work to her current discography. 

On the track "A Place In This World," a song she wrote when she was just 13, Swift sings about not fitting in and trying to find her path. While her songwriting has developed and matured, feeling like an outsider and carving her own path is a theme she still writes about now, as seen on Midnights ' "You're On Your Own, Kid." 

Even as a new country artist, critics claimed that she "mastered" the genre while subsequently ushering it to a new era — one that would soon see Swift dabble in country-pop. 

Fearless : Creating A Different Kind Of Fairytale

If Taylor Swift was the soundtrack to navigating the early stages of teenhood, Fearless is Swift's coming-of-age record. More than its predecessor, Fearless blurs the line between country and pop thanks to crossover hits like "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me," yet still keeps the confessional attributes known in country songwriting. 

Most of Fearless is Swift coming to terms with what she believed love to be. On the album's liner notes, Swift says Fearless is about "living in spite" of the things that scare you, like falling in love again despite being hurt before or walking away and letting go. The 2008 version of Taylor wanted to "believe in love stories and prince charmings and happily ever after," whereas in Swift's Fearless (Taylor's Version) liner notes, she looks back on the album as a diary where she was learning "tiny lessons" every time there was a "new crack in the facade of the fairytale ending she'd been shown in the movies." 

Much of Fearless also sees Swift being reflective and nostalgic about adolescence, like in "Never Grow Up" and "Fifteen." Still wistful and romantic, the album explores Swift's hopes for love, as heard in the album's lead single "Love Story," which was one instance where she was "dramatizing" observations instead of actually experiencing them herself. 

Unlike the slow-burn of Taylor Swift , Fearless went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks. It won Swift's first Album Of The Year GRAMMY in 2010, at the time making her the youngest person to win the accolade at age 20. To date, it has sold 7.2 million copies in America alone. It might not be the romantic tale Swift dreamed of growing up, but her sophomore album signalled that bigger things were to come.

Speak Now : Proving Her Songwriting Prowess

Everything that happened after the success of Fearless pushed Swift from country music's best-kept secret to a mainstream star. But this meant that she faced more publicity and criticism, from naysayers who nitpicked her songwriting and vocals to the infamous Kanye West incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

For the first time since becoming an artist, she was forced to reckon with the concept of celebrity and how turning into one — whether she wanted it or not — informed her own writing and perception of herself. No longer was she the girl writing songs like "Fifteen" in her bedroom — now she was working through becoming a highly publicized figure. Speak Now is the answer to those growing pains. 

Along with having more eyes on her, Swift also felt pressured to maintain her persona as a perfect young female role model amid a time when her peers like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato were attempting to rebrand to be more mature and sexier. During her NYU commencement speech in 2022, she reflected on this era of her life as one of intense fear that she could make a mistake and face lasting consequences, so the songs were masked in metaphors rather than directly addressing adult themes in her music. But that also resulted in some of her most poignant lyrics to date.

Read More: For The Record: How Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' Changed Her Career — And Proved She'll Always Get The Last Word

Writing the entire album herself, Swift used Speak Now to prove her songwriting prowess to those who questioned her capabilities. Much like her previous two albums, Swift included songs that were both inspired by her own life and being a fly on the wall. The album's title track pulled from the saying, "Speak now or forever hold your peace," inspired by a friend's ex-boyfriend getting engaged; meanwhile, "Mean" was everything Swift wanted to say to a critic who was continuously harsh about her vocals.

Retrospective and reflective, Speak Now is an album about the speeches she could've, would've and should've said. From addressing the aforementioned VMA incident in the forgiving "Innocent" to a toxic relationship in "Dear John," Speak Now also hinted that her rose-colored glasses were cracked, but Swift (and her songwriting) was only becoming stronger because of it.

Red : Coming Into Her Own

Highly regarded as Swift's magnum opus, Red sees the singer shed the fairytale dresses and the girl-next-door persona to craft a body of work that has now been deemed as her first "adult" record. On Red, Swift focused on emotions evoked from a hot-and-cold relationship, one that forced her to experience " intense love, intense frustration, jealousy and confusion " — all feelings that she'd describe as "red." 

Unlike most of her previous writing that had been inspired by happy endings and fairytales, Red explores the lingering pain and loss that can embed itself within despite trying your hardest to let go. In her liner notes, she references Pablo Neruda's poem "Tonight I Can Write," stating that "Love is so short, forgetting is so long" is the overarching theme for the album. She plays with time — speeding it up in "Starlight," dabbling in the past in "All Too Well," and reframing it in "State of Grace" — to better understand her experiences. 

After releasing country-pop records, Red toed the line between genres more than ever before. Swift leaned further into the full pop territory by working with esteemed producers Max Martin and Shellback for the dubstep-leaning track "I Knew You Were Trouble," the punchy lead single "We Are Never Getting Back Together," and the bouncy anthem "22." But even when the pop power players weren't involved, her country stylings still leaned more pop across the album, as further evidenced with the racing deep cut "Holy Ground" and the echoing title track. 

The slight change of direction became polarizing for critics and fans alike. Following the more country-influenced Speak Now , some critics and fans found the pop songs on Red were too pop and the lyrics were too repetitive, possibly indicating that she might be selling out. If that wasn't enough, Red became an era where Swift's personal life went from speculation to tabloid fodder, with misogynistic headlines and diluting her work to just "writing about her exes." It's an era that would eventually inspire many tracks on Red 's successor, 1989 , like "Blank Space" and "Shake It Off."

Commercially, Red debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 1.2 million copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling country album and making Swift the first female artist to have three consecutive albums spend six or more weeks at the top of the chart. The impact of Red extended beyond its own success, too. Often mentioned as a record that inspired a generation of artists from Troye Sivan to Conan Gray , Swift's confessional, soul-bearing authenticity set a new standard for straightforward pop music. 

1989 : Reinventing Into A Pop Genius

The night Red lost the GRAMMY for Album Of The Year in 2014, Swift decided that her next album would be a full-on pop record. After years of identifying as a country artist and flirting with pop, Swift departed her roots to reinvent herself, no matter what her then-label or critics had to say. And in true Swiftian fashion, turning into a pop artist didn't just prove her genre-shapeshifting capabilities — it further solidified her as an artist who is at her best when she freely creates to her desires and refuses to adhere to anyone.

1989 was lauded by critics for its infectious synth-pop that was reminiscent of the 1980s, yet still had a contemporary sound. Swift opted to lean more into radio-friendly hits, which resulted in songs like "Style," "Wildest Dreams," "Blank Space," and "Shake It Off," all of which became singles. And where some might trade a hit or two at the expense of their artistic integrity, Swift didn't falter — instead, her lyrics were just as heartfelt and intimate as they were on prior albums.

After exploring pop-leaning sonics she first found with Red , Swift worked with Martin and Shellback again on most of 1989 . This reinvention brought new (and very important) collaborators as well. Swift's now-frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff credits her as the first person to take a chance on him as a producer with "I Wish You Would" and "Out Of The Woods"; both tracks exemplified how future Antonoff-produced songs would sound on albums like reputation, Lover and Midnights .

At the time, 1989 became Swift's best-selling album to date. It sold nearly 1.3 million copies within release week in the U.S., debuting atop the Billboard 200 and reigning for 11 non-consecutive weeks. The album also earned Swift several awards — including her second Album Of The Year GRAMMY, which made her the first female artist to ever win the award twice. 

Following the release of 1989 , Swift became a cultural juggernaut, and the album has had an omnipresence in music since. Swift didn't just normalize blending genres, but proved that you can create a sound that is uniquely yours by doing so. In turn, Billie Eilish , Dua Lipa and more pop stars have refused to conform or stick to what they've done prior. 

reputation : Killing The Old Taylor

For years, Swift was on a strict two-year cycle — she'd release an album one year, tour the next, and then release a new album the following year. But following the heightened scrutiny and highly publicized tabloid drama that followed the end of the 1989 era, Swift completely disappeared for a year. She stayed away from public appearances, didn't do any press, and missed the album schedule fans became accustomed to. It wasn't until summer 2017 when she returned from her media (and social media) blackout to unveil the fitting title for her new album: reputation .

Born as a response to the naysayers and name-callers, reputation follows Swift shedding her public image — which includes the pressure to be perfect, the drama, and the criticism — by declaring, "There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation." Leaning on the same tongue-in-cheek songwriting techniques she used while penning "Blank Space," Swift wrote from the mindset of how the public perceived her.

When Swift released the lead single "Look What You Made Me Do," a song she initially wrote as a poem about not trusting specific people, many assumed the album would center on vengeance and drama. Although Swift said that the album has its vindictive moments — even declaring that the "old Taylor" is dead on the bridge of "Look What You Made Me Do" — it's a vulnerable record for her. Swift described reputation as a bait-and-switch; at their core, the songs are about finding love in the darkest moments. 

Swift still remained in the pop lane with reputation , largely leaning on Antonoff and the Martin/Shellback team. The sound almost mirrored the scrutiny Swift faced in the years prior — booming electropop beats, maximalist production and pulsing synthesizers dominate, particularly on "End Game," "I Did Something Bad," and "Ready For It…?" But the "old Taylor" isn't entirely gone on songs like "Call It What You Want," "So It Goes…" and "New Year's Day," where she lets her guard down to write earnest love odes.

Even after Swift spent some time away from the spotlight, the public didn't immediately gravitate toward her return. And even despite matching the 1.2 million first-week sales of her previous releases, some concluded that the album was her first commercial failure when compared to 1989 . With time, though, it became clear that the response to reputation became muddled with the public's overall perception of her at the time — some even claimed that Swift was ahead of her time with the album's overall sound.

For her 2023 TIME Person of the Year profile , Swift described reputation as a "goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure." For years, she felt the pressure to be "America's Sweetheart" and to never step out of line. Writing reputation became a lifeline following the events that catalyzed it  — a way to shed the so-called snakeskin and make peace with however the public wanted to view her. 

Lover : Stepping Into The Daylight

After finding love amongst chaos with reput ation, Swift was learning to deal with the anxiety and fear of losing her partner — became a major theme of another aptly titled album, Lover . Both sonically and visually, Lover was a complete change from reputation . After touring reputation , Swift found that her fans saw her as "a flesh-and-blood human being," inspiring her to be "brave enough to be vulnerable" because her fans were along with her. Stepping away from the dark and antagonistic themes around reputation encouraged Swift to step into the light and be playful with her work on Lover .

Swift also found a new sense of creativity within this new mindset, one where she aimed to still embed playful themes in her songwriting but with less snark than that of "Blank Space" and "Look What You Made Me Do." Leaning into Lover being a "love letter to love," Swift explored every aspect of it. Tracks like "Paper Rings" and "London Boy" exude a whimsical energy, even if they center on more serious themes like marriage and commitment. Other songs, including "Death By A Thousand Cuts" and "Cornelia Street," are Swift at her most vulnerable, reflecting on a love lost and grappling with the extreme worry that comes when you could potentially lose someone. 

Looking at Lover retrospectively, it's an album that almost symbolizes a bookend in her discography. She was playful yet poignant, picking apart her past lyrics and feelings and looking at them with the perspective of someone who was once on top of the world, hit rock bottom, and survived in spite of it. This evolution is mentioned throughout Lover, particularly in a direct callback to 2012's Red , "Daylight," which sees her describe her love as "golden" rather than "burning red." 

Lover also marked the first time Swift divulged into politics and societal issues, like campaigning against Donald Trump, releasing the Pride-infused "You Need To Calm Down," and feeling disillusioned by the political climate with "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince." Swift's documentary Miss Americana explores this change further, discussing how she regrets not being vocal about politics and issues prior, in addition to opening up about her body image issues and mental health struggles.

Lover became Swift's sixth No. 1 album in America, making her the first female artist to achieve the feat. But Lover was more than any accolades could reflect — it was Swift's transitional album in many ways, notably marking the first album that she owned entirely herself following leaving Big Machine Records for Republic Records in 2018.

folklore : Looking Beyond Her Personal Stories

After the pandemic started and Swift cancelled her Lover Fest, she spent the early stages of quarantine reading and watching a myriad of films. Without exactly setting out to create an album, she began dreaming of fictional stories and characters with various narrative arcs, allowing her imagination to run free. The result became folklore , 2020's surprise archetypal quarantine album.

Crafting a world with characters like the folklore love triangle between those in "betty" and "august," as well as Rebekah Harkness from "the last great american dynasty" (who once lived in Swift's Rhode Island mansion), was Swift's way of venturing outside her typical autobiographical style of writing. She'd see visceral images in her mind — from battleships to tree swings to mirrored disco balls — and turned them into stories, sometimes weaving in her own personal narrative throughout, or taking on a narrator role and speaking from the perspective of someone she had never met. 

She worked remotely with two producers — again working with her right-hand man Jack Antonoff, and first-time collaborator Aaron Dessner from The National . Some songs, like "peace," were recorded in just one take, capturing the essence and fragility in the song's story, whereas the lyrics for the sun-drenched "august" were penned on the spot as Swift was in her makeshift home studio in Los Angeles.

Another aspect that separated folklore from her previous work was the obvious decision not to create hits made for radio play, so much so that Dessner claimed that she made an anti-pop record at a time when radio wanted clear "bops." Sonically, it ventured into genres Swift hadn't explored much outside of a few folkier tracks on Lover . Rather than relying on mostly electronic elements, Swift, Antonoff and Dessner weaved in soft pianos, ethereal strings, and plucky guitars.

folklore 's impact on the zeitgeist at a time where everyone was stuck at home helped shape people's quarantine experience. Fans rejoiced at having songs to comfort them during difficult times, and artists like Maya Hawke , Gracie Abrams , and Sabrina Carpenter credit folklore for inspiring them to create and be even more emotionally honest in their songwriting. After its release, folklore became the best-selling album of 2020 after selling 1.2 million records. At the 2021 GRAMMYs, folklore took home Album Of The Year , making her the fourth artist in history to win three times in the Category. 

evermore : Embracing Experimentation

It was exciting enough for Swifties to experience one surprise album drop from Swift, an artist who typically has an entire album campaign calculated. So when evermore was released just six months after folklore , fans were in shock. 

Like its (literally) folklorian sister, evermore was a surprise release at the end of 2020, marking the first time Swift didn't have distinct "eras" between albums. She felt like there was something "different" with folklore , stating in a social media post that making it was less like she was "departing" and more like she was "returning" to the next stage of her discography. In turn, the album served as a similar escape for Swift as folklore did.

Bridging together the same wistful and nostalgic themes as heard on its predecessor, evermore sees Swift venture even further into escapism. She explores more stories and characters, some based in fiction like "dorothea," and some real, like "marjorie," written in dedication to Swift's grandmother. 

Evermore follows folklore 's inclusion of natural imagery and motifs, like landscapes, skies, ivy, and celestial elements. In contrast to the fairytale motifs and happy endings of Fearless , evermore saw Swift become fixated on "unhappy" endings — stories of failed marriages ("happiness"), lifeless relationships ("tolerate it"), and one-time flings ("'tis the damn season"). 

Sonically, evermore is a slight departure from its sister record; where folklore relies on more alt-leaning and indie-tinged sounds, evermore takes the sonics from all of Swift's past records — from pop to country to indie rock — and features all of them on one album. Country songs like "cowboy like me" and "no body, no crime" reaches back to Swift's earlier work in narrative building, seamlessly crafting a three-party story with ease. "Closure" is a "skittering" track that has the same energy as tracks like Lover 's "I Forgot That You Existed," whereas the ballad "champagne problems" is thematically reminiscent of Swift's Speak Now track "Back To December" where she takes responsibility for her lover's heartache. 

Working mostly with Dessner on evermore , Swift was emboldened to continue creating and opted to embrace whatever came naturally to them rather than limiting themselves to a sound. Swift felt a "quiet conclusion" after finishing up evermore , describing that it was more about grappling with endings of all "sizes and shapes," and the record represented a chapter closing. Even so, its poetic lyricism and mystical storytelling cleverly foreshadowed what was to come with subsequent albums, particularly The Tortured Poets Department .

Midnights : Encapsulating Her Artistic Magic

After coming out of the folklorian woods following folklore and evermore , fans and critics alike were intrigued to see what direction Swift would take on her next studio album. On Midnights , Swift leaves behind indie folk sounds and returns to the pop production of 1989 and Lover .

Her most conceptual album to date, Midnights charts 13 sleepless nights and explores five themes, from self-hatred and revenge to "what if" fantasies, falling in love, and falling apart. They are the things that keep her up at night, like the self-critiquing in "Anti-Hero," her rise to fame in "You're on Your Own, Kid," and the anxiety of falling in love again in "Labyrinth." Similarly to Swift's cheeky songwriting style that sees her create caricatures of herself in songs like "Blank Space" and "Look What You Made Me Do," she doubles down on claims she's "calculated" on "Mastermind," a song about devising a plan for her and her lover. 

Although the album is a departure from the two pandemic sister albums, the overall creation process didn't differ too much. In addition to working alongside Antonoff (and bringing Dessner in for the bonus-track-filled 3am Edition), Swift's worldbuilding is still the throughline that connects Midnights and Swift's recent albums, whether she's dreaming of a Parisian escape in "Paris" or using war imagery as a metaphor for the struggle of love in "The Great War."

Read More: 5 Takeaways From Taylor Swift's New Album 'Midnights'

Following the success with folklore and evermore , Swift's intrigue was at a then-all-time high upon the release of Midnights . Along with breaking several streaming records — including becoming the first album to exceed 700 million global streams in a week — it was Swift's 11th No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200, and was the highest-selling album of 2022 (and, remarkably, the second best-selling of 2023).

To say that Swift's celebrity has become otherworldly since the release of Midnights would be an understatement. Celebrating her genre-defying and varied discography through The Eras Tour has resulted in old songs having a resurgence, new inside jokes and Easter eggs within the fandom, and a plethora of new listeners being exposed to Swift's work. 

As a result, there has arguably never been more excitement for a Taylor Swift album than for The Tortured Poets Department — especially because the announcement came on the heels of her lucky 13th GRAMMY win in February. Midnights helped further solidify Swift's larger-than-life status at the finale of the 2024 GRAMMYs, too, as she became the only artist in history to win Album Of The Year four times. 

The Tortured Poets Department : A Grief-Stricken Poetic Odyssey

It’s been a while since Swift has penned a full-fledged breakup album. On The Tortured Poets Department , she navigates the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance — after her long-term relationship ended. Taking a page from the release of folklore and evermore , she dropped a double album and announced The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology at 2 a.m. on release day. Throughout a total of 31 tracks, the prolific songwriter shelved the glittery pop radio-friendly tunes in favor of more subdued, synthy and heart-wrenching songs. 

On Instagram, Swift described the album as a collection of poetic songs that reflect the "events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time," Swift pulled out the fountain and quill pens to craft songs about the "tortured poets" in her life — sometimes musing about lovers, sometimes taking aim at villains, and sometimes pointing the finger at herself. 

TTPD is also her most confessional album thus far. It pokes fun at so-called fans who overstep with her personal life ("But Daddy I Love Him"), says goodbye to a city that gave her a home ("So Long London"), and muses on how her own celebrity has stunted her growth ("Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?"). To help explain this chapter of her life, Swift brings together a myriad of collaborators — from Stevie Nicks as fellow poetess, to duets with Florence Welch and Post Malone — and leans on real and fictional characters, like Clara Bow, Peter Pan ("Peter"), and Patti Smith .

In the same post, Swift declared that once she’s confessed all of her saddest stories, she’s able to find freedom. Yet The Tortured Poets Department (and its accompanying 15-track anthology) spends much time reflecting: she toys with her own lore, self-referencing past songs from albums like 1989 and poems from her reputation era. 

Fourteen years ago, Swift declared that she would never change, but she’ll never stay the same either. The Tortured Poets Department proves that in the throughline of Taylor Swift's many artistic eras is a commitment to exploration and a love of autobiographical lyricism.

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Photo: Don Arnold/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

"There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed," Taylor Swift wrote of her new album. From grapplings with fame to ultra-personal reflections on love lost, her latest set of fountain and quill pen songs marks the end of an era.

"All’s fair in love and poetry," Taylor Swift declared when she announced her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , at the 66th GRAMMY Awards . 

Taken from the proverb "All’s fair in love and war," the pop phenom gave us a fair warning: there’s no limit to what she’ll go through to achieve her ends. 

On the freshly released The Tortured Poets Department , Taylor Swift has a few things to get off her chest — so much that it required a surprise second record, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology , adding an additional 15 songs . The sprawling album is a masterclass in songwriting and so personal that it's analogous to performing a post mortem autopsy; The musical shapeshifter is here to exhume the tortured poets of her past and make peace with them. 

In an Instagram post , Swift called the record an anthology that reflects " events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time - one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure." With the release of Tortured Poets , "t here is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed…our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page." 

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Describing Swift’s work as a collection of tracks about boys and break-ups has always felt underbaked and disingenuous, but much of The Tortured Poets Department is just that. In true Swiftian fashion, she plays on preconceived theories, opting to toy with the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance — after a break-up, bringing listeners along on a peregrination exploring the depths of her relationships and personal growth. 

Analyzing her feelings to craft songs is muscle memory at this point, but with every release Taylor Swift somehow does so with a refreshed and reimagined perspective. The stories she shares with her fans in TTPD might’ve made her feel like she died, but she’s a revenant no longer tortured by the whims and words of other poets.

With The Tortured Poets Department open for business, read on for five key points to consider when listening to Taylor Swift’s new album .

It's Much More Than A Break-Up Record

Although the record orbits around a break-up, The Tortured Poets Department demonstrates Swift's ability to shapeshift as a songwriter. A song about a break-up is layered, typically forcing Swift to unveil her own flaws while wearing her broken heart on her sleeve.

The fifth track on a Taylor Swift album is typically the most emotionally cutting, and "So Long London" is no exception. On the standout track, Swift views the loss of her lover and the breakdown of her relationship to Joe Alwyn through the lens of the city they once shared together. It’s a cathartic release for Swift who point-blank notes the pain they inflicted upon her and how, in turn, they ended up just as heartbroken as she is. 

The high-spirited "Down Bad" and subdued "The Smallest Man in The World" are two sides of the same coin. The former is hopeful that a love could be reignited, whereas the latter sees Swift at her grittiest, pointing the finger at her former lover. "Smallest" poses a series of questions, accusing her ex of being a spy who only wanted to get intel on her.

On piano ode "loml," Swift looks back at the "get-love-quick" schemes she first wrote about in "Why She Disappeared," a poem for reputation . The poem originally considered the death of her reputation and how its aftermath made her stronger while she was simultaneously nursing a new relationship. 

The track has a similar energy to fan favorite "All Too Well," but is even more accusatory — seemingly unlocking another level of her songwriting prowess as she teeters between seething rage and mourning with lines about picking through a "braid of lies" spewed by a partner who "claimed he was a lion" but is really a coward. While Swift is honest about never feeling a loss so deeply, she maturely accepts that the effort she put into keeping the relationship afloat was all she could do. It’s distinctly different from the battles she bravely fought in "The Great War," "Daylight" and "long story short."

She's Grappling With Fame & Owning Her Choices

That Taylor Swift struggles with her own celebrity and the public's perception is nothing new. On reputation ’s album prologue, she stated, "We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them they have chosen to show us." 

On The Tortured Poets Department, Swift has never been more honest about her feelings towards those who claim to know better than she does. On "But Daddy I Love Him," she doubles down on these frustrations, taking aim at self-righteous "vipers" and "judgmental creeps" who condemn her choice of a lover. Swift holds nothing back, declaring "I'll tell you something about my good name/It's mine alone to disgrace."

Swift stated that her life sometimes feels like a public autopsy with people psychoanalyzing her every thought and feeling. Following the release of Midnights and her larger-than-life Eras Tour , Swift’s been in her "glittering prime" despite experiencing her long-term relationship ending and the media hysteria around it would make anyone feel the opposite. "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart" confirms fans' theories that the GRAMMY winner was indeed putting on a brave face.  

On "Clara Bow" — a song named for the silent film actress whose public life was so scrutinized that she admitted herself into a sanatorium — Swift sings "Beauty is a beast that roars/Down on all fours/Demanding, 'More.'" Again, Swift plays with the double-edged sword of fame, comparing herself to a performing circus animal — something she sings about in "Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?" 

Taylor Swift Gets By With A Little Help From Her Friends

Swift has always looked up to and honored the greats in her music and art, and Tortured Poets is no exception. She recruits rock icon and songwriter Stevie Nicks to help build TTPD ’s world, and Nicks penned a poem featured in Swift’s physical album. Written in Texas, the poem is "For T and me..." and tells the tale of two ill-fated lovers. (Swift also namedrops Nicks in "Clara Bow," touching on the comparisons made between Clara, Nicks and herself.)

There are two additional guest appearances on TTPD : Post Malone appears on "Fortnight" and Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine is featured on "Florida!!!" (a surprisingly toned-down lead single). Swift particularly shines when paired with Welch, and the soaring "Florida!!!" sees their intertwined vocals creating a sound as infectious as the "drug" they sing about.

J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan inspired Swift on "cardigan" ("Tried to change the ending/Peter losing Wendy") but now the Lost Boy gets his own track on The Anthology ’s "Peter." The ever-inquisitive Swift pleads, "You said you were gonna grow up/Then you were gonna come find me" and confronts this man who wouldn’t grow up. She even puts herself in the shoes of Wendy who waited for Peter Pan to return but has grown tired of waiting.

TTPS Is All Quill And Fountain Pen Songs

A few years ago, Taylor Swift categorized her songwriting according to three writing devices: glitter gel pens for fun tracks, fountain pens for songs using modern imagery and lyrics, and quill pens for tracks with flowery, figurative language. Although devoid of the glittery gel pen songs that comprise many of Swift's hits, TTPD and its accompanying anthology are steeped in fountain and quill writing. 

Most of The Tortured Poets Department are fountain pen tracks — thanks to 2024 Producer Of The Year Jack Antonoff ’s sleek pop production and synth use. Tracks like "Fresh Out The Slammer" and "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" are sharp, snappy, tongue-in-cheek tales of love affairs about to begin and coming to an end with the same sonic exuberance of past Swift & Antonoff songs, like "Out of the Woods" and "Getaway Car."

Tracks on The Anthology , mostly produced by Aaron Dessner , are stripped-back, folk-tinged quill songs brimming with sorrow and harrowing thematics and dives even deeper into her chaotic psyche. "The Prophecy" sees Swift beg to change a prophecy that has been laid out ahead of her — likely stemming from the pressure of being a global superstar when all she wants is to be loved.

This Is The End Of An Era (Or A Chapter)

To her occasional disdain, Swift's highly personal songwriting has created a global obsession with her inner life.  Although she's tired of the "public autopsy," Tortured Poets offers her time to reflect on the "events, opinions, and sentiments" over a time that was equal parts transient and transformative. 

From her growth from the country-twanged teen singer on her self-titled debut to woman who is fearless in her pursuit of happiness, love, and peace, Swift has transformed time and time again. By viewing her work in eras — or, in this case, a chapter in a book of her life — it’s clear that Swift sees this current chapter of her life coming to a close, turning the last page and no longer longing to look back. 

One could argue that Swift is an unreliable narrator, only ever presenting her side of the story. But she says that while considering the pain described on TTPS , many now-healed wounds turned out to be self-inflicted. With these stories immortalized, Taylor Swift has spoken her saddest story and is now "free of it." The tortured poets and poems will no longer take up space in this next chapter of her life.

Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon

• 1 Taylor Swift Wins Album Of The Year For 'Folklore' | 2021 GRAMMY Awards Show
• 2 GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Jon Batiste’s Encouraging Speech For His 2022 Album Of The Year Win For 'We Are'
• 3 11 Artists Who Influenced Taylor Swift: Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Tim McGraw & More
• 4 Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon
• 5 Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is A Post-Mortem Autopsy In Song: 5 Takeaways From Her New Album

• Entertainment
• Let’s Break Down Taylor Swift’s Tender New Album <i>Folklore</i>

Let’s Break Down Taylor Swift’s Tender New Album Folklore

I f there’s one thing we know about Taylor Swift, it’s that she works hard. In her documentary released earlier this year, Miss Americana , the intense pace of Swift’s life — and the similarly intense pressures of the scrutiny she finds herself under — was laid bare for all to analyze .

But then the coronavirus pandemic swept in and, presumably, cleared her pop star slate. Swift was left with her privacy, as lockdowns shuttered us all into our homes. On social media, she was neither cryptically silent nor strategically active: she seemed, for the first time in a long time, like she was just living her life and drinking wine on her couch like many of us, big plans on hold.

But even in her downtime, curtains drawn on her celebrity, Swift was creating. The July 23 release of Folklore , her 16-track eighth album , came as a surprise even to devout followers: only 11 months after Lover , it was the first time she’d put out a project on less than a two-year schedule. Swift didn’t bother with the extensive teasing release of past albums ; she announced her work on Thursday, rolled it out on Friday and then will sit back over the weekend and enjoy the warm response .

In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve. Now it’s up to you to pass them down. folklore is out now: https://t.co/xdcEDfithq 📷: Beth Garrabrant pic.twitter.com/vSDo9Se0fp — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 24, 2020

A new sound

In releasing Folklore , Swift was clear and direct about her intent and her work. She shared the names of all the major collaborators she worked with: pop producer and longtime musical partner Jack Antonoff , who she called “musical family;” her “musical heroes,” the moody rock band The National’s Aaron Dessner and indie god Justin Vernon of Bon Iver ; a mysteriously-named collaborator called William Bowery .

That, and the greyscale, woodsy images she teased the release with, announced her new direction: alternative pop-folk. In her delicate, confessional singing and melodies there are hints of fellow artists like Lana Del Rey , for whom she has openly expressed admiration before, on “Cardigan” and Phoebe Bridgers on “Seven.” There’s the twinkling Postal-Service-referencing intro on “The Last Great American Dynasty,” the blissed-out orchestral walls of sound on “Epiphany,” the serving of elegiac Sufjan Stevens keys on “Invisible String.”

Despite her start as a Nashville darling in the country scene, Swift has always been a musical chameleon. She evolved into rock-pop by 1989 , stretched herself into hip-hop on the spiky Reputation , went full-throated pop on Lover . Folklore is what a lot of fans have been waiting for all along: a lengthy, emotionally-wrought indie album. Its heart is folk storytelling. Its production is every kind of thing fans have heard and loved on breakup albums in the last decade. Its vision is a grey-blue soundscape: an autumnal album dropped on us in the heat of summer, the first full project of this kind from Swift, inhabiting a truly melancholy space she’s mainly hinted at in past ballads.

But those ballads have often been her most poignant work . Folklore meets her exactly where she’s strongest, right now. And the rest of us? Still adjusting to pandemic life, still engaged in important conversations about our country’s racist history, we might also want something at just this unhurried tempo.

“And some things you just can’t speak about”

It would be fruitless to break down every Swift lyric; the songwriting can be poetically obtuse, and she’s telling many stories, from many character points of view, with many aching regrets. Swift has historically been one of our most confessional pop stars in her music, often mining her personal archives for material. Folklore is a little more, well, folkloric: “The lines between fantasy and reality blur and the boundaries between truth and fiction become almost indiscernible,” she shared in an advance statement about the lyrical content. Still, as she announced in advance, she buried plenty of Easter eggs in her words for her fans to unpack at will.

The opening song, “The 1,” is an ode to what could have been. The “who” of it all, of course, remains murky.

But we were something, don’t you think so? Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool And if my wishes came true It would’ve been you.

As avid listeners well know, Swift loves riffs on the past. She also loves to weave in references to her old music, a trail of breadcrumbs for fans to follow from era to era. “ To kiss in cars and downtown bars was all we needed ,” she sings on “Cardigan,” and it sounds a lot like an echo of her lyrics on Lover’s “Cornelia Street” (“We were in the backseat, drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar”). And when she sings “You drew stars around my scars” on the same song, close followers might flash back to the “guitar string scars” of “Lover.”

Every song has these kinds of lyrical winks, reinforcing the universe that Swift has crafted even as she expands it with her newfound layers of fantasy and character. “Mad Woman,” for instance, is the story of a “misfit widow getting gleeful revenge,” according to her note on social media. But lines like “ And women like hunting witches too ” harken back to her Reputation era (“They’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one,” she sings on “I Did Something Bad”).

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Some songs are more mysterious than others. “Exile,” with Bon Iver, reeks with the pain of parting. “Hoax,” a quiet piano ballad, details a relationship flawed but lasting. (“No other sadness in the world would do” is a devastatingly universal reminder of that bittersweet sensation.) “The Last Great American Dynasty,” in contrast, is specific and historical: the story of socialite Rebekah Harkness , the prior inhabitant of Swift’s own expansive Rhode Island estate. On “Epiphany,” Swift dives into the experience of another historical character: her grandfather, Dean, when he landed on the beaches of Guadalcanal in 1942. “And some things,” she sings after describing a harrowing moment of war, “you just can’t speak about.”

OK, but what about “Betty”?

One of the songs on Folklore that caught the most early attention online is “Betty,” a late-album track that sees Swift return most directly to her country roots. (Cue the plaintive harmonica.) In her notes, Swift explained: “There’s a collection of three songs I refer to as The Teenage Love Triangle. These three songs explore a love triangle from all three people’s perspectives at different times in their lives.” Consensus has led listeners to believe the three songs in question are “Betty,” “Cardigan” and “August.” Woven together, they tell a story of betrayal, heartache and sweet teen angst.

But “Betty” can also be read as vaguely autobiographical, which some fans are keen to do . The two other characters in the trio, James and Ines, happen to be the names of the two daughters of Swift’s friends Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, deepening the connection to her real-life friend circle and the Swiftian world we know. Either way, the web of perspectives and emotions outlined in the track trio presents Swift fans with plenty of material to parse through as they unravel the mystery of Swift’s feelings and her new album’s connotations.

The quarantine album

In quarantine, any album release finds new resonance. With so few events to attend, live music still mostly canceled and many artists postponing their work, fresh projects are bound to find rapt audiences whether or not they are coming from Taylor Swift.

But Swift, being Swift, was always destined to conjure up a powerful reaction. In the past year, Taylor Swift’s public dispute with music manager Scooter Braun over her music catalog made headlines and raised questions about the ownership artists have over the music they create . Prior to that, she often drew tabloid scrutiny. Her response has often been to write it all out: address past relationships, excavate heartbreak and frustration, insist on resilience. That Folklore is foggy, that it relies more on smart songwriting and less on speculation about her personal life and complicated visual cues, suggests it’s bound for a long shelf life.

Quarantine has us all dragging up old memories and wondering what’s still real. Folklore isn’t the pop star album that will drive worries away and replace them with sparkle. It’s an artist who’s extended her ambitions to looking back and getting a little lost in the memory haze, digging up an old favorite cardigan for comfort.

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Write to Raisa Bruner at [email protected]

Taylor Swift Masterfully Reinvents the Eras Tour for Its European Version: See All the Changes

By Ellise Shafer

Ellise Shafer

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Anticipation hung in the air inside Paris’ La Défense Arena on Thursday night as a clock counted down to Taylor Swift ‘s first European date of the Eras Tour .

Yes, the record-breaking tour had been running for over a year and was very well-documented — Swift even released a concert film of it in October that is now streaming on Disney+ — but tonight was different. Just under a month ago, during a break from the tour, Swift had released her 11th studio album, “ The Tortured Poets Department ,” and this show would mark its live debut.

Popular on Variety

Heading into the “Speak Now” era, Swift debuted a new intro with purple flower visuals, cut “Long Live” and went back to just doing “Enchanted” as the sole song of that album’s set. The “Reputation” era remained unchanged, with Swift even sticking to the same outfit as before — an asymmetrical black-and-red snake bodysuit.

As unfamiliar visuals came across the screen, it became clear that it was now time for “The Tortured Poets Department.” Assorted pieces of furniture — a chair, a lamp, a door — floated from the sky alongside pieces of paper, which then evolved into a desert road where the fixtures crashed onto the floor. Swift then appeared in a white corset dress with cursive writing adorning its skirt and a chunky Vivienne Westwood choker. First up was “But Daddy I Love Him,” followed by a snippet of “So High School” that segued into “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” The set’s graphics were mainly in black-and-white, and included a UFO that looked like it was about to abduct Swift and a filter that whited-out her eyes, giving her a demonic look. One chorus of “Down Bad,” during which Swift rotated around the stage on a spinning metal block, led into “Fortnight,” where a “TTPD”-emblazoned bed was brought out and Swift’s dancers dressed in nurse costumes. As Swift sat across from a dancer on a typewriter, the bed was tilted every which way, creating a fascinating display. She then donned a marching band jacket for “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” as her dancers followed her with drums.

All of the stylings for “The Tortured Poets Department” were vaguely Old Hollywood — perhaps a reference to Clara Bow? — but Swift really hammered that home with a minute-long skit in the middle of the set, in which two of her dancers fling her around like a doll while old-timey music plays. During the skit, Swift’s dress is removed — revealing nothing but a two-piece black set — and she is dressed in a gold jacket and matching heels. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” followed, furthering the Old Hollywood theme with feather props and a marquee displaying “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.” As Swift and her dancers left the stage, a visual reading “The End” displayed across the screen.

The surprise songs were next, at an unusually late place in the set. Wearing a new pink dress, Swift sang “Paris” — naturally — on the guitar, and then turned to the piano for “Tortured Poets Department” tune “loml,” which marked a tender moment of the set. Swift ended the show, as always, with the “Midnights” era, the songs for which remained the same, though she wore a new blue bodysuit.

Leaving the venue that night, one couldn’t help but feel that they had just witnessed an entirely new show, proving Swift’s expertise in reinvention. She could have just tacked “The Tortured Poets Department” songs onto the beginning or the end, but that would have been too easy. Instead, with more changes sure to come throughout its European leg, she gifted her fans with another reason to come back and see the Eras Tour again and again.

See the full setlist below.

“Fearless” “You Belong With Me” “Love Story”

“22” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” “I Knew You Were Trouble” “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”

“Enchanted”

“…Ready for It?” “Delicate” “Don’t Blame Me” “Look What You Made Me Do”

FOLKLORE AND EVERMORE

“Cardigan” “Betty” “Champagne Problems” “August” “Illicit Affairs” “My Tears Ricochet” “Marjorie” “Willow”

“Style” “Blank Space” “Shake It Off” “Wildest Dreams” “Bad Blood”

THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT

“But Daddy I Love Him” “So High School” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” “Down Bad” “Fortnight” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”

SURPRISE SONGS

“Paris” “loml”

“Lavender Haze” “Anti-Hero” “Midnight Rain” “Vigilante Shit” “Bejeweled” “Mastermind” “Karma”

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Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Outfits, from Her Versace Bodysuit to Her Roberto Cavalli Dress

Taylor Swift is channeling looks from her past 10 albums on her Eras Tour. Take a look at her best outfits, including custom pieces from Versace, Roberto Cavalli and more

Taylor Swift is proving she never goes out of "style" with her recent tour.

On March 17, the singer returned to the stage as she kicked off her highly anticipated Eras Tour . From show-stopping performances to creative transitions , the 3-hour and 13-minute set is a true spectacle but one of the best parts is Swift's stunning costumes.

As Swift takes fans through her extensive music catalog with her 44-song setlist , she perfectly pays tribute to her past 10 albums with custom outfits.

While some pieces are inspired by her different eras (the dazzling Versace bodysuit during the opener encapsulates her Lover aesthetic), other looks are direct references to past tours, including her Roberto Cavalli two-piece for her 1989 set and Nicole + Felicia gown for Speak Now .

Take a look at Swift's Eras Tour outfits ahead.

Taylor Swift's Atelier Versace bodysuit for her Lover set

As Swift opened the show with "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" from Lover , she wore a custom Atelier Versace bodysuit adorned in pink and blue jewels, reflecting the dreamy pink and blue skies featured on the album's artwork. She paired the look with silver Christian Louboutin knee-high boots and a bedazzled microphone. During her Las Vegas show on March 24, Swift added a flower necklace by Versace to the ensemble.

During her second night of the tour, Swift surprised fans by wearing a completely different sparkling bodysuit. This look, also by Atelier Versace, was covered in blue and gold jewels, with a matching chain necklace and Christian Louboutin knee-high boots.

Taylor Swift's Versace bodysuit for her Lover set

Kevin Mazur/TAS23/Getty

During her New Jersey show, Swift wore a new bodysuit by Versace, which included fringe tassels and beading. She paired the look with ombré boots and a Versace butterfly necklace, which was a co-design collaboration with Versace ambassador Dua Lipa.

Taylor Swift's Versace blazer for her Lover set

Before singing her hit song " The Man ," Swift completely transformed her look by adding a Versace blazer that complemented her Christian Louboutin knee-high boots.

Taylor Swift's black blazer for her Lover set

In addition to wearing a different Atelier Versace bodysuit during the second night of her tour, Swift also switched up during her performance of "The Man" by wearing a black pinstripe blazer with sequins.

Taylor Swift's Roberto Cavalli dress for her Fearless set

Swift donned her best dress by Roberto Cavalli as she performed a few songs from her album Fearless . The gold fringe dress was reminiscent of a similar look the designer created for her Speak Now Tour in 2011. She paired the look with Christian Louboutin boots and a bedazzled guitar .

For the second night of the tour, Swift donned a different Roberto Cavalli dress, which was slightly longer and featured gold and silver sequins in an ombré pattern.

Taylor Swift's Etro dress for her Evermore set

Swift went for a whimsical look as she performed various songs from her album Evermore in a yellow Etro dress that featured a corset top and beading detail down the front. For her bewitching performance of "Willow" she added a matching Etro cape.

During her New Jersey concert, Swift wore a new dress for her Evermore set, which was created by Marco de Vincenzo for Etro. This dress played into the woodsy nature of the Evermore album with a darker burgundy color and ruffles throughout.

Taylor Swift's Roberto Cavalli catsuit for her Reputation set

Swift slithered into a Roberto Cavalli catsuit as she performed her Reputation set on stage. The outfit, which featured an intricate pattern resembling snakes intertwined down the one long leg of the ensemble, was reminiscent of the many bodysuits Swift wore during her Reputation Stadium Tour as it was covered in black sequins resembling scales.

Taylor Swift's Nicole + Felicia gown for her Speak Now set

Despite only performing one song during her Speak Now set, Swift nonetheless left fans wonderstruck as she donned a Nicole + Felicia gown for her performance of "Enchanted." The gold gown certainly felt like a homage to Swift's Valentino ballgown from her Speak Now Tour.

Taylor Swift's Zuhair Murad gown for her Speak Now set

During night two, Swift looked like a real-life princess as she wore a Zuhair Murad ballgown , this time in a pink hue that popped against the stage's violet lighting.

Taylor Swift's Elie Saab ballgown for her Speak Now set

During the first night of her Tampa concert, Swift wore a new dress for her Speak Now set, dressing up in an Elie Saab Haute Couture silk tulle ballgown embroidered with gardenia-colored organza petals.

In New Jersey, wore another Elie Saab ballgown in a pale pink. The dress also featured lots of tulle and detailing on the front.

John Shearer/TAS23/Getty for TAS Rights Management

During her Speak Now release weekend, Swift debuted another dress for her Speak Now set, wearing a custom Nicole + Felicia gown. The dress featured multiple layers, with varying colors of purple as a tribute to her third album.

Taylor Swift's Nicole + Felicia gown during her Speak Now set

Kevin Winter/TAS23/Getty

Just before announcing 1989 (Taylor's Version) on Aug. 9, Swift donned a blue dress by Nicole + Felicia during her Speak Now set. She continued to wear different blue outfits throughout the concert.

Taylor Swift's Ashish shirt for her Red set

At the beginning of her Red set, Swift recreated her iconic look from her "22" music video, in which she wears a shirt that reads "Not a lot going on at the moment" with a fedora and shorts. For the concert, she made one critical change, dropping the "not" from the T-shirt slogan. The shirt was custom by Ashish paired with Christian Louboutin loafers and a Gladys Tamez hat.

Swift recreated her "22" music video outfit again for night two, thought this time the shirt featured a lyric from the song: "Who's Taylor Swift anyway? Ew."

While performing in Arlington, Texas, Swift wore another version of her "22" shirt, this time with the text "We are never getting back together. Like ever."

Taylor Swift's Ashish romper for her Red set

As Swift moved on to other songs on her Red album, including "I Knew You Were Trouble," she took off her "22" inspired shirt and hat to reveal a sequin Ashish romper in red and black.

Taylor Swift's Ashish coat for her Red set

Swift threw on an Ashish coat over her romper as she performed her 10-minute version of "All Too Well" on stage with a coordinating red guitar.

Taylor Swift's Alberta Ferretti dress for her Folklore set

Swift was back in boho for songs from Folklore , in a flowing lilac Alberta Ferretti gown similar to the dress she wore during her 2021 Grammys performance . She even brought back the Folklore house for the performance.

During night two, Swift wore another Alberta Ferretti dress, this time in an off-white hue covered in crystal embroidery. The gown's flowing, cape-like sleeves were made for twirling.

For her March 24 show in Las Vegas, Swift debuted a third Alberta Ferretti dress as she performed her Folklore set. This dress combined various features from her previous two dresses, with a soft pink hue, cape-like sleeves and sequin details throughout.

During night one in Tampa, Swift wore yet another Alberta Ferretti dress for her Folklore set. This look was in bright green featuring a plunging neckline, mesh detailing and leaves embroideries.

Taylor Swift's Alberta Ferretti dress during her Folklore set

Swift wore a new Alberta Ferretti gown for her Folklore set on Aug. 9, just before announcing 1989 (Taylor's Version) .

Taylor Swift's Roberto Cavalli top and skirt for her 1989 set

Swift recreated one of her memorable 1989 World Tour outfits as she wore a matching Roberto Cavalli top and skirt. The pink set was perfectly paired with dazzling Christian Louboutin boots.

On night two, the star stepped out in a similar beaded matching set by the brand, but this time in a vivid green shade that continued onto her Christian Louboutin boots.

As she performed her 1989 songs, Swift opted for an orange Roberto Cavalli two-piece set with matching Christian Louboutin boots.

Taylor Swift's blue top and skirt for her 1989 set

As she performed her 1989 songs, Swift wore a new variation of her top and skirt set, this time in a striking blue color.

Taylor Swift's Jessica Jones dress for her acoustic set

As Swift performed a few acoustic songs during night one, including "Tim McGraw" from her debut album, she donned a Jessica Jones dress that featured cap sleeves and pleats. The designer has created many of Swift's most iconic looks, including numerous outfits from her Reputation stadium tour and her gold bodysuit at the 2019 American Music Awards when she accepted artist of the decade .

Taylor Swift's green dress for her acoustic set

Swift opted for a similar dress, this time in green, as she performed alongside Marcus Mumford for her acoustic set in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 25.

Taylor Swift's yellow dress for her acoustic set

Scott Eisen/TAS23/Getty

As Swift started wearing her orange Roberto Cavalli two-piece set with matching Christian Louboutin boots for her 1989 set, she began wearing a yellow dress on top of her outfit as she performed her acoustic set.

Taylor Swift's blue dress for her acoustic set

During the last leg of her U.S. tour, Swift donned a blue dress for the special announcement of 1989 (Taylor's Version) , which she debuted the album cover art for on stage. She followed up by playing the hit "New Romantics" from the album.

Taylor Swift's Oscar de la Renta t-shirt and jacket for her Midnights set

For the beginning of her Midnights set, Swift wore a similar look to the one seen in her "Lavender Haze" music video as she paired an Oscar de la Renta crystal t-shirt with an Oscar de la Renta faux fur coat.

Taylor Swift's Oscar de la Renta bodysuit for her Midnights set

As she performed "Midnight Rain," Swift did a quick costume change on stage as she took off her Oscar de la Renta t-shirt to reveal an Oscar de la Renta bodysuit. The outfit, which was in the perfect shade of (what else?) midnight blue, was bejeweled with various beading throughout giving it the appearance of a midnight sky. She paired the look with matching Christian Louboutin boots.

Taylor Swift's Zuhair Murad bodysuit for her Midnights set

For her March 24 show in Las Vegas, Swift switched up her Midnights outfit with a custom look by Zuhair Murad. The midnight blue bodysuit was covered in blue crystals and beaded fringes and even had a matching garter.

During her Los Angeles shows, Swift debuted a new bodysuit by Zuhair Murad for her Midnights set, which was fittingly in midnight blue bodysuit and "adorned with shimmering crystal embellishments, cascading intricate beaded fringes, and accompanied by a coordinating garter," per Zuhair Murad's Instagram .

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Here's what Taylor Swift has changed for the European leg of The Eras Tour

Taylor Swift 's The Eras Tour started back up in Paris Thursday with a new era from her newly released album "The Tortured Poets Department," along with new outfits and a refreshed setlist.

After a two-month break from touring, Swift returns in full force fresh off the release of her new album and the surprise double album "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology."

She's performing four shows at the Paris La Défense Arena Thursday, May 9; Friday, May 10; Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12. Paramore is the supporting act for the European dates.

Swift added "The Tortured Poets Department" to the tour intro which cycles through all the eras. It comes after 1989. There's also a new spot in the "Lover" house for the new album.

She kicked off the new era with "But Daddy I Love Him" into a verse of "So High School." Then she sang "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me." Swift then transitioned into "Down Bad" followed by "Fortnight." She put on a white marching band jacket to sing 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived."

She made another outfit change during the new era, donning a black, two-piece bodysuit with a gold jacket to sing "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart."

New Outfits

If a new album and era weren't enough, Swift also debuted new outfits for the first show of the European leg, including a new orange and red "Lover" bodysuit and a matching orange and red jacket for "The Man."

She also wore a new silver and black dress for "Fearless" reminiscent of one worn on her original Fearless tour.

Swift wore a new shirt for Red that reads "This is not Taylor's Version." She also wore a new dress for "Speak Now."

She's kept the "Reputation" bodysuit the same for every performance on this tour and continues in the European Leg.

Swift debuted a new yellow dress for the Folklore and Evermore eras.

She wore a new pink crop top and teal skirt for the 1989 era with mismatched pink and teal boots.

For the new The Tortured Poets Department era, she wore a white high-low dress with black writing on it and donned a long, white marching band jacket midway through the era. Swift took off her dress, revealing a black two-piece bodysuit with a gold jacket for another song in the era.

She wore a new pink dress during her acoustic surprise songs set.

New Setlist Order

Swift also changed the order of The Eras Tour, moving up Red right after Fearless instead of Speak Now.

• Folklore + Evermore (combined)
• The Tortured Poets Department
• Surprise Songs

Swift adding her new album as an era wasn't a complete shock to fans. They've speculated online about if Swift would add a new era to the tour featuring songs from her latest album or if she'll introduce them as surprise songs.

After releasing 1989 (Taylor's Version) in the middle of her tour, she started performing some of the Vault Songs as surprise songs on tour.

In behind-the-scenes photos of Swift rehearsing for her tour, she can be seen holding a white microphone, which had yet to be seen on stage (the microphones correlate to each era), leaving people to speculate about some integration of the new album. 

Songs Cut From The Setlist

With another era added to the tour, several fans were concerned she would be cutting songs previously performed on the North American tour. 

Sure enough, Swift cut "The Archer" from the Lover era, but kept Fearless and Red the same. She also cut "Long Live" from the Speak Now era. She cut "The 1" from the Folklore era. The Folklore and Evermore eras have now been combined.

• Lover (The Archer removed)
• Speak Now (Long Live removed)
• Folklore (The 1 removed) + Evermore (Tolerate It, The Last Great American Dynasty, and 'Tis the Damn Season removed)

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Watch more on ABC10 | Carmichael woman uses Taylor Swift concert tickets in school fundraiser raffle

Taylor Swift debuted a whole new designer wardrobe at the first European Eras Tour show

• Taylor Swift kicked off the European leg of her Eras Tour with a new set of designer outfits.
• Those looks included Versace leotards, Louboutin boots, and a custom Vivienne Westwood dress.
• Some of the outfits are new versions of ensembles she's worn in the past.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour continues to get bigger and better.

During the first show of its European leg — hosted in Nanterre, France, on Thursday — Swift stepped onstage in a new Versace leotard and matching Louboutin boots.

The designer outfit is one of multiple high-end looks Swift has added to her updated show, which now includes songs from her latest album "The Tortured Poets Department."

And each new ensemble is arguably better than the last, with leotards covered in crystals and gowns printed with her song lyrics.

They're outfits fit for a billionaire , which Swift became largely thanks to her massive tour. Here's a look at what she wore.

Taylor Swift stepped onstage in Nanterre, France, wearing an eye-catching orange bodysuit.

Swift has been wearing custom Versace bodysuits during the "Lover" portion of her shows since the start of the Eras Tour.

But her newest version is one of her brightest, covered in orange crystals and large magenta sequins.

She wore the form-fitting piece with knee-high Christian Louboutin boots and a gold Versace necklace.

She later added a sparkling blazer in the same bright shade.

A performance of "The Man" wouldn't be complete without Swift adding a glittering blazer to her outfit.

So, for her first Eras Tour show in France, the 34-year-old debuted a new version of the Versace design: a double-breasted jacket covered in orange sparkles.

She paid homage to her original "Fearless" era in a new dress-style bodysuit.

Fringe-covered minidresses hold a special place in the hearts of longtime Swifties, who saw Swift wear them regularly during her "Fearless" tour in 2009 and 2010.

So, it's fitting that she's consistently brought them back throughout the Eras Tour.

In France, Swift stepped onstage in a black bodysuit covered in silver, gold, and white fringe that made the piece look like a dress. She wore the metallic piece with sparkling Louboutin boots and her signature red lipstick.

It's unclear who designed the newest suit, but fashion house Roberto Cavalli has created Swift's other fringe pieces for the "Fearless" set of the Eras Tour.

Swift nodded to her business dealings during the "Red" set.

Each night of the Eras Tour, Swift begins the "Red" portion of her show wearing a sparkling graphic T-shirt similar to the one she wore in the 2013 music video for "22."

One is a replica that says, "Not a lot going on at the moment," while other versions are more playful with phrases like, "Who's Taylor Swift anyway? Ew."

However, the one she wore in France featured an entirely new message: "This is not Taylor's Version."

The T-shirt references Swift's ongoing project of re-recording her past albums after the original masters were acquired by Scooter Braun and the fans who regularly urge radio stations and casual listeners to switch to "Taylor's Versions" of songs.

The new shirt and others Swift has worn on the Eras Tour were custom-made for her by Ashish Gupta.

Swift combined her "Folklore" and "Evermore" sets and wore a new dress during the merged eras.

Alberta Ferretti has designed all of Swift's "Folklore" dresses throughout the Eras Tour, including the flowing white piece she's seen wearing in her 2023 concert film.

The new version she wore in France on Thursday appears to be the same silhouette as the latter garment but in a new yellow shade.

It features a tiered skirt, flowing long sleeves, and delicate swirls of sparkles and microbeads.

The "1989" portion of her show got an upgrade in the form of a new outfit.

Beaded, two-piece sets from Roberto Cavalli have been Swift's "1989" uniform on the Eras Tour.

But in France, Swift swapped the fringed pieces for a bedazzled pink crop top, a blue ombré skirt, and ankle boots in both colors. The outfit seemingly referenced similar ones Swift wore on her "1989" tour in 2015.

The fashion house is also responsible for this look, with creative director Fausto Puglisi adding a leopard-head embellishment in the middle of its neckline.

Cavalli was widely known as the "Leopard King" before he died in April.

A new "Tortured Poets Department" set called for multiple new outfits, including a dramatic gown.

To match the moody aesthetic of her new album and reference her "Fortnight" music video, Swift donned a custom Vivienne Westwood gown.

It featured a sleeveless, structured bodice, a high-low skirt, and lyrics from "The Tortured Poets Department" printed across it.

Swift wore the dress with white ankle boots from Christian Louboutin.

She later added a military jacket.

While performing "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," Swift and her dancers wore 18th-century-style military jackets in a stark white shade.

The outerwear featured thick sleeves, bodice buttons, and fringed epaulets.

Toward the end of the "Tortured Poets" set, Swift performed an onstage quick change.

In the style of a silent movie, Swift and her dancers acted out a scene in which a heartbroken Swift had to get dressed for a concert.

The two suit-clad performers helped Swift remove her jacket, and she slid off her dress to reveal a black bralette and high-waisted bottoms. They then handed her a gold duster that matched her new dance shoes.

She wore the showgirl-style outfit to perform "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart."

Swift surprised fans with two acoustic songs and a new dress.

Swift has worn custom pieces from Jessica Jones to perform surprise acoustic songs throughout the Eras Tour.

It's unclear if the designer created her latest look, but Swift's pink dress was all new.

It was sleeveless with a wrapped ruched bodice and a high-low skirt.

In true "Midnights" fashion, Swift was bejeweled by the show's end.

Zuhair Murad designed her latest "Midnights" bodysuit. It featured a halter neckline, a diamond chest cutout, smaller slits at the waist, fringe across its hem, and an intricate beaded pattern across the garment.

Swift wore the daring piece with knee-high boots, fishnet tights, and her now-signature garter in a matching blue fabric.

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