Swifties Meetup to Decode ‘Tortured Poets Division’

Whereas Taylor Swift’s Eras tour remains to be underway, followers world wide are already wanting to see what the star will do subsequent.

On March 11, a large group of these followers gathered at SXSW to do the whole lot from swap tales about their instances seeing Swift to providing some theories about her new album and, crucially, what it may probably be about.

For context, Swift introduced the title of her new album on the 2024 Grammys, and since then, followers have been attempting to decipher the that means behind its title, The Tortured Poets Department.

One in style concept—and one which made an look on the meetup—was that the album would prominently function the story of Swift and her ex-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. Rumors swirled all through the meetup in regards to the purpose for his or her breakup, starting from dishonest, to a scarcity of emotional help, to Alwyn merely not being able to deal with Swift’s degree of fame.

As proof, some attendees pointed to an alleged group chat, of which Alwyn was a member, that was referred to as “The Tortured Man Club.” The similarity between this group chat and the album title, attendees stated, was not a coincidence.

Nevertheless, whereas these subjects have been enjoyable fodder for dialogue, a number of attendees got here to the conclusion that nothing notably salacious occurred and, as one put it, “they in all probability simply grew aside over time.”

Others on the meetup as a substitute centered on attempting to determine what the album would possibly sound like.

“My buddy thinks it’s going to be another rock album,” supplied an attendee. 

“I believe it’s going to be extra just like the Folklore, Evermore period,” speculated one other.

Whereas few particulars are at the moment recognized in regards to the album, the Los Angeles Times reported that producer Jack Antonoff, who has produced many Swift albums, can be returning to work on the album. Seeing as Antonoff’s band Bleachers simply launched a brand new album, a number of individuals puzzled if there can be a hyperlink between the sound of this album and Swift’s new report.

Travis Kelce was solely casually talked about, with company describing him as “enjoyable” and “prepared for the celebrity.” Many have been unaware that Kelce had attended SXSW festival a few days prior, although they confirmed no indicators of disappointment upon studying they missed him. 

After all, nearly the entire company have been merely content material to share their Swift tales. One attendee stated that they fell in love with Swift when the pandemic hit, saying that her music obtained her via the notably troublesome interval of her life.

“Folklore is gorgeous, however it may be arduous to hearken to as a result of it jogs my memory of that point,” she shared.

Because the Eras tour is ongoing, the phenomenon took over many discussions. Visitors shared their tales attempting to get tickets, their “life-changing” experiences on the present, and the brand new vendettas they’ve in opposition to Ticketmaster.

“It was like Phantom of the Opera, or Depraved,” stated one attendee about his expertise seeing the Eras tour. “I’ve by no means seen a live performance that was a lot like a musical.”

“It was wonderful,” stated one attendee of her time on the Eras tour, “however I might nonetheless promote my kidney to have seen Fame.”