Taylor Swift surprised her fandom, once again, after announcing her ninth studio album, Evermore. Earlier on Thursday, the "Exile" singer informed the public about the release of the new tracks, stating that it would be out in a few hours.
By midnight, fans and followers tuned in and obtained 15 new songs from the artist, in addition to the two bonus tracks. Hours later, she released the official lyric videos of the album, including the official music video of the album's first track, "Willow."
NPR reported that Taylor Swift gave her fans an insight about Evermore. In an official statement, she said that her ninth album is Folklore's "sister record."
The "All Too Well" singer continued that they could not stop "writing songs" amid the pandemic crisis. However, she argued that the two album cycles are not necessarily "eras," as what the fandom would call it.
I have no idea what will come next. I have no idea about a lot of things these days and so I’ve clung to the one thing that keeps me connected to you all. That thing always has and always will be music. And may it continue, evermore. evermore is out now: https://t.co/QYMUTL0IAj pic.twitter.com/tlSmahDkBi — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) December 11, 2020
The same publication, then, explained the technical aspect of the ninth album. Swift apparently reunited with Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, Justin Vernon, and "William Bowery," whom she, later on, confirmed to be her long-time boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.
Evermore, also, featured new collaborators, including The National, Marcus Mumford from Mumford & Sons, and the HAIM sisters.
Following the release of the album, Billboard said that fans immediately looked for the Easter eggs Taylor Swift dropped ahead of the premiere. Several netizens, then, took their respective discoveries to social media.
Based on the posts, Swifties found out that the "Cardigan" singer left several clues on various platforms days before the album's release. She appears to have included some of the Easter eggs in her photos these past few days, as well as in the captions.
Fans and followers, also, noticed that the 13th track on Evermore, "Marjorie" is a reference to her grandmother being that this is her name. Several netizens, then, pointed out that this is a nod to Folklore's 13th track, "Epiphany", since Swift paid tribute to her grandfather in the material.
Elle released a similar report on Friday, covering the links between Evermore and Taylor Swift's relationship with Joe Alwyn. This comes after the music video of "Willow" features the singer wearing what appears to be a wedding dress.
Speculations immediately emerged whether Swift and Alwyn are hinting about an engagement or a wedding. But, the publication recalled the singer's clarification earlier that her two latest albums both feature fictional plots and storylines. Taylor Swift, also, previously, referred to Joe Alwyn as her "boyfriend," seemingly dismissing all the talks about her rumored secret wedding.
