Taylor Swift New Album: Did She Purposely Drop 'Folklore' To Overshadow Kanye West 'Donda' Album?
The timing is interesting.
Tinseltown/Shutterstock On Thursday morning, Taylor Swift announced pretty unexpected news: At midnight, on Friday, July 24, she's releasing her eighth studio album, Folklore, and it's a complete and total surprise. This is obviously super-exciting for fans, but could Swift have planned this to distract everyone from supporting one of her known rivals, Kanye West?
Obviously, West has been making headlines all week for his Twitter storms and the presidential rally he held over the weekend, sharing his controversial anti-abortion views and claiming that he's planning on divorcing Kim Kardashian. In the midst of all of this, he's also getting ready to drop his new album ... on the same day Swift announced she's planning to drop hers.
Taylor Swift new album release date: Is she intentionally releasing Folkore to overshadow Kanye West's Donda album?
Swift announced her new album in an Instagram post on Thursday.
Thursday morning, Swift took to social media to share that not only had she been recording new music while isolating over the past several months, but that she was also releasing a brand new album with 16 new songs (and a bonus track). This news came out of nowhere, since she hadn't shared that she was working on a new album — and it's been less than a year since she released her last album, Lover. Her last Instagram post before this announcement was on June 13th and it's been radio silence until now.
Kanye West is releasing Donda on July 24 as well.
On July 18 — before Taylor Swift announced her drop date, we should mention — West shared his own announcement: His highly-anticipated new album, which he's been talking about working on for awhile now, will be out on July 24 as well. West's new album, Donda, seems to be inspired by his late mother, and his album announcement did happen to come first, so Swift was likely aware of it before she shared her news.
Swift last spoke about West in her documentary, Miss Americana.
Swift's Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, which was released In January, was the last time she spoke publicly of her long running feud with West, which began in 2009 when he interrupted her acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards.
“When people decided I was wicked and evil and conniving and not a good person, that was the one I couldn’t really bounce back from because my whole life was centered around it," Swift said, speaking of the leaked phone call where she and West discussed his single, "Famous."
Swift doesn't seem to have planned this release very far in advance.
Though Swift usually thinks out her career moves very carefully, in her album announcement, Swift admitted that she didn't plan this album the way she normally does.
"Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed," she wrote. "My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world."
This weekend is a meaningful one for her.
The reason that Swift chose to release her album on July 24 may not have anything to do with West at all. This weekend, Swift was set to perform the first shows for Lover Fest, the concert she planned on both the West and East coast, to celebrate her last album, but the concerts were canceled, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, she and her fans will enjoy a new album instead.
Is she dropping this album to distract from West's new music, though?
It certainly doesn't seem like Swift planned this album to coincide with West's release date, though certainly anything is possible — especially given how much of Taylor's albums and music are orchestrated with subtle hints and Easter Eggs. Either way, both artists are releasing new music that is sure to give plans plenty to be excited about... regardless of whatever drama might be going on behind the scenes. We can't wait to hear Taylor Swift's Folklore and Kanye West's Donda on Friday, July 24th.
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.