Taylor Swift Album Leak Alleged as Lyrics Mocked Online

Taylor Swift's upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, is rumored to have leaked, with social media users poking fun at the lyrics online.

The pop icon's 11th studio album debuts on Friday, April 19. However, the 17-song tracklist supposedly appeared online on Wednesday night, two days ahead of the planned release.

The tunes were reportedly circulated via a Google Drive link that has been making its way around the web. Swift has yet to address the alleged leak, but she is continuing to promote Tortured Poets' release on her social media accounts.

Newsweek has reached out to Taylor Swift for comment via email.

Lyrics from one of the so-called tracks had some people in stitches. A snippet was shared to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday by user Drew (@hydratedangel), where it had received 1 million views before being taken down.

"You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate, we declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist," she apparently sings.

"I scratch your head, you fall asleep like a tattooed golden retriever."

The lyrics confused many people, with one user commenting: "[What the f***]."

"And they say she is a 'story teller,'" said @halukonasi.

"She's really torturing poetry," wrote Xervello.

"Love the melody but the lyrics sis what's going on," asked @BlueDelRey1997.

"She really went so downhill with midnights and now everything sounds the same and the lyrics are just horrible," said Jay.

Many were unconvinced by the recording, however, believing it to be a fake.

"This cant be real," said Keddie.

"There's no way," agreed Aidan.

"AI," commented Ben.

"It's satire," wrote @julesinner, while Kendall said: "I don't believe this is real till it's on spotify."

Swift announced Tortured Poets in February while accepting the Best Album accolade at the Grammy Awards. As the release date has drawn near, excitement from Swifties has reached fever pitch, with fan theories flooding the internet.

One theory to go viral is that Swift plans to drop two albums on Friday. The hypothesis was sparked by a QR code mural that appeared in Chicago on Monday to promote Tortured Poets, with a TikToker believing the design alludes to Swift's 2017 album, Reputation.

The 34-year-old singer began re-recording her early music in 2021, following a rights dispute and public feud with music mogul Scooter Braun. The record producer purchased Swift's first label, Big Machines Records, in 2019, giving him the rights to her first six albums, including Reputation.

Swift's re-recordings have been dubbed "Taylor's Versions," with four albums re-released so far. Fans are hoping that Reputation is next, with some Swifties theorizing that Taylor's Version will drop alongside Tortured Poets.

Other fans claim to have spotted references to Swift's ex-boyfriend, British actor Joe Alwyn, in the promo for Tortured Poets.

The Grammy winner dated Alwyn for six years, before they broke up in April 2023, with the Conversations with Friends star reportedly helping to write some of the tracks for her 2022 album, Midnights.

Earlier this month, Swift released five Apple Music playlists to promote Tortured Poets, inspired by the "five stages of heartbreak"—denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance—with Swifties believing the new album may be inspired by their split.

The recent Spotify pop-up at The Grove in Los Angeles added further fuel to the rumors, with Swifties exploring "library installations" that divulge themes and lyrics from Tortured Poets.

Fans claimed the installations revealed tidbits about Swift's romance with the 33-year-old actor, with one fan declaring Tortured Poets "Joe Alwyn coded."