Anticipation is building as global pop sensation Taylor Swift prepares to release her tenth album, Midnights.
Swift’s first album of new songs in almost two years, slated for release at midnight on Friday morning in the eastern US, is expected to mark the singer’s official return to pop following her more alternative and introspective Folklore and Evermore. 2020.
Multiple clips purported to be from the album have already surfaced online.
The leaks first appeared on social media platforms Twitter and TikTok before being taken down, only for more low-quality footage to resurface.
Swift has remained silent on the authenticity of the leaks.
A popular Swift fan page on Facebook warned her followers: “Apparently the entire album has been leaked and is all over Twitter and TikTok. So if you don’t want any spoilers, stay away from those platforms.”
Swift’s fans – called “Swifties” – had mixed feelings about the leaked music.
“I honestly didn’t expect her to go on with Folklor/Evermore at all,” said one. “While I didn’t think she was going to be in complete folk oblivion, I was hoping that the more mature sound would be the main one with that of the second pop,” added another.
“It’s the child of Lover, Reputation, 1989 and a bit of Evermore. Pop for sure,” said one fan.
Referring to American alt-pop singer Lana Del Rey and sister trio Haim’s part on the album, one woman noted: “I don’t really like how men can sing entire verses on Taylor and Haim songs and Lana had backing vocals.”
Swift announced the release of Midnights on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards in late August.
While accepting the award for video of the year, the singer used her acceptance speech to announce the album.
“I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my new album is coming out on October 21st. And I’ll tell you more at midnight,” she said.
Swift later described the 13-song album as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights spread throughout my life.”
“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through horrors and sweet dreams,” she wrote. “The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep our headlamps on and go searching – hoping that maybe, when the clock strikes 12 … we’ll meet ourselves.”
In the nights leading up to the album’s release, Swift has been releasing song titles at midnight in a TikTok series she called Midnights Mayhem With Me.
Midnights is likely to become one of the best-selling albums of 2022.
