Detectives—and Swifties—are on the case!
In the early morning hours of Dec. 10, Taylor Swift shocked fans yet again when she announced her ninth studio album is complete and ready to be released in less than 24 hours.
"To put it plainly, we just couldn't stop writing songs," she wrote on Instagram. "To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in."
The 30-year-old music superstar added, "I've never done this before. In the past I've always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released. There was something different with folklore."
While most fans were completely surprised when they woke up this morning, many couldn't help but discover Taylor may have been dropping hints in recent weeks.
One social media user pointed to Taylor's Instagram from Nov. 22 where she simply wrote, "Not a lot going on at the moment." Is that really ever possible with the one and only Taylor Swift?!
Another sign could have been found on Twitter when "The Man" singer thanked several publications for naming folklore one of the best albums in 2020.
"Over here in folkloreland we feel great about it," Taylor explained after the Los Angeles Time praised her eighth album. "Thank you @LATimes."
And when Taylor shared a memory from her photo shoot with Entertainment Weekly for its "Entertainers of the Year" issue, she wrote, "This outfit really screams ‘TIS THE DAMN SEASON." And by season, she totally means surprise album season, right?!
When one follower put the clues together into one tweet, Taylor "liked" the post meaning the Swifties are onto something yet again.
As fans try to get some rest before the big album release at midnight EST—prepare for Easter Eggs pop culture lovers—Taylor is more than excited to share special new music with her loyal followers .
"Ever since I was 13, I've been excited about turning 31 because it's my lucky number backwards, which is why I wanted to surprise you with this now," Taylor explained on Instagram. "You've all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful on my birthdays and so this time I thought I would give you something! I also know this holiday season will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you."
She added, "Tonight the story continues, as the music video for 'willow' drops at midnight eastern."