It’s been almost exactly two years since Taylor Swift’s last album, 1989, came out. Which means all of us Swifties are literally dying for new music. A quick Google search shows that Swift has dropped a new album every two years in the late October/early November weeks…does that mean her sixth album is on its way?
Technically, the pop star hasn’t released any information about it. Boo. But the Washington Post appears to have cracked the code behind Swift’s album releases. And they not only predict that she will be dropping new music soon, but they might have even figured out the day. Here’s their five step theory:
It will be a total surprise
First off, the Post claims, Swift won’t be announcing this album until after it’s released. Essentially, she’ll pull Beyoncé’s old trick and release it unannounced, likely with Apple Music. That way, Swift can cater to her fans and drop new tunes while avoiding dreadful pre-album publicity, which would include all sorts of drama. Tom Hiddleston, Calvin Harris, Kim Kardashian-West, Demi Lovato…and so on. At any rate, Swift’s a mega-pop star and probably doesn’t need the extra attention.
The album will come in October
Wait a minute…that’s this month! Given that the majority of her previous albums were released in October (excepting Fearless, which hit shelves in November), this seems pretty likely too. Swift seems to stick to this pattern. Scott Borchetta, Swift’s label president, denied on Twitter that it’s happening in October — but then deleted his tweet. Who knows if he was really telling the truth? Especially if Swift wants it to be a surprise.
It’s also worth noting that the 2017 Grammy Awards eligibility period literally just ended on September 30th, which means that Swift won’t be competing against Beyoncé’s Lemonade or Adele’s 25 next year. By avoiding some of the biggest competitors on the market, Swift will likely come out with lots of awards.
The 10th anniversary of her first album is coming up
The 10-year anniversary of Swift’s first album, Taylor Swift, falls on the 24th, which is not something she (or any fan) would ignore. 10 years. Given that she’s always celebrating specific dates and anniversaries on her Instagram, this seems like it would be a priority. And we all know that Swift’s favorite way of celebrating is giving.
It will probably be on a Sunday
The Post starts to get more specific, explaining that they believe the new album will be released on a Sunday. “There’s no better time to dominate the entertainment news cycle than on Sunday night when people are facing the reality of another week and want a distraction,” they comment. “Internet traffic typically spikes on Monday when people are back at work, and a story like this would certainly get all of the attention.”
Not to mention the word of mouth traffic that would ensue. Releasing her album on a Sunday means that going back to work or school means going back to the people you socialize with most. Basically every conversation will start with “Have you listened to Taylor Swift’s new album yet?!”
It will have something to do with the number 13
AKA Swift’s lucky number, as any true fan knows. She was born on Dec. 13, 1989; her debut album went gold in 13 weeks and the Red tour kicked off on March 13, 2013. The list goes on too. She’s not scared of the superstition clearly.
The Post guess that Swift will potentially release her surprise album on Oct. 23, 2016 because the numbers in 10/23/16 add up to 13! It’s also almost the exact date of her 10-year marker as a pop star. But they also have a backup date, just in case she chooses to release it after the election – November 13th, or 11/13/16. Once again, the sum of the individual numbers adds up to 13. Either way, we don’t have long to wait.
What do you think? Do you buy the Post‘s theory or is it just wishful thinking? Comment below!