Where did Taylor Swift announce Midnights? Singer's history of announcing new albums at music award events explored

TIME's 2023 Person of the Year, Taylor Swift, always finds creative ways to announce her new albums to millions of Swifties worldwide. From deleting all her social media posts to leaving cryptic clues, the 34-year-old always finds innovative ways to reveal her work to the world.

The singer announced the release of her 2022 album, Midnights, at the MTV VMA stage. However, that was not the last time Taylor used an award show podium to announce her upcoming music. Just a few months ago, she announced her latest album while winning one of the most coveted music awards for the record fourth time.

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Taylor Swift announced Midnights at the 2022 MTV VMAs and in a cryptic message at midnight

Taylor Swift announced her upcoming album, Midnights, in her acceptance speech after receiving Video of the Year for All Too Well (10-minute version) (Taylor's version).

"I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21. And I will tell you more at midnight," she announced.

Taylor Swift started her speech by thanking fans for being supportive and giving her the strength to make the 10-minute short film for All Too Well. She also acknowledged that she wouldn't have been able to re-record Red (which contained the All Too Well video) without the fans. In the end, she announced her new album for the first time.

Swifties were over the moon over the announcement and were greeted with the album art and a cryptic message from Taylor Swift at midnight on her X (formerly Twitter) account.

"We lie awake in love and fear, in turmoil and in tears. We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren't—– right this minute — about to make some fateful life-altering mistake."

Taylor Swift announced Midnights (Image via X/@taylorswift13)

Taylor Swift officially described the album as 'the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.' Upon release on October 21, 2022, Midnights contained 13 songs, and she described them as ruminations from her sleepless nights.

Upon release, Midnights topped several charts worldwide and was Taylor's 11th consecutive #1 on the Billboard 200. She also became the first-ever artist to monopolize Billboard's Hot 100, with Anti-Hero peaking in the rankings. Additionally, Midnights won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys in 2024, making Taylor Swift the only person in history to have won Album of the Year four times.

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Which other album has Taylor Swift revealed during award shows?

Taylor Swift made history by winning Album of the Year for the record fourth time at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Midnights. The pop sensation gave her fans a return gift that night by announcing the release of her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.

While accepting her thirteenth Grammy, the singer expressed her gratitude to the passionate fans and accepted that her 13th Grammy reflected Swifties worldwide's support for her. As a surprise addition, Taylor announced her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.

"So I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I have been keeping from you for the last two years, which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19th. It's called 'The Tortured Poets Department.' I'm going to go and post the cover right now backstage. Thank you, I love you! Thank you!" she added.

After the reveal, the Forinight singer shared the album art on her Instagram with the caption,

"All's fair in love and poetry... New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Out April 19."

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The Tortured Poets Department has already fixed its position at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 by capturing its first 14 places in its debut week. With The Eras Tour breaking attendance records and her new album conquering streaming lists worldwide, Taylor has cemented her position as one of the biggest pop stars of the generation.