Taylor Swift Fans Speculate about New Album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Following Singer’s Performance of ‘You’re Losing Me’
On Feb. 15, Taylor Swift performed “You’re Losing Me” live for the first time during her “Eras Tour” stop in Melbourne, Australia. She played the song with the image of her forthcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, projected on a giant screen behind her, which led fans to speculate that this further proved a critical theory: that her new album is about the demise of her six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn.
Since starting the “Eras Tour,” Swift began the tradition of playing two surprise songs at each date, so each audience would hear a couple of new tracks.
For Melbourne night one, Swift performed “Red (Taylor’s Version)” from her 2021 re-release album, as well as the emotional “You’re Losing Me,” a bonus track from her 2022 album Midnights that many fans have theorized to be about Alwyn.
“You’re Losing Me” was released in November 2023, written and recorded “on 12/5/21,” placing that song, along with the tracks written for Tortured Poets Department, within the same time frame as her fading relationship with Alwyn. The pair reportedly broke up in early 2023.
TikTok creator Courtney (@eurosweetheart) delved into this speculation in a video, expressing her opinions on the song’s meaning.
Fan theories about The Tortured Poets Department
Following news of the impending debut of The Tortured Poets Department, fans began to speculate about the album’s connection to Alwyn. The album’s title, for instance, is believed to be directly inspired by the name of Alwyn’s group chat with actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, called “The Tortured Man Club.” The album’s April 19 release date and the track list have also sparked theories about the album’s connection to Alwyn.
Swifties continued to investigate the connection between Alwyn and TPD after Swift debuted the art for a special vinyl edition of the album called The Bolter Edition. The Bolter Edition, Swift announced to the Melbourne crowd, would also feature an exclusive track called “The Bolter.”
Of course, fans can’t help but wonder if the track, as well as the exclusive album’s title, is inspired by Alwyn’s alleged tendency to evade the paparazzi during his relationship with Swift. Footage from August 2022 has since gone viral, showing Alwyn and Swift, hand in hand, as they bolt toward their vehicle to avoid being photographed after a Video Music Awards afterparty.
Twitter user @fanaTAYcism wrote, “Singing ‘you’re losing me’ all while leaving that cover on the screen is a very specific kind of unhinged. it’s very clearly a threat. everyone should be scared.”
A representative for Swift did not respond to a Yahoo News request for comment.