You know nothing she does is by accident, and fans everywhere are speculating Taylor Swift’s Super Bowl hair was a nod to her upcoming album. The “Cruel Summer” singer-songwriter announced the The Tortured Poets Department while accepting her Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album on February 5, 2024. It’s slated for release on April 19.
She said in her speech, “Okay, this is my 13th Grammy, which is my lucky number. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that. I want to say thank you to the members of the Recording Academy for voting this way, but I know that the way that the Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion of the fans. 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.”
Her outfit on the night was seemingly dripping in Easter Eggs. Equipped with a fan and elbow-length gloves, Swift appeared to be hinting at a new era. In Victorian times, fans were used—much like gloves or parasols—for relaying secret messages according to Sotheby’s. Her appearance at football’s biggest day was no different. Here’s why Taylor Swift‘s Super Bowl hair had everyone talking.
Taylor Swift’s Super Bowl hair
Taylor Swift’s Super Bowl hair was a messy ponytail; bangs rippled with their natural texture, and sported two mini braids on either side of her head. A plait in the hair is one thing, but a braid in poetry? It’s a literary device that weaves multiple threads together to make one cohesive piece of writing.
This could mean that, despite earlier reports of a Joe Alwyn (her most recent ex before current boyfriend Travis Kelce) diss album, only fragments of their time together will feature in The Tortured Poets Department.
In announcing her new album on Instagram, Taylor wrote: “All’s fair in love and poetry… New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Out April 19 🤍,” she wrote the caption on Instagram. In the second photo of the slideshow, the text reads out:
“And so I enter into evidenceMy tarnished coat of armsMy muses acquired like bruisesMy talisman and charmsThe tickticktickof love bombsMy veins of pitch black inkAll’s fair in love and poetrySincerely,
The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department”
Joe has never spoken candidly about his past relationship so why would that change now? However, an insider told the Daily Mail that it’s raised alarm bells for him, particularly with the name which is likely a reference to the group chat, The Tortured Man Club, with which he shares with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott.
“Joe has not said one word about Taylor or their breakup and has been completely respectful of her. It’s undeniable that the name of her upcoming album is in reference to Joe’s WhatsApp group chat,” the source said. “Taylor knocked him for the name of this when they were together. She didn’t want people to think that it had anything to do with her, so when he spoke out about it, she was, of course, bothered.”
The insider continued, “Joe has no reason to believe yet that she is going to diss him or their relationship. She writes about her past using code and points of reference. It may just be that she is reflecting on their time together and he is hoping it is nothing more.”
They concluded: “If it is a diss album, that is shady. He helped her with songwriting on her past album so it will really come as a shock to him if she talks about their breakup, as it is something he has not spoken of at all. Regardless of what she does, he will still not respond because he has removed himself from her narrative and is very glad, he did.”
