Can you keep a secret? Taylor Swift sure can!
On Thursday morning, the music superstar shocked fans when she announced a brand-new album would be released in less than 24 hours. Fast-forward to today and pop culture fans can't stop singing, analyzing and listening to her latest album titled folklore.
But how did the Grammy winner manage to keep her project a secret from so many people for so long? We may just have some answers.
"No one knew I was making an album," Taylor shared during a Q&A with fans online. "I didn't even tell my friends until right before announce. It was my own secret world I'd go to & I've never made music like that before."
Aaron Dessner, who co-wrote or produced 11 of the tracks on the new album, also shed some light during an appearance on Apple Music Friday morning.
"I was so glad that we kept it [a secret] because I didn't want to be the one that spilled the beans. Because even like not telling like even my daughter... I have an 8-year-old daughter and one day she asked me. She's just like, ‘Daddy, do you know Taylor Swift?' It was the morning after we'd written like one of these songs," Aaron shared with Zane Lowe. "And every time we would write a song, it was like a weird lightning bolt, getting this struck by lightning or something and just like exhilarated with electricity."
He continued, "I just looked her straight in the eye and said, ‘No.' I honored my confidentiality. But yeah, it was important to keep it."
The results are clearly paying off. Many in the music community are expressing their praises at the new album online.
"Thank you for the cardigan and the beautiful, intricate, mystical new album @TaylorSwift. Your ability to create unbounded and ever growing music is the most inspiring," Kelsea Ballerini shared on Twitter. Maggie Rogers added, "There is no better feeling in the whole world than being a fan. all my favorite musicians just gave me a sense of hope back. from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
Kesha, Paramore's Hayley Williams, Hayley Kiyoko and Todrick Hall are just some of Taylor's famous fans who have also shared their excitement online.
Ultimately, Taylor is grateful to have so many fans listening in and experiencing her world during such a unique time.
"In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness," she wrote on Instagram. "Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I've told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve. Now it's up to you to pass them down."