Taylor Swift fans have been sent into a frenzy after her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, appears to have leaked online early. Many people have shared the tracks on social media, with some saying they came from a Google Drive link containing the entire 17-song list.
While some Swifties have dived straight in, others insisted true fans will wait for the official release on Friday. On X, formerly Twitter, some fans said they wouldn't indulge early, while others flooded the site with false links to 'bury' the apparent leak.
One social media user wrote: 'Raise your hand if you're an ACTUAL Taylor Swift fan and aren't listening.' Another added: 'People need to understand that this isn't just about being a fan. It's about respecting others of their hard work!'
Some fans speculated the tracks could be fakes generated by artificial intelligence, although some 'AI' tracks turned out to be older Swift songs. It wouldn't be the first time the star has had a run-in with AI; in January, X blocked searches for 'Taylor Swift' after explicit AI-generated images circulated.
The singer announced the album at February's Grammy Awards. It is her first collection of entirely new material since October 2022's Midnights, which also leaked online ahead of its release but sold 1.6 million copies in its first week in the US.
The arrival of a new album has been hotly anticipated as it means new material for the Eras tour, which hits Europe this summer. Earlier this month, Swift entered the Forbes World's Billionaires List for the first time with $1.1 billion.
