Taylor Swift Announces New Album Due Out in October

Music to fans’ ears! Taylor Swift surprised fans during the 2022 Video Music Awards when she announced a new album during her acceptance speech for Video of the Year.

“I’m just so proud of what we made,” the 32-year-old pop star said on Sunday, August 28, while accepting a Moonperson for the “All Too Well” short film. “We wouldn’t have been able to make this short film if it weren’t for you, the fans. Because I wouldn’t be able to re-record my albums if it weren’t for you. You emboldened me to do that.”

The “Getaway Car” singer went on to say that she wanted to surprise her fans to say thank you for their VMA votes. “I had sort of made up my mind that if you were gonna be this generous and give us this, I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21,” Swift told the crowd. “I will tell you more at midnight.”

Swift later announced that the new album is titled Midnights. “Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight,” she wrote via Instagram.

In a second photo, she added: “We lie awake in love and in 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. This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching — hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve … we’ll meet ourselves.”

The project will mark the Pennsylvania native’s 10th studio album following her 2020 releases Folklore and Evermore. Her last release, Red (Taylor’s Version), debuted in November 2021.

Earlier in the evening, the “Blank Space” songstress took home the Moonperson for Best Longform Video for her work on “All Too Well,” which also marked her directorial debut.

“Wow. Before this, I had directed and written my music videos, but I had never made a short film before,” she said during her acceptance speech. “We put our entire hearts into this trying to make something that might be worth of the love that you, the fans, have shown this song. Thank you for this beautiful indication that we did something right. Love you guys.”

Swift earned five VMAs nominations for the 2022 awards show — adding to her 11 trophies, which she won from 2009 to 2021.

The “Gorgeous” singer turned heads from the moment she arrived at the VMAs, walking the red carpet solo. Swift wore an Oscar de la Renta dress that had head-to-toe sparkles.

Fans quickly noticed that the look was reminiscent of the musician’s Reputation album, specifically her “Look What You Made Me Do” music video from 2017. The diamond-filled frock seemed to pay homage to Swift’s bath tube scene from the video, in which she was covered with jewels.

The nod to her past record also came just days after she was officially allowed to re-record and re-release “Look What You Made Me Do” following the re-record of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version).

Once inside the venue, Swift partied with her “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” music video star Dylan O’Brien. The short film, which came out in November 2021, also featured Sadie Sink and a cameo by the “Lover” songstress herself.

After Fergie and Lizzo took the stage shortly after the show began, Swift was spotted dancing and singing with O’Brien, 31, and more of their pals in the audience. She continued to rock out when Nicki Minaj took the stage for a medley of her best work.