Taylor Swift fans have been sent into meltdown over claims that her highly-anticipated album, The Tortured Poets Department, has been leaked online.
The 34-year-old songstress’s 11th album is set to be officially released on Friday, April 19 – however two days ahead of its official debut, snippets of songs credited to the record were being posted on social media, with some revealing that they had been taken from a Google Drive link containing the entire song list.
DailyMail.com has seen a screenshot from a Swifties group chat in which a file containing the allegedly leaked album has been shared.
Upon hearing these snippets, many have claimed that they are fake and created by artificial intelligence (AI) – however others have been left convinced that the songs offer an early access pass to the official album.
A Google Drive link circulating online featured 17 different songs – the same number of hits that Taylor confirmed would be included on her upcoming record.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Taylor’s representatives for comment.
News of the so-called leak sent shockwaves through the singer’s fanbase, with some rushing to listen to the songs, while others were quick to defend the popstar, urging others to ‘report’ any posts circulating the clips and insisting that Taylor’s most die-hard supporters would wait until the official album is released.
‘Tip: Turn Your Device’s Volume COMPLETELY OFF on Twitter for the NEXT 24 HRS and REPORT EVERY POST spamming about album leaks! We got this!’ one person wrote.
Another chimed in: ‘It’s not a Taylor Swift album release if you don’t have fake a** “Swifties” spreading leaks because they can’t wait one day to listen to the project… pathetic.’
A third wrote: ‘Please do not spread the leak of Taylor Swift’s new album. Remember, this is Taylor’s work, respect it, just like you would you favorite artist. Don’t punish the artist for how their fans behave.’
As revealed by Taylor in February, The Tortured Poets Department will featured several collaborations with top artists, including Post Malone and Florence + the Machine.
The Anti-Hero singer announced the latest album at the Grammy Awards earlier that month and now she has shared the track listing for the record, which includes collaborations with the 28-year-old rapper and the Hunger hitmaker.
Although this leak has not been verified, it would not be the first time that Taylor has seen one of her records released online ahead of its official debut.
In 2017, the singer’s Reputation album, which was also due for release on a Friday, was leaked on the internet a day before it was officially shared with the world.
However, in the years since that last leak, AI has become increasingly advanced, with several different musicians being targeted by fake, computer-generated songs released in their names.
Drake has been incredibly outspoken against these fraudulent recordings, having fallen victim to AI-generated songs on a number of occasions.
Earlier this month, 200 high-profile artists, including Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj, called for the ‘predatory’ use of AI in the music industry to be stopped, penning an open letter in which they warned the unchecked use of the technology would ‘set in motion a race to the bottom’.
The use of AI to steal artists’ voices, likeness, and sound is an ‘assault on human creativity’, they said, and would ‘destroy the music ecosystem’.
Issued by the Artists Rights Alliance (ARA), the letter called for a ban on AI tools that undermine or replace human songwriters or their work.
‘This assault on human creativity must be stopped. We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem,’ the letter read.
Taylor’s latest alleged leak comes just hours after she revealed her ‘timetable’ for The Tortured Poets Department.
On Wednesday night she shared a promotional video for the album to her Instagram – sending fans wild.
The clip began in a ’70s-inspired room, reminiscent of the Midnights era – her last album to be released.
In the room there were bits of crumbled-up paper on the floor and a series of records as well and a clock set to the time of 2 o’clock.
The camera then leads viewers down a white corridor and into a room with the name The Tortured Poets Department on it.
Inside there are empty white desks with typewriters on as well as coffee cups, before the camera then zooms into a bulletin board on the wall.
On the wall the date April 19 was starred along with the words, ‘The Tortured Poets Department Release Day.’
Underneath was a note that read, ‘8 p.m. ET. Music video release!!’ – as well as fourteen slashes.
She simply wrote in the caption: ‘The TTPD Timetable.’
It comes just after Taylor unveiled a pop-up library in Los Angeles earlier in the day as she geared up for the new album.
The Karma hitmaker’s fans waited in line for upwards of five hours in order to attend a pop-up poetry library.
