Taylor Swift Makes History at 66th Grammy Awards with Fourth Album of the Year Win
Taylor Swift made history at the 66th Grammy Awards, notching a record fourth win for album of the year and shocking fans with an onstage announcement that her next record, “The Tortured Poets Department,” will be released on April 19.
Swift announced plans for her 11th studio album as she accepted the best pop vocal album award for “Midnights” on Sunday. “I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years,” she said.
Later that night, Swift was speechless as she returned onstage after winning album of the year for a fourth time, for “Midnights” — becoming the first artist to win the prize four times. Previously, she was tied with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon, who each won the category three times.
“I would love to tell you this is the best moment of my life,” Swift said after winning her 14th career Grammy award, but she said she feels just as happy when she finishes writing a song or rehearsing for a tour. “For me, the award is the work. All I want to do is keep being able to do this,” she said.
Swift was handed the album of the year award by Celine Dion, who made a surprise appearance at Sunday’s ceremony. The Canadian megastar announced in May that she was canceling her tour after receiving a diagnosis for stiff-person syndrome, an incurable and rare neurological condition.
Swift confirmed the details of her new album on her Instagram account later Sunday night. The cover appears to show Swift lying on a bed. She also posted a photo of a handwritten note that reads, “And so I enter into evidence / My tarnished coat of arms / My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / The tick, tick, tick of love bombs / My view of pitch black ink.”
“The Tortured Poets Department” comes as Swift is about to head out an international leg of her “Eras Tour.” Her next stop is Tokyo, where she will perform next week before an expected brief return to the United States so she can attend the Super Bowl and watch boyfriend Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Female artists dominated the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, with a record-breaking album of the year win by Taylor Swift. Fans speculated all day Sunday that she would be announcing her rerecorded “reputation” album, mining her personal website for clues. Swift was featured prominently throughout the Grammys, with the camera continually panning to her as she danced and sang along to performances.