LOS ANGELES Taylor Swift surprised fans with her new record The Tortured Poets Department on Friday (April 19), revealing it was a double album featuring songs about heartbreak and a period described as "the saddest story" of the singer's life. Swift's 11th studio album, featuring 16 tracks, was released at midnight EDT (0400 GMT). Two hours later she revealed.
The double album is being lauded as "extreme in its emotions and uninterested in traditional hits" - but one critic has called it "at times, cringeworthy".