Brand
Taylor Swift X TikTok: Unpacking The ‘Tortured Poets Department’ Collaboration
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has partnered with TikTok to deliver an immersive experience for her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” The collaboration comes as the video-sharing platform and her record label remain embroiled in a licensing feud.
According to Variety, TikTok unveiled “The Tortured Poets Department” in-app activation on Friday, coinciding with the surprise drop of Swift’s 19th studio album. The multi-faceted campaign offers the singer’s fans a range of exclusive content and interactive features to engage with the new music on the platform.
At its core, the experience provides curated playlists enabling users to soundtrack their videos with tracks from the double album. Additionally, TikTok has introduced challenges where participants can unlock unique profile artwork by meeting specific criteria. Further amplifying fan participation, a dedicated hashtag (#THETORTUREDPOETSDEPARTMENT) fuels a “Taylor Swift Fan Spotlight” carousel surfacing top user-generated videos.
Variety states that the TikTok experience extends well beyond audio integration. Visual components include a bespoke album art animation triggered when searching “Taylor Swift” and custom share images for disseminating content. Users can access the full suite by locating scattered “entry points” like album icons across their “For You” feeds.
This collaborative launch arrives just weeks after Swift’s entire music catalog returned to TikTok on April 11. Her songs had been among those removed when failed renewal negotiations prompted Universal Music Group to pull its artists from the platform in late January. However, indications suggest Swift brokered a separate deal, as most other Universal acts remain absent from TikTok amid the unresolved dispute.
The widespread “Tortured Poets Department” promotion builds upon Swift’s strong TikTok presence. Since her 2021 arrival, the Grammy winner has amassed over 25 million followers and 225 million total likes, regularly engaging with highly engaged hashtag communities like #SwiftTok.
Her latest TikTok push comes as the app’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain. Federal legislation has advanced through Congress calling for parent company ByteDance to divest its stake or face a nationwide ban.