Fans react as Taylor Swifts new album leaked

Taylor Swifts new album, The Tortured Poets Department, has leaked online a day before its scheduled release, sending fans into a frenzy.

Many people have been sharing the tracks on social media, with some saying they came from a Google Drive link containing the whole 17-song list.

While some Swifties have dived straight in, others insisted true fans will wait for the official release on Friday.

The BBC has approached Swifts representatives for comment.

The singer announced the existence of her 11th studio album at the Grammy Awards in February. It is her first collection of entirely new material since October 2022s Midnights.

On X, formerly Twitter, some fans were quick to say they wouldnt be indulging in the music ahead of schedule; while others flooded the site with false links to "bury" the leak and stop people finding it.

"Raise your hand if youre an ACTUAL Taylor Swift fan and arent listening," wrote one social media user.

"People need to understand that this isnt just about being a fan. Its about respecting others of their hard work!," wrote another.

"She and her team [have] planned and worked so meticulously for this album release, dont disrespect and ruin it for others as well."

Another said they wanted to wait to listen to the whole album on Friday "and really get the first listen experience".

Other fans speculated that the tracks could be fakes generated by artificial intelligence, although some "AI" tracks that were shared online turned out to be older, less well-known Swift songs.

It wouldnt be the first time that the star has had a run-in with AI. In January, X blocked searches for "Taylor Swift" after explicit AI-generated images of the singer began circulating on the site.

The arrival of a new album has been hotly anticipated by her fan community as it means there will be new material to add to the stars blockbuster Eras tour, which hits Europe this summer.

Midnights, which featured the singles Anti-Hero, Bejeweled and Karma, also leaked online ahead of its drop date. But the leak didnt hurt Swifts commercial prospects, and the album sold 1.6 million copies in its first week in the US.

It went on to win album of the year at the Grammys, making Swift the first person to win the award four times.

Earlier this month, Swift joined Elon Musk as ranking among the worlds wealthiest people, according to a new rich list.

The pop star entered the Forbes Worlds Billionaires List for the first time with $1.1bn (£877m), along with Sam Altman, creator of the AI chatbot ChatGPT on $1bn (£800m).