If you watched the Grammys this year on Feb. 4, you most likely saw Taylor Swift announce her newest album during her acceptance speech after winning Best Pop Vocal Album. Long-time Swift fans, or “Swifties,” were excited at the news of a brand new album being released in April. Others weren’t so happy.
After this Grammy, Swift won another, breaking the record for Album of the Year wins by any artist with four wins. Many viewers were irritated, making the assumption that even other artists in the room felt annoyed at the announcement. Some even joked that Lana Del Rey felt resentment as she stood awkwardly on stage when Swift accepted the award, despite Del Rey being nominated in the same category.
Still, fans are defending Swift’s pure intention to have Del Rey on stage, as she was a feature on the winning album and Swift recognized her in her speech for being an inspiration to many female artists today. So, are viewers criticizing Swift because she stole the Grammys spotlight with her album announcement or because they feel resentment toward her for having it all?
Long-time fans are aware of Swift’s connection to the number 13, which she often uses to hint at future projects. With this being her 13th Grammy, fans were confident she would announce the re-record of her sixth studio album, “reputation,” as she is in the process of re-recording her old albums. While many fans were shocked at the news of a brand new album, Swifties were all tuned in waiting for the singer to make an announcement, many recording their own reactions. Fans expected an announcement because this was not the first time the singer has made one at an award show. In 2022, Swift announced her 10th studio album, “Midnights,” at the MTV Video Music Awards. While there was not as much backlash then, those unhappy with her most recent announcement argued that the Grammys are more momentous and no place for personal promotion. They also say that Swift had seemingly expected to win as she had her album announcement speech ready to go.
However, less than a week later, Swift returned to the stage in Japan for her “Eras Tour,” telling the crowd that her backup plan was to make the announcement in Tokyo. She said that it was mostly a spontaneous decision as she did not expect to win, having told only a few of her close friends that she might make the announcement if she won.
On the same night of Swift’s album announcement, country star Kacey Musgraves teased her own music in a commercial during the 2024 Grammys. In 2010 at the VMAs, Lady Gaga sang a snippet of her song, “Born This Way,” before it was released. That is the extent of artists announcing personal projects at award shows, which is why many viewers had blatant reactions to Swift’s announcement. Gaga’s 2010 performance was received with love at the seemingly less professional, more playful VMAs. Similarly, Musgraves’ commercial was presented at a much smaller scale, unlike Swift’s announcement, which was carried out on live television at the largest music event of the year in front of many of today’s biggest artists.
While viewers were certainly displeased that news of Swift’s album overshadowed many other awards from the night, it would be interesting to see if criticism would lessen if a different artist announced a personal project at a big award show like this one.