Taylor Swift's countdown clock fuels speculation of new album release
Taylor Swift performs during her "reputation" tour in Glendale, Ariz., on May 8, 2018. Credit: Invision/AP / Rick Scuteri
What is Taylor Swift counting down to?
After posting a countdown clock on her website Friday, the 29-year-old pop star began placing one cryptic photo a day across her social-media platforms, each with the message "4.26."
On Saturday, her more than 100 million followers saw a close-up of what appears to be a jewel-encrusted piece of heart-shaped jewelry. On Sunday, Swift posted a photo of two hands wearing nail polish and rings, holding onto the front of what seems to be a yellow double-breasted jacket. And on Monday came a close-up photo of some pink tulle fabric.
Additionally, multiple outlets have reported billboards across the world with similar imagery and the URL "aprilTwentySix.com," which redirects to Swift's website.
The countdown is to midnight on Friday, April 26.
Fans online have speculated this is marketing ahead of a seventh studio album, which would be her first since "reputation" in November 2017. Swift utilized a similarly teasing campaign three months before its release, when snake videos appeared inexplicably on her Instagram page. Eventually it was revealed as marketing for that album's first single, "Look What You Made Me Do," the music video for which opens with a zombie-themed graveyard and later features a plethora of snakes, some serving the singer tea.
