Folklore's surprise release helped Taylor Swift cleverly break some Billboard records
Taylor Swift framed her new album folklore and its surprise release as an expression of what she’s been doing and thinking and feeling while in isolation because of the coronavirus, saying in her initial announcement post that she had a gut feeling that “if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world.” It was the sort of emotional and honest (or at least honest-seeming) self-reflection that Swift has become very good at, and it certainly seems to have resonated with people. It was also, whether Swift intended this or not, a good way to quickly and quietly take over the Billboard charts in a way that has never been done before. We’re not saying folklore’s release was part of an elaborate scheme, but it’s not like she’s never been involved in an elaborate scheme. It would be a discredit to her history of clever schemin’ to not even consider that it’s all part of a plan.