Taylor Swift songwriting secrets decoded as ancestry reveals connection with poet Emily Dickinson

Taylor Swift announced her 11th studio album update on February 4, 2024, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. The album, titled The Tortured Poets Department, is set to be published on April 19, 2024. She later unveiled the whole tracklist of the album.

Taylor's The Tortured Poets Department will consist of 17 tracks, including an additional bonus track. Two songs were recorded in cooperation with Post Malone and Florence + the Machine, respectively.

As reported by TODAY on March 4, 2024, a genealogy business named Ancestry found that the vocalist of Lover, aged 34, is linked to the poet Emily Dickinson. They are sixth cousins, three times removed.

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Taylor Swift and Poet Emily Dickinson's relations revealed by Ancestry

Ancestry shared an Instagram post on decoding the ancestry connection between Taylor Swift's songwriting secrets and poet Emily Dickinson

The post states:

“Swift and Dickinson both descend from a 17th century English immigrant (Swift’s 9th great-grandfather and Dickinson’s 6th great-grandfather who was an early settler of Windsor, Connecticut). Taylor Swift’s ancestors remained in Connecticut for six generations until her part of the family eventually settled in northwestern Pennsylvania, where they married into the Swift family line.”

Swift has openly mentioned the 19th-century poet while discussing the many styles of lyrics she composed for her songs. While receiving the Nashville Songwriters Association International's Songwriter-Artist of the Decade Award in 2022, she stated:

“If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great-grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre.”

Speculations have arisen among fans that Taylor Swift's ninth studio album, Evermore, drew inspiration from the 19th-century poet. Swift revealed the album's release date on December 10, 2020, aligning with Dickinson's birthday. Dickinson penned a poem titled One Sister Have I in Our House that includes the term forevermore, like the title of Swift's album.

Emily Dickinson, who passed away in 1886, penned around 1,800 poems during her lifetime. As of November 2023, Swift has composed and co-authored 243 songs, showing significant progress. Swifties have long speculated on the link between the two ladies.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s new album, Tortured Poets Department, is set to be released on April 19, 2024. She announced it during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards and released a statement:

“Okay, this is my 13th Grammy, which is my lucky number. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that. I want to say thank you to the members of the Recording Academy for voting this way, but I know that the way that the Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion of the fans. So I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I have been keeping from you for the last two years.”

The pop singer has unveiled many editions of her new album, with the artist unveiling the fourth and last version during her Eras Tour performance in Singapore.

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Stay tuned for more interesting updates on this.