The singer made the announcement via her social channels Thursday afternoon.
Fans have long been waiting for Taylor Swift to announce which song off The Tortured Poets Department would be the lead single and it now appears that they need to look no further than the top of the tracklist — the very top, that is.
Just hours ahead of TTPD‘s release on Friday, Swift took to her social media pages to announce that the first single off her highly anticipated 11th studio album is one that features a longtime friend and collaborator — Post Malone.
“I’ve been such a huge fan of Post because of the writer he is, his musical experimentation and those melodies he creates that just stick in your head forever,” Swift wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) while announcing the debut song.
Accompanying her message, Swift attached the cover art for the song showing the “Congratulations” singer, 28, keeping it casual in a white tee and baseball cap while sitting next to Swift, who sports a black sweater and sly smile directed at the camera.
“I got to witness that magic come to life firsthand when we worked together on Fortnight. Honestly can’t wait for you guys to hear this song at Midnight TONIGHT and see the video at 8pm ET TOMORROW,” the post, which was also shared on her Instagram, continued.
On the “Bad Blood” singer’s previous albums, the lead single spot went to major songs that turned into certified gold including “Tim McGraw” from Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off” from 1989 and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” from Red.
Taylor Swift during the Eras Tour – Photo by Don Arnold/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Malone — who is still riding high from his collab with Beyoncé on “Levii’s Jeans” from her new album, Cowboy Carter — has yet to share the cover art or comment on being involved in the first single off Swift’s new album, but he did previously give some insight into what it was like to work with the 14-time GRAMMY winner.
“She’s amazing,” he said during an interview with Zane Lowe on his Apple Music 1 show. “She’s so sweet and so kind and talented and she hit me up and said, ‘Let’s do it.’ And I was like, ‘Hell yeah.’”
Lowe asked Malone, “So, you just rolled in the studio and hung out and it was a good day?” to which the rapper responded, “Yes, sir. It was amazing.”
Post Malone sings at Super Bowl LVIII – Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation
Around the same time, Swift offered the “Wow” hitmaker support of her own when she attended Super Bowl LVIII alongside Blake Lively and other friends to cheer on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Just before kickoff, Malone hit the field with guitar in hand to deliver an impeccable rendition of “America the Beautiful,” which has since been viewed more than 3 million times on the NFL’s YouTube page. During the broadcast, cameras cut to Swift and Lively, 36, who were spotted swaying along and singing with Malone.
That sweet moment came just days after Swift announced The Tortured Poets Department while onstage at the GRAMMY Awards as she accepted her 13th trophy. Just one day later, she dropped the tracklist for the album over on her Instagram, revealing Malone as a feature on song No. 1 and Florence Welch of Florence & The Machine on song No. 8.
