Taylor Swift brings ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ to TikTok despite ongoing UMG dispute

One week after she brought her music back to TikTok, Taylor Swift has partnered with the app to promote her new album. Several Swiftie-oriented features arrived on TikTok on April 19, the same day Swift dropped her double LP The Tortured Poets Department.

TikTok users who wish to celebrate Swift’s new album can discover custom “entry points” within the TikTok app, including a Tortured Poets Department icon on the For You feed and a special animation that accompanies searches for “Taylor Swift”. TikTok is also rolling out a carousel that will spotlight creators who use the hashtag #THETORTUREDPOETSDEPARTMENT. A quick search reveals plenty of stunned reactions to Swift’s new album.

@chris @Taylor Swift ARE YOU KIDDING ME? #taylorswift #torturedpoetsdepartment ♬ loml – Taylor Swift

Swift is also teaming with TikTok for a challenge that will give her fans a chance to unlock custom artwork for their profiles. The scope of the partnership is a reminder of Swift’s dominant position in the contemporary pop scene. A week before the release of The Tortured Poets Department

, her music returned to TikTok despite an ongoing dispute between the app and Swift’s record label Universal Music Group. Most UMG artists have had their music pulled from TikTok; Swift made herself an exception by giving TikTok users access to tracks she has the right to distribute (such as those from the “Taylor’s Version” rereleases).

The last time Swift dropped a new album was in 2022, when she debuted Midnights and rang it in with an “Anti-Hero Challenge” on YouTube Shorts. Two years later, it seems as if all of the biggest social platforms are seeking Swift partnerships. In addition to her presence on TikTok, the singer-songwriter is now active on Threads, Meta’s answer to X. She launched her account on that platform at the exact same time she released The Tortured Poets Department.