Taylor Swift surprised fans with not only a double album drop but also the release of the music video for the album’s inaugural single, “Fortnight,” featuring none other than Post Malone, per latestly.com.
Directed by Swift herself, the video takes viewers on a visual journey through themes of love, liberation, and emotional turmoil. In the video, Swift and Post Malone portray former flames, with Post Malone’s character trying to rescue Swift from her own emotional entrapment.
Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, known for his work with Martin Scorsese, collaborated with Swift once again for the video, according to indiewire.com. Filmed in stunning black and white, the video follows Swift as she moves through various settings, from what seems to be a mental institution to an office to a scene of electroshock therapy.
Throughout the video, Swift and Post Malone’s characters navigate a tortured romance, struggling to fully connect despite fleeting looks and tender touches. Prieto’s cinematography adds depth and richness to Swift’s lyrics, which showcase the doomed romanticism present throughout the album.
Fortnight’ screenshot/YouTubeWith its release, The Tortured Poets Department has opened up a world of possibilities for fans and critics alike to explore. And with the release of the “Fortnight” music video, Swift has given her devoted fans yet another opportunity to search for Easter eggs and hidden references within her work.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift is pulling back the curtain — just a bit — on her legendary pen. When The Tortured Poets Department was released on April 19, the singer-songwriter, 34, provided special commentary on the record — as well as in-depth insights into a selection of songs including “Clara Bow,” “Fortnight,” and more — as iHeartRadio premiered it.
Swift gave even more insights on the already critically acclaimed album to Amazon Music for its special Tortured Poets Department listening experience: Taylor Swift Track by Track.
Introducing the record on iHeartRadio, she said that “a lot of the songs on The Tortured Poets Department deal with the idea of heartbreak or loss in a metaphor of something else.”
“In ‘Down Bad,’ for example, Swift said she compared “the idea of being love bombed where someone, you know, rocks your world and dazzles you then kind of abandons you as an alien abduction where this girl was abducted by aliens but she wanted to stay with them and then when they like drop her off back in her hometown she’s like, ‘Where are you going? I liked it there, it was weird but it was cool, come back!’”
