Folklore (stylized in
all lowercase) is the eighth
studio album by American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift. It was a
surprise album, released through
Republic Records on July 24, 2020, eleven months after its predecessor,
Lover (2019).
An
indie folk,
alternative rock,
electro-folk, and
chamber pop album,
Folklore departs from the upbeat pop sound of Swift's previous albums, for mellow tunes driven by piano and guitar, featuring production from
Aaron Dessner and
Jack Antonoff. Written and recorded in isolation during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Swift called the album "a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness" rising out of her imagination; it manifests vivid
storytelling from largely
third-person perspectives that detail
introspection and
escapism. The project sees Swift adopting a rustic,
cottagecore aesthetic.
Upon release,
Folklore received widespread critical acclaim, with emphasis on its relaxed atmosphere, emotional weight, and poetic lyricism. Music critics deemed it a bold move from Swift, to experiment with
indie genres unconventional to her usual styles. The album broke numerous records on
streaming services, including the
Guinness World Record for the biggest opening day for an album by a female artist on
Spotify. According to Republic Records,
Folklore sold two million copies in its first week globally, 1.3 million of which were sold on its first day. It reached number one in Australia, Canada, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and several other territories.
Debuting at number one on the
Billboard 200 chart,
Folklore gave Swift her seventh consecutive number-one album in the United States, and immediately became the best-selling album of 2020. It spent eight weeks atop the chart, making it the longest-running number one album of 2017 to 2020. All its 16 tracks entered the
Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, with three in the top-10: the lead single "
Cardigan" debuted at the top spot and gave Swift her sixth number-one single in the US, making her the first act in history to debut atop both the
Billboard 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously, while "
The 1" arrived at number four and the
Bon Iver duet "
Exile" at number six; the three tracks opened inside the top-10 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the UK, as well.