Taylor Swift has said she “couldn’t be more proud” following the release of her highly anticipated album, Lover.
The pop superstar described the record, her seventh in total and first since 2017’s Reputation, as a “celebration of love, in all its complexity, coziness, and chaos”.
In a tweet marking Lover’s release, she also referenced the controversy over the sale of her back catalogue, saying it was “the first album of mine that I’ve ever owned”.
This album is very much a celebration of love, in all its complexity, coziness, and chaos. It’s the first album of mine that I’ve ever owned, and I couldn’t be more proud. I’m so excited that #Lover is out NOW: https://t.co/t7jK7XmEqa pic.twitter.com/NMgE7LTdGZ
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 23, 2019
Earlier, Swift had debuted the music video for the album’s title track and, discussing its inspiration, said it had come from a “free, romantic, whimsical” place and was a “natural continuation” of her life.
Lover is 10-time Grammy winner Swift’s longest album, totalling 18 songs. They include singles Me!, You Need To Calm Down and Lover.
The song London Boy is widely believed to be about Swift’s British boyfriend, the actor Joe Alwyn.
Reviews for Lover started arriving online as the album was released. Revered music magazine Rolling Stone gave it four stars out of five, describing it as “evolutionary rather than revolutionary”.
The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis awarded Lover a three-star review, writing it “feels like consolidation, not progress”.
Lover is one of the biggest music releases of the year and arrived after a high-profile publicity campaign.
Swift started dropping hints about a new album in February, when she posted a picture of seven palm trees on Instagram.
It is her first release since signing with Universal Music Group in November last year in a deal ensuring she maintained the rights to her work.
In June, she shared an emotional post on Tumblr, saying she was “sad” and “grossed out” after it emerged talent manager Scooter Braun had purchased her back catalogue.
Swift, 29, had been signed with the Big Machine Label Group since starting her career in music as a teenager.
The label owned the rights to her first six albums, including Grammy winners for album of the year, 2008’s Fearless and 2014’s 1989.
In June, Braun’s Ithaca Holdings announced that it had acquired Big Machine Records.