In February, Taylor Swift took the stage at the Grammy Awards to accept the prize for best pop vocal album.
1, don’t release it on April 19.
A week later, following a teaser during a Super Bowl commercial, Beyoncé also dropped news of a new album: “Cowboy Carter” would arrive earlier than “Poets,” with breathing room, on March 29.
Another pop powerhouse in the Grammy audience made her own announcement in early April: Billie Eilish will unveil her forthcoming third album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” a month after Swift’s release, on May 17.
Beyoncé and Swift, the 21st century’s pre-eminent pop stars, have often been cast as competitors if not rivals, a story line partly rooted in misogyny and amplified by dueling fan armies filled with stans, or superfans.
Persons:
Taylor Swift, ”, Beyoncé, Carter ”, Billie Eilish, Swift
Organizations:
Recording Academy, Poets Department