Taylor Swift Mural Surfaces in Chicago, Revealing Cryptic ‘Error 321’ Easter Egg

In an attempt to uncover some fascinating Easter eggs, fans are donning their detective hats as Taylor Swift’s much-awaited album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ approaches.

A few days before the album was officially released on 19th April mysterious paintings with the repeated letters “TTPD” and “13” started to appear in Chicago. These were homages to the puzzle-loving, 34-year-old singer. It didn’t take long for fans to take pictures of these images and post them on social media.

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The paintings have a QR code that, according to popular fan posts, leads to a YouTube short on Swift’s official channel. In the clip, the word “Error 321” is shown aloud in a typewriter-style font with the number 13 beneath it. The song ‘Error 321’ had its debut just before the singer-songwriter revealed ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ at the 2024 Grammy Awards in February, as ardent Swifties may remember.

Before presenting her new album during her Best Pop Vocal Album victory speech, Swift’s website momentarily showed the problem number along with the mysterious phrase “hneriergrd,” which fans subsequently figured out was an anagram for “red herring.” Although the precise meaning of “Error 321” is yet unknown, it usually indicates a platform-to-platform communication issue.

Swift has been teasing her fans with several Easter eggs leading up to the album’s release date. These include a countdown clock that starts at her favourite number, 13, and lyrics snippets posted on social media.

After splitting from long-term partner Joe Alywn, Swift created playlists for Apple Music that were divided into the “five stages of heartbreak.” This led to rumours that ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ will examine themes of heartbreak.

With 16 tracks and extra deluxe versions, the album will contain guest performances from Post Malone and Florence and the Machine. Contributors to the project include Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner; Dessner’s identity was even hinted at by Swift on a limited edition vinyl pressing.

‘The Tortured Poets Department’ is almost ready for release this Friday, 19th April and excitement is growing.

– Farheen Ali