- Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was released Friday.
- The album follows Swift’s breakup with British actor Joe Alwyn, her muse and longtime collaborator.
- Alwyn likely made millions from the six songs he co-wrote with Swift.
Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was released Friday.
This is the first set of new music since Swift’s breakup with British actor Joe Alwyn was confirmed in April 2023.
Naturally, fans speculated that some of the bits were about the end of their six-year relationship.
But while some songs reveal details about their relationship, you shouldn’t feel too bad for Alwyn. He’s likely already made millions from Swift’s songs, according to multiple reports.
The success of Alwyn and Swift’s songs will outlast their relationship
Alwyn was a longtime muse of Swift’s, and her 2019 album, “Lover” was apparently inspired by their relationship.
But he was also Swift’s musical collaborator.
Alwyn, under the pseudonym William Bowery, co-wrote six songs with Swift on her previous albums: “Exile” and “Betty” (from the album “Folklore”, 2020), “Champagne Problems”, “Coney Island” and “Evermore.” (from the album “Evermore”, 2020) and “Sweet Nothing” (from the album “Midnights”, 2021).
He was also credited as co-producer of “Folklore,” which surpassed 1.3 million worldwide sales in its first week. It went on to win Album of the Year at the 2021 Grammys.
It’s unclear exactly how much Alwyn stands to earn from his writing and producing credits, although several reports have estimated it in the millions.
An analysis published by Life and Style in March suggests that Alwyn has so far earned $2.3 million from Spotify streams alone.
This figure does not include potential royalties from additional streaming services and physical recordings.
Swift’s financial success has reached new heights since the start of her Eras tour in March 2023. Bloomberg The singer is estimated to have earned $1.1 billion last year.
Alwyn could also earn royalties from songs performed during the tour and the subsequent $261.6 million concert film, which Variety reported was the highest-grossing concert film in history.
Swift confirmed William Bowery’s identity in “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions,” which premiered on Disney in November 2020.
“William Bowery is Joe, as we know it,” Swift said. “And Joe plays the piano beautifully, and he’s always just playing and inventing things, and kind of creating things.”
Swift said she started writing songs with Alwyn during the pandemic. She credited him with the concept for the song “Exile”, saying she was “enchanted” when she heard him play the piano melody and opening lines, which Bon Ivor sang on the final record.
Alwyn, who has rarely spoken about his relationship with Swift, briefly spoke about their collaboration during an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2022.
“We chose to do it primarily so that people would listen to the music first before dissecting the fact that we did it together,” he said.
He said he chose to use the first name William, in homage to his great-grandfather, a composer, and the last name Bowery, in homage to a New York neighborhood where he said he spent a lot of time. .
Representatives for Alwyn did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.