Selena Gomez is clearly pumped for Taylor Swift‘s surprise eighth studio album Folklore. Ahead of it’s July 24 midnight release, the 28-year-old singer was photographed wearing a piece of merchandise from Taylor’s new collection to go along with the LP. Sel was spotted getting into a car wearing the “so much for summer love” pullover sweatshirt. The item features faded grey tie-dye patterns with the album’s name on center chest in front, and Taylor’s name on the back along the neckline. Selena just celebrated turning 28 on July 22, so maybe the Folklore sweatshirt was part of a birthday gift package from her close pal Taylor.
Did you see Selena today? She was wearing taylor's new merch omgg pic.twitter.com/zyj1Lxi6Tt
— ornella (@weird9irl) July 23, 2020
Selena actually wore her sweatshirt inside out with the fleece lining visible. She had her hair up in a loose bun, as the back of the shirt was visible when she got into her car while out in Los Angeles. Fans flipped when around 9am ET on July 23, Taylor announced via social media that she was about to drop a surprise album later that night. With Selena already having a piece of Folklore‘s merchandise, she’s probably heard all 16 new tracks as well. For fans wanting to purchase the same sweatshirt, Taylor’s website says the item “ships in 6-8 weeks,” so Sel is wearing a hot item!
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor was going to perform material off of her 2019 Lover album at East and West Coast Lover Festivals and some 2020 summer concert dates. But she cancelled those appearances in April due to the outbreak, and postponed all shows to 2021, along with nearly every musical act that had 2020 tours. In the meantime, Taylor was at home in quarantine and writing new music instead of prepping for concerts. Now she has an entire brand new album for fans, less than a year after Lover dropped on Aug. 23, 2019.
Taylor tweeted, “Most of the things that I planned this summer didn’t end up happening. But there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my eight studio album Folklore. Surpise! Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my 8th studio album, Folklore; an entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into.”
The 30-year-old added, “Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time. But the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with.”
Taylor’s new album and related materials comes with a toned down aesthetic that is a 180 degree change from the brightly colored themes of Lover’s music videos and merchandise. Everything she’s shared so far from Folklore‘s promotional material has come with black and white photos or sepia tones. Her wardrobe is earthy and simple, and shows her standing amid a dense tall-tree forest, grassy meadows and near a pond. Now fans are dying to listen to Taylor’s new music, to see if it matches the down to earth vibe of everything she’s shown about Folklore so far.