How nifty Swifties cracked 33 million puzzles to unveil new Taylor Swift album tracks

By Alicia Curry, ITV News Multimedia Producer

Taylor Swift fans are rejoicing after their efforts to solve millions of puzzles in the hopes of being treated to vault songs from the star's upcoming '1989' album were successful.

On Tuesday night, the international popstar took to Instagram to share a collaboration with Google, where her followers were invited to take part in a series of word games under the promise of accessing a selection of vault tracks.

Now, less than 20 hours after the initial announcement, four 'From The Vault' tracks from her '1989' album have been unlocked, ahead of its re-recorded release next month.

How were the puzzles solved?

Google announced the mystery hunt on Tuesday, encouraging the 'Blank Space' singer's fans to work together to solve 33 million puzzles.

The puzzles were accessed by typing 'Taylor Swift' into the search bar on Google, revealing a blue vault in the right-hand corner of the screen that prompted a riddle to appear.

Swifties blitzed through 89 - a nod to the album title - unique word games in less than 20 hours to unveil her latest release.

What songs will be on the 1989 (Taylor's Version) album?

Last month, Swift announced the re-recorded version of the 2014 album will be released on October 27.

In an Instagram post sharing the news, the popstar teased: "To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the 5 From The Vault tracks are so insane. I can’t believe they were ever left behind."

Alongside the original song list, the solved puzzles mean fans have unlocked four vault tracks from 1989: 'Is It Over Now?'. 'Now That We Don't Talk'. 'Say Don't Go' and 'Suburban Legends'.

Why is Taylor Swift re-recording her albums?

Since 2021, the singer has been re-releasing her back catalogue, dubbed "Taylor's versions", in an effort to claim back the copyright to her music following a two-year feud with music executive Scooter Braun.

The businessman - who has managed the likes of Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato - acquired Swift's former record label and later sold the master tapes for a reported $400 million (£345,780,000).

During the pandemic, Swift decided to re-record her entire discography, having shared her 'Fearless' (2008), 'Speak Now' (2010) and 'Red' (2012).

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