Taylor Swift has dismissed rumors of an upcoming album named after a word that appears on the album cover of her recent album. Theories have been floating around that the 31-year-old has been hinting at a 10th studio album named "Woodvale" after fans spotted the word hidden within the artwork of "Folklore," but during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Monday, Swift explained that it was all just a mistake
"I tend to be sort of annoyingly secret-agenty about dropping clues and hints and Easter eggs and it’s very annoying but it’s fun for fans and it’s fun for me because they like to pick up on things," Swift said, according to Page Six. "And they’ll notice lots of things in music videos or photos or whatever, and then sometimes, I take it too far, and I make a mistake."
In this instance, the hidden word was not a hint. Instead, Swift had used it as a codename and forgot to have it removed.
"When I was making 'Folklore,' the album that came out back in July, I was too afraid to even unveil the title of the album to even my closest teammates and management. I didn’t tell anybody the album title until right before it came out," she explained.
"And so I came up with a fake codename that had the same amount of letters as 'Folklore,' Chose a random name, chose 'Woodvale.' Wanted to see how it would look on the album covers, mocked them up, and then decided, I don’t actually want to have a title on the album covers and we forgot to take the fake codename off of one of them."
This is not the first time Swift has used code on her albums. For "Evermore" she used the codename "November" but the word was removed from the mockups prior to its release. Swift told Kimmel she had learned her lesson this time around.
Since the start of the pandemic, Swift has been hard at work releasing not one but two albums, much to her fan's delight. Swift's most recent release, "Evermore," which dropped last week, features collaborations with The National, as well as Mumford & Sons and HAIM, according to National Public Radio. Taking to social media, The National's Aaron Dessner raved on about the songs that appear on "Evermore," and praised Swift for her talent.
"These songs are wilder and freeer, sometimes in strange time signatures and darker hues, but very much a continuation of what we started with folklore," Dessner wrote on Instagram. "I can't begin to express my gratitude and respect for Taylor — I never cease to wonder at her seemingly boundless talent as a singer and a songwriter and storyteller. It’s been the experience of a lifetime to work so fast and furiously with her."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.