Taylor Swift announced Folklore 16 hours before releasing it, and the album includes “august.” The unusually short notice made the project one of the most notable surprise releases of her career.
Swift revealed the album on social media on July 23, 2020. Folklore became available on digital music platforms at midnight the following day, July 24. The timing was especially striking because major pop albums commonly receive weeks or months of advance promotion, interviews, and singles.
The album was created during quarantine in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Swift described the project as an imaginative shift, focusing on fictional characters, stories, and perspectives rather than relying entirely on autobiographical songwriting.
“august” benefited from that album-wide presentation. It was not initially promoted as a conventional single, but its title, summer imagery, and recurring August streaming revival helped it develop an audience beyond the album’s original release cycle.