On what date did Taylor Swift’s Folklore, featuring “august,” surprise-release?

Taylor Swift’s Folklore, featuring “august,” surprise-released on July 24, 2020.

Swift announced the album only hours before its release, making it an unusually sudden major-label launch. On July 23, she posted a series of black-and-white photographs and explained that her eighth studio album would arrive at midnight.

The album emerged while the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted Swift’s planned Lover Fest tour and much of the music industry. Its short development period followed Lover, which had arrived less than a year earlier. Folklore’s surprise approach later became a recognizable part of Swift’s release strategy.

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and remained there for eight weeks. Its release also placed all 16 tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, with “august” entering the chart at number 23.