Genealogy company Ancestry has uncovered a fascinating connection in Taylor Swift‘s family tree, revealing that the 34-year-old singer is a sixth cousin, three times removed, of famous poet Emily Dickinson. This discovery adds a poetic twist to Swift’s upcoming album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” scheduled for release on April 19.
Swift has previously referenced Dickinson, notably during her acceptance speech for the songwriter-artist of the decade award from the Nashville Songwriters Association International in 2022.
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“Swift and Dickinson both descend from a 17th century English immigrant (Swift’s 9th great-grandfather and Dickinson’s 6th great-grandfather who was an early settler of Windsor, Connecticut),” Ancestry told TODAY.
“Taylor Swift’s ancestors remained in Connecticut for six generations until her part of the family eventually settled in northwestern Pennsylvania, where they married into the Swift family line.”
Fans, known as Swifties, have speculated that Swift’s ninth studio album, “Evermore,” was also influenced by Dickinson, with its release date coinciding with the poet’s birthday and its title referencing Dickinson’s poem “One Sister have I in Our House.”
The day Swift mentioned Dickinson’s name
During her acceptance speech at the 2024 Grammys, where she won best pop vocal album for “Midnights,” Swift teased “The Tortured Poets Department.”
“If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson‘s great-grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre,” she said at the time.
Since then, she has revealed multiple versions of the album, culminating in the announcement of the fourth and final version during her Eras Tour show in Singapore, featuring a bonus track titled “The Black Dog.”
