Mystery Taylor Swift Mural Appears Featuring ‘Error 321’ Easter Egg

With Taylor Swift’s new album The Tortured Poets Department coming out soon, it’s time for Swifties to put on their sleuthing caps and decode some Easter eggs.

Several days before the Friday, April 19 release of the pop superstar’s 11th studio album, mysterious murals have begun popping up in Chicago that include repetition of the text “TTPD” and “13.” Fans were quick to recognize the nods to the puzzle-loving singer, 34, and took photos of the visuals, which they shared on social media.

According to viral posts from fans, the murals include a QR code, which links to a YouTube Short on Swift’s official YouTube that includes the text “Error 321” as it’s spelled out in a typewriter-like font, as well as the number 13 beneath it.

Swifties may remember that “Error 321” first appeared just before the singer-songwriter announced The Tortured Poets Department at the 2024 Grammys in February.

Moments before she revealed a new album was on the way while accepting the gramophone for best pop vocal album, her website went dark to include the error code and the text “hneriergrd,” which fans discovered was an anagram for “red herring.”

Although it’s yet to be confirmed what the significance of “Error 321” is, it often indicates an error in communication across telephone lines, fax machines, etcetera.

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ album artwork.

As the release of The Tortured Poets Department approaches, Swift has teased the effort with a handful of Easter eggs, including a countdown clock that launched with her favorite number, 13, and posts on social media featuring snippets of lyrics.

During the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, she posted a clip on her Instagram Stories featuring the line, “Crowd goes wild at her fingertips/Half moonshine, Full eclipse,” and a link to pre-order her new record.

Fans have speculated that the LP will largely be about heartbreak, as it comes nearly a year following her break-up with her former boyfriend of six years, Joe Alywn.

The “Karma” singer also recently curated a set of playlists for Apple Music featuring songs from throughout her discography as they’re broken into the “five stages of heartbreak:” denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

Taylor Swift at the 66th annual Grammys at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 4, 2024.

Frazer Harrison/Getty


Shortly after the hitmaker announced her follow-up to 2022’s Midnights was on the way, she unveiled the tracklist on Instagram.

The Tortured Poets Department is set to include 16 songs, with additional tracks on various deluxe versions. It’ll also feature appearances from two special guests: Florence and the Machine and Post Malone.

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Swift’s frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff is said to have worked with her on much of the album, and it seems as though another one of her recurrent producers, Aaron Dessner, also contributed to the project.

When the “Cruel Summer” singer teased additional lyrics and a limited edition vinyl pressing of the LP, it appeared as though most of his name could be seen on an image of the physical copy at the pre-order link.

The Tortured Poets Department is due out on Friday, April 19.

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