Speculation swarmed that William Bowery was a pseudonym because on Swift’s Instagram he was the only name left untagged, Swift is also known for using fake names for song-writing credits. Fans suspected it might be another musician such as Harry Styles, however, today it was revealed on the Disney + Documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions that William Bowery is actually actor and Swift’s long time boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.

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A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

The announcement did not come as a shock to die-hard fans considering there were hints that it could be Alwyn. William is the name of his grandfather who was a successful composer and Bowery Hotel was the place the couple first met, i.e. William Bowery. However, Alwyn’s musicianship was widely unknown.

Alwyn is a pianist and has been credited as writing the piano piece for the track Exile. The song is a duet that features Bon Iver, however it was revealed in the documentary that Alwyn was the original singer.

Alwyn is credited as co-writer on two Folklore tracks, Exile and Betty. Exile has been nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Folklore has been nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album as well. Exile will be Alwyn’s first co-written song to earn him a Grammy nomination.

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On the topic of Alwyn’s musicianship, Swift noted in the documentary that ‘Joe plays piano beautifully and he’s always just playing and making things up and kind of creating things.’ Swift said she had the idea to collaborate with her boyfriend when she heard him singing her song Betty, saying that if it weren’t for quarantine she would never have had the idea.

Swift’s Alwyn reveal and new documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions is available today on Disney + for streaming. Swift’s album Folklore is available on all streaming platforms today.

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A post shared by Joe Alwyn (@joe.alwyn)

Gracing streaming platforms last week, Swift dropped folklore on the 24th July 2020. The indie-infused album, which features collaborations with the likes of Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner of The Nationals, diverts from Swift’s usual stylings, which are deep-rooted in pop. Placing a sharp focus on instrumentation and folky guitars instead of preened, poppy production, the soothing folklore is a breath of fresh air from industry giant Taylor Swift. 

In its first week, folklore sold 37,060 copies in the UK. Following this mighty debut, folklore reaped 12,152 album downloads and 24,050 streams also within the first week, catapulting the record to the top of the UK charts. Folklore has now sold 2 million copies worldwide, as well as smashing Spotify records for first-day album streams by a female artist. 

Consisting of sixteen songs, folklore begins with the 1. A wistful look back at what might have been, the song reflects Swift’s past relationships, and the scars they may have left behind. Swift sings heartfelt lyrics like “Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool/And if my wishes came true, It would’ve been you.”. 

Then you have cardigan, a vulnerable introspection that comes from learned wisdom. Swift’s angelic voice sings “A friend to all is a friend to none/Chase two girls, lose the one/When you are young, they assume you know nothing.” For track Exile Swift unites with the legendary Bon Iver, an emotive ballad that sings of love lost. 

The Nationals frontman Aaron Dessner, who co-wrote much of the album, discussed their work together during lockdown in a recent interview with Pitchfork. Regarding their creative collaboration, the pair kept in close contact during their respective quarantines, as Dessner reveals “We were pretty much in touch daily for three or four months by text and phone calls. Some of it was about production and restructuring things but a lot of it was just excitement. We both felt that this was some of the best work we have done.”

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cardigan “cabin in candlelight” version is out now

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 29, 2020 at 9:12pm PDT

When elaborating on how their friendship began, Dessner reveals he met Swift on the set of Saturday Night Live back in 2014. Dessner recalled that “She talked a lot with my brother and me. That’s when we realized how much of a fan she was, and how lovely and down to earth.”

On the 30th June, the Bad Blood hitmaker released cardigan (cabin in candlelight version), a delicate reworking of the folklore original. Sharing to Instagram, the post gathered a whopping 1.3 million likes, reaffirming folklore as an immediate worldwide success.  

folklore is out now.