The Art Of The Track List Reveal

To say it’s been a big year for pop would be a vast understatement. Harry Styles, Charli xcx, Gracie Abrams, BTS, Ariana Grande, Katseye, Drake, Role Model, Olivia Rodrigo, Madonna, Tyla, Miley, BLACKPINK…is there anyone who hasn’t dropped this year? With such a crowded release schedule, typical press moments — eating hot wings, yapping into a podcast mic with Jake Shane, shooting off a lukewarm take on the subway — aren’t gonna cut it. Instead, artists are creating their own viral moments through one of the most crucial elements of the album rollout: the track list reveal.

Leave it to Tinashe to be on the cutting edge of a trend. The “Nasty” singer, whose eighth studio album Popstar arrives on Sept. 25, has been hard at work promoting the project, from performing at weddings to taking over NoHo with Coach and Spotify. But of all her grassroots marketing efforts, it was the unveiling of the album’s track list that seemed to make the most noise. On Sept. 17, Tinashe posted a video in which she skims through a stack of magazines, each one adorned with its own unique cover and a publication name corresponding with a track on the record. She then displayed the zines at a magazine stand, and proudly posed in front of them like a true cover star.

“This track list reveal EATS 😮‍💨🔥,” one fan commented on Instagram. “This is the cutest most EPIC on brand track list reveal I ever seen 🤩,” wrote another. Who said print media is dead?

If there’s one thing stans can agree on, it’s that the best track list reveals are the ones that happen right underneath our noses. On Sept. 19, British alt-pop singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri took to X to solicit help from her fans after her Marc Jacobs handbag went missing. “Guuuuuuys! went out last night and somehow managed to leave my favourite bag (with all my things in it!!) at paper dress vintage in east 😭,” Chinouriri wrote. “Could one of you absolute angels pick it up for me? Just let the person in the shop know you're ‘collecting it for your close and personal friend, Rachel Chinouriri.’ Will love u 4ever xxx.” Later that day, a fan named Alex retrieved the goods, and replied to her distress call with a photo of the purse.

When Chinouriri reposted the message to let her followers know the bag had been secured, she also attached a photo of its contents. Inside was your standard assortment of bottom-of-the-bag mélange — a deck of cards, a lighter, a few makeup products, a journal, a Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume, a pair of Loop earplugs — as well as a handwritten note titled “Tracklist,” where she revealed the titles of all 12 tracks on her forthcoming album, I Think I Spoke Too Soon. It wasn’t long before her comment section was spammed with supportive messages from fans (“This is the best tracklist reveal ive seen;” “such a cute way to reveal the tracklist omg your mind;” “this is such a cool way to announce the tracklist wowowow”), and by Sept. 20, the post already had nearly 100K likes and one million views on the platform.

Burgeoning pop superstar Jae Stephens also rallied her fanbase, known as the Jae Baes, to announce her album track list. The rollout took place on Sept. 16, with 11 lucky Baes receiving a red street sign embellished with a different song title. The signs were then posted to @visitaudacity on Instagram, with Stephens herself announcing the final track on the record. “Thank you so much to all my loyal Audacitizens that participated in this tracklist reveal with me 🥹,” Stephens wrote in the caption.

These days, it’s not enough to share a track list in an IG carousel and call it a day. In a time when Easter eggs and in-person experiences are king, fans demand so much more of their favorite artists. Creative track list reveals feel like a natural progression of these types of fan services: they’re engaging, they’re compelling, and they help build upon the world these artists have already created. Soon we may reach peak track list reveals, but for now, the trailblazers can enjoy the bragging rights.