What will it do for her Reputation? Taylor Swift confirms album name and release date on Instagram

After all the snake-related teasers, Taylor Swift has finally announced the release date of her new album, which is to be called Reputation.

But don't worry: you won't have to wait that long to hear new music from Swift. The pop star, whose last album, 1989, was released in 2014, also revealed that the first single from Reputation, which is as yet untitled, will be available from Thursday (August 24).

The triple announcement came in a series of Instagram messages posted on Wednesday. 

 At 4pm UK time on August 21, Swift posted a mystery, glitchy video on her Twitter and Instagram of what appears to be a writhing snake's tail. This was quickly retweeted by Swift's frequent music video collaborator Joseph Kahn, who posted it alongside a smiley-face emoji.

On August 22 a second clip appeared.

And then a final one on August 23.

It has been speculated that the snake videos are a direct reference to Swift's personal scandals of last summer, when her heavily-publicised clashes with Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry and ex Calvin Harris resulted in detractors bombarding her social media accounts with the snake emoji – a response insinuating that Swift is ruthless and untrustworthy.

Kardashian herself also got on board the snake train, tweeting a thinly-veiled message last July commenting on "National Snake Day".

If Swift is indeed commenting on her slithery reputation, it wouldn't be the first time she has turned her tabloid persona on its head through her music. For instance, condemnation in the press over her dating life previously resulted in a video for her single Blank Space that depicted her as a volatile, man-eating crazy-woman.