After giving us an auditory tour around London in her feel-good "London Boy," The Daily Mail reported that Taylor Swift was living in the city's colorful Primrose Hill in March 2021. But since the beginning of the Eras Tour (and since her split with actor Joe Alwyn), Taylor's been seen out and about on the New York City streets more frequently. In addition to the fact that, just like the rest of us, she's probably figuring out what a post-COVID lockdown social life looks like, I'm honestly convinced all this adds up to Taylor recording a new album. Let me explain.
We know that Taylor preps for new albums months (sometimes three years) in advance, and thanks to some sleuthing, we also have an idea at what her actual timelines look like. In April of 2020, she posted a selfie captioned, "not a lot going on at the moment." Everyone initially thought she was just referencing the shirt she wears in the "22" music video, but it turned out it was the same week she wrote folklore, which dropped in July of the same year. In short: she did, in fact, have a lot going on.
Both Swift and Blake Lively (who directed her "I Bet You Think About Me" music video in 2021) have multiple captions with the same phrase since then, and now it's officially made its way into the Eras Tour. During the concert, (almost) every album get its own segment, and in addition to surprise songs, some nights also feature surprise costumes. One of her shirts during the Red section reads "A Lot Going On At The Moment," playing on both the original tee and the 2020 Instagram post.
Whether or not the red letters on this tour shirt actually hint at her next release like @thethriftyswiftie asks, it's still a fun and nostalgic detail that I definitely want to order off of Etsy! Plus, Taylor basically already let us know Speak Now (Taylor's Version) will drop next.
The "Bejeweled" music video is full of Speak Now Easter eggs, but one of the most noticeable details is the color coding. All of Taylor's albums correspond to a color, and in the music video, Taylor rides in an elevator that features buttons with a color for each album era. In addition to pressing the button for the third floor, the button after Midnights is also purple — a color synonymous with Speak Now.
On top of that? The door graphic that appears onstage at the end of the Eras Tour recently changed from orange to purple.
Okay now that we're all caught up on Taylor's previous album planning, here's what else is up. On April 14, Mike Birbiglia (who played Taylor's son in the "Anti-Hero" music video) posted a photo with Taylor on the roof of Electric Lady Studios in NYC. You can also see Jack Antonoff, who's helped produce eight of Taylor's albums, in the background!
She was seen leaving Antonoff's recording studio before we got Midnights, and thanks to her Directors on Directors segment with Variety, we also know that she is always writing something!
"If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready," she says. Someone embroider this on a pillow.
\u201ctaylor swift in nyc this month\u201d— best of swift \u2741 (@best of swift \u2741) 1681782857
Taylor Swift's aesthetic is also often a good indication that something new could be in the works (like the short-lived Bleachella, which Swifties still think coincides with an unreleased rock album), and the shift from Barbie doll to Bratz doll, as @kylekerch on Twitter points out, might mean more than the recent Tumblr-core renaissance. (Although Taylor, please come back to Tumblr, we miss you.)
— (@)
Additionally, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran were seen having dinner together and Taylor's dress + hairstyle combo is giving major evermore vibes. Because of this look, as well as the fact that The National has a show at Madison Square Garden on August 18, Swifties are convinced it's a clue Taylor will come onstage during their show like she did with Bon Iver and HAIM!
After all, she's collaborated with The National on songs like "Coney Island" and "The Alcott," both of which I'd cry if I heard live.
Taylor's known to use a certain amount of punctation marks or emojis as Easter eggs, plus her NYU commencement speech ended up containing Midnights lyrics, so who knows what kind of hidden messages she may be giving us right now with all this street style and pop-up appearances.
But after 15 years of songs that got me through loneliness, unrequited romance, and a solo move to New York, I just know that whatever she has up her sleeve will be exactly what I need in the moment.
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Lead image from Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions via Disney+/Taylor Swift Productions/Big Branch
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