Big news took the world by storm at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2022. Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift accepted the Video of the Year award for All Too Well (10 Minute Version)(Taylor’s Version). In her acceptance speech, Swift said, “… I thought it would be a fun moment to tell you … that my brand new album comes out October 21st. And I will tell you more at midnight.” Once the news spilled, Swifties went crazy on social media platforms including Instagram and Tik Tok. Reactions to her VMAs speech, countdown, edits, you name it – all for her 10th studio album, Midnights.
Swift said Midnights is about women with their balance of motherhood, adulthood, relationships, and ambition. The amount of countdowns and celebrations for this new album were insane since this was her first entirely new album after her re-recordings of Fearless, Red, and Evermore. Having shocking news drops, parties, and excitement comes the famous Swifties easter egg hunt, where fans break down every lyric of every song to search for hidden clues about Swift’s life.
In other Taylor Swift news, on May 18th, 2022, Swift received an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts at the Commencement for the Class of 2022 at New York University. Interestingly enough, fans recently picked up on some references in her commencement speech that hadn’t been noticed at the time but are now coming to light with her new album. At one point in her speech, she said, “The scary news is: you’re on your own now. The cool news is, you’re on your own now.” Coincidentally, track 5 on Midnights is called “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” It is suspected that the number of songs (13 total) on her new album could hold hidden meaning as well. In an interview with MTV back in 2009, she said, “The significance of the number 13 on my hand … I paint this on my hand before every show because 13 is my lucky number for a lot of reasons,” she explained. “It’s really weird.” It doesn’t stop there. In her new song “Lavender Haze,” fans have dissected the lyrics as a possible engagement with her longtime British boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. Fans have found countless others, including one in her song, “Maroon.” Swift has a song called “Red” in her 2012 album Red. After listening to both songs, fans have said that “Maroon” is sort of like an unfinished version of “Red” and how “Maroon” is deeper and more mature than its predecessor.
Not only have her own fans hyped up her album, other celebrities have expressed their excitement too, some of which include Reese Witherspoon, Harry Styles, Gracie Abrams, Rachel Zegler, Laurie Hernandez, and more, all of whom tweeted their praises, encouragement, and admiration for the star. Once again, Taylor Swift has broken the internet and turned the world on its side with her “Mastermind”(ed) lyrics (see what I did there?)!
