Uncovering the clues! Taylor Swift is basking in the success of Midnights — but she might already be gearing up to drop her next rerecorded album.
The Grammy winner, 32, broke records with her 10th studio album, which became available on Friday, October 21. A video for lead single “Anti-Hero” was released the same day, featuring star-studded cameos by John Early, Mike Birbiglia and Mary Elizabeth Ellis.
Swift later appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, October 24, moments before the debut of the “Bejeweled” music video. The visual was inspired by Cinderella and stars even more of the Amsterdam actress’ famous friends, from the Haim sisters to Jack Antonoff — with Laura Dern taking on the role of evil stepmother.
“I was like, ‘Oscar-winner Laura Dern, hello. I’ve written a script. It’s a one-scene script in which you are going to call me ‘a tired, tacky wench,'” the “Cardigan” performer recalled on the late-night show of how she got in touch with the Big Little Lies alum, who she said was the “coolest” about the entire concept. “[Directing her was] easier than anything I’ve ever done in my life.”
Swift went on to describe the “Bejeweled” video as something special for “fans who like certain things like glitter and Easter eggs and lots of little cameos.”
Fittingly for her Midnights era, the music video was released when the clock struck 12 a.m. on Tuesday. Fans were quick to parse through the footage for hidden meaning — and many are convinced they cracked Swift’s code, claiming she revealed Speak Now will be the next album to get the Taylor’s Version treatment.
The “You Belong With Me” artist has been rerecording her music after losing control of her masters in a highly publicized battle with music manager Scooter Braun. “I’ve spoken a lot about why I’m remaking my first six albums, but the way I’ve chosen to do this will hopefully help illuminate where I’m coming from,” she wrote via Instagram in February 2021. “Artists should own their own work for so many reasons, but the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work.”
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was released in April 2021, 13 years after its initial debut. The updated album included several “From the Vault” songs, which didn’t make the original cut, including a duet with Maren Morris. Later that year, Swift unveiled Red (Taylor’s Version), which featured the 10-minute edition of her hit “All Too Well.”
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“It never would have been possible to go back & remake my previous work, uncovering lost art & forgotten gems along the way if you hadn’t emboldened me,” the Pennsylvania native tweeted in November 2021, thanking her loyal fans for supporting her on the long journey of rereleasing her first six albums. “Red is about to be mine again, but it has always been ours. Now we begin again.”
The “Exile” singer has yet to officially announce the next of her rerecordings, but Swifties think there have been plenty of hints. Scroll down for all the biggest Easter eggs from the “Bejeweled” music video:
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