The Announcement

Many Swifties were over the moon when the most iconic woman of our time, Taylor Swift, announced in her VMA acceptance speech that she was releasing a new album. Everybody in attendance lost their minds, and Swifties across the globe frantically called and texted their friends to alert them of the news. Not long after, she announced that it would release on October 21, 2022. However, what Taylor did next shocked everybody…

Midnights Mayhem, With Me

Taylor took to Tik Tok, and said that she would not be dropping cryptic hints for this album which she is known for doing. Instead, she would be announcing the track names one by one. The way she is doing it is by putting ping pong balls in a bingo wheel, and each ball has a number on it, 1-13. Whichever one rolls out, she announces the track title that corresponds with the number on the ball. She’s revealed them in this order….

• Track 13: “Mastermind” 
• Track 8: “Vigilante Sh%$” 
• Track 7: “Question..?”
• Track 6: “Midnight Rain”
• Track 2: “Maroon”
• Track 3: “Anti-Hero”
• Track 9: “Bejeweled
• Track 11: “Karma”
• Track 1: “Lavendar Haze”  
• Track 5: “You’re on your own, kid” 
• Track 10: “Labyrinth”
• Track 12: “Sweet Nothing”
• Track 4:”Snow on the Beach” feat Lana Del Ray 

The Theories

Despite Taylor saying that she was straying from her old cryptic ways, old habits die hard. When Taylor announced “Vigilante Sh%$” and “Anti-Hero”, she was holding the phone upside down to her ear. Fans have speculated that this means that these songs could be singles, released before the album comes out.

Another cryptic hint was when Taylor announced “Bejeweled”, there appeared to be something written on the phone, and she held it to her left ear as opposed to her right which is what she had done prior.

Another hint was the specific numbers that Taylor announced. These numbers added up to the dates that she announced every week, and all of the math checks out that the last track announced will be track 5. This track number is always one of the top hits on the album. Past track 5’s have included “my tears ricochet” (Folklore), “Delicate” (Reputation), etc. 

Despite Taylor being so cryptic, her fanbase knows how to decode her hints better than an FBI investigator. They believed that Karma was an album that was supposed to follow 1989, because Taylor consecutively released an album every two years. She was suspected to release an album in 2016, 2 years after 1989, however that is when Taylor went into hiding for over a year after facing backlash from the media. In 2018 she released Reputation as an answer to all of this backlash. However, since there was a four-year gap in between 1989 and Reputation, many Swifites believe that Karma was an unreleased album that has laid dormant until now. What strengthens this theory is when Taylor announced the track title “Karma” she laughed at the end, leading us to believe she knew about all of the rumors and was being cryptic trying to prove them. 

The Wrench in the Plan

On October 7, Taylor announced 4 tracks consecutively within the span of 4 hours beginning at midnight. Swifties absolutely lost their minds because all of their theories were debunked. However, something that nobody saw coming is that Lana Del Ray is featured on the album! She is featured in “Snow on the Beach”. Taylor enjoyed throwing her fans for a loop, as well as ruining their sleep schedules since she started announcing the songs at midnight and announced on every hour until about 5 in the morning. Despite being severely sleep deprived, Swifties excitement and adrenaline kept them awake until the sun rose. 

To watch the series, follow Taylor’s Tik Tok and Instagram account: @taylorswift

The album comes out on October 21, 2022 at midnight. Will you join Taylor on her journey through 13 sleepless nights?