Taylor Swift, who is “cryptic and Machiavellian” because she cares, might be hinting at an impending announcement with her newest Eras Tour outfit.
The “Mastermind” singer, 34, debuted a bodysuit during the Midnights portion of her London show on Friday, Aug. 16. If history repeats itself, she might be revealing the release date of her next re-recorded album, potentially Reputation (Taylor’s Version), at her Aug. 17 show.
The fresh bodysuit, which features stars and a sliver of a moon, is reminiscent of when she wore a new Midnights outfit the day before she announced 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in August 2023. She eventually released the 1989 re-recording with bonus vault tracks in October 2023.
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If this timeline pattern continues this year, Swift might announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version) onstage on Saturday and then might release it two months later ahead of Halloween to capitalize on the original 2017 release’s snake motif and spooky “Look What You Made Me Do“ video.
The Aug. 9, 2023, announcement happened at her final U.S. stop last year. This potential message might take place at one of her three final European stops in London on Aug. 17, Aug. 19 or Aug. 20.
Reputation (Taylor’s Version) would mark the fifth re-recording for Swift, following the re-releases of 1989 in 2023, Speak Now in July 2023, Red in November 2021 and Fearless in April 2021.
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The 14-time Grammy winner’s Taylor’s Version blitz is to reclaim her music catalog after Scooter Braun acquired her albums in 2019 against her wishes from former label Big Machine.
Swift confirmed in August 2019 that she would be re-recording her albums.
“I think that artists deserve to own their work,” she told Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts. “I just feel very passionately about that.”
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In TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year issue in December, Swift discussed revisiting her Reputation era, describing the impending release as “a goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure.”
“I think a lot of people see it and they’re just like, sick snakes and strobe lights,” Swift elaborated, adding that the vault tracks will be “fire” and that re-releasing her albums feels like “collecting horcruxes” or “collecting infinity stones,” referencing Harry Potter and Marvel movies.
“Gandalf’s voice is in my head every time I put out a new one,” she said, looping Lord of the Rings into the mix. “For me, it is a movie now.”
