Let the games BEGIN. By now you’ve probably heard that Swifties everywhere are counting down the days until Taylor Swift makes a huge announcement on April 26th per the mysterious countdown she posted on her Instagram story. What is it counting down to? Nothing has been officially confirmed, but that won’t stop Swift’s fan army. They have all kinds of crazy theories. It’s no secret that Swift loves to leave hints for her fans—in the past she’s sprinkled secret messages into her lyrical booklets by capitalizing specific letters to spell out phrases like “Live in Love,” or “Date Nice Boys.” So, her release of the super mysterious countdown cued Swiftie sleuthing worldwide. Here are all of the hints we have so far about what’s in store for this new era of Taylor Swift.
Let the (Scrabble) Games BEGIN
Swifties first speculated the impending release of Swift’s seventh album (deemed “TS7” by fans) on October 21 of last year—yes, while she was still touring the world on her critically acclaimed Reputation Stadium Tour. The singer posted a photo to her Instagram of her playing Scrabble with her mom, with the caption “Let the games BEGIN,” a lyrical reference to her song “…Ready for It?”. Some very observant Swifties noticed that the tiles shown in the picture add up to seven points. Seem like a coincidence? The current countdown she posted on Instagram was posted on April 13. We all know that Swift loves the number 13, but more notably, April 13th is also National Scrabble Day. Nothing is ever a coincidence with Swift, and it seems like this date may have been in the works for a while.
AMAs Speech
On October 9, 2018, Swift took home the AMA for Favorite Album- Pop/Rock. In her acceptance speech, she thanked her fans for listening to her albums as she feels they represent different chapters of her life. Her ending line sent Swifties into hyperdrive: “But I have to be really honest with you about something. I’m even more excited about the next chapter.” Many Swifties noticed that this seems to reference her song “The Story of Us” in which Swift says, “Next chapter,” at the end of the first chorus. Some observant fans noticed that it appears as the seventh song on her album Speak Now. Still not convinced of a connection? The song’s length is 4:26, potentially in reference to the April 26 announcement. If this one is a coincidence, that’s pretty lucky.
Palm Trees and Staircases and Fences, Oh My!
From these moments forward, Swifties have been looking for any clues indicating that new music could be on the way. On February 24th, Swift posted a photo of seven palm trees with a cryptic caption of seven palm tree emojis. Fans took this as an indication that the TS7 era was officially upon us. The next day, Swift posted a photo of herself sitting on a staircase, and some fans shrewdly noted that she was sitting on the sixth step. Could this be a countdown to the release of new music? The following day, she posted a photo of herself behind a fence with five holes. Swifties were convinced. It turns out she was just playing with us, though, and Swift had us counting holes in fences for nothing. However, some fans counted all of the stars in the original palm tree photo, finding 61 in total. Guess how many days are between February 24 and April 26? You guessed it — 61. Turns out we weren’t that far off.
At the 2019 iHeart Awards, however, Swift did mention her fan base in her acceptance speech for Tour of the Year. To the fans, she slyly said, “I love your passion. I love your attention to detail. I love how much you care. I love seeing all the things you’re posting online, and I just wanted to let you know, when there’s new music, you will be the first to know.” So, basically, we should be looking for clues because new music is in the works. Cue the squealing.
Rainbows
On January 1st, since Swift has a song entitled “New Year’s Day, Taylor Nation, her official PR account, tweeted out 115 rainbow emojis. It turns out there are 115 days between New Year’s Day and April 26. Does her team ever sleep?
Elle Magazine
Swift was featured in the March issue of Elle with her essay “30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30.” Lesson 26 was “I make countdowns for things I’m excited about.” And the countdown ends on April 26th? Seriously, how did we miss that one?
reputation Calendar
Fans also noticed that specific dates in Swift’s 2019 calendar have stamps on them. In particular, April 13th had a stamp imprinted with the number 13, perhaps referencing the announcement of the countdown and the 13 days we would have to wait before getting answers. Other dates with stamps are May 13th, July 13th, August 13th, and December 13th (her birthday). Are these dates signifying single release dates, music video premieres, and ultimately the release of a new album? And, more importantly, how long has Taylor Swift been planning these release dates?
What we know
This all brings us to where we are today. We know that the countdown leads to a big announcement in some capacity, hopefully about new music. Swift usually starts off new eras with the release of the lead single, so this seems like the most logical prediction.
We also know that Swift regularly uses her social media to usher in new eras. She has changed her profile and cover photos to a dreamy pastel clouded sky and has been posting a picture in the same aesthetic every day since the announcement of the countdown. It is yet to be see what all of these clues could possibly mean.
Finally, her website domain can now be reached through TaylorSwift.com and aprilTwentySix.com. Fans have tried other dates stamped in the Reputation calendar and found that JulyThirteen.com directed to a blue and pink sky framed by palm trees. When saving the image, the file name automatically input as “youhavemyheartinthecityofangels.” A possible lyric or song on the new album? If you’re looking to see it for yourself, however, that web address will now simply redirect you to the Taylor Swift Official Website. Definitely a major clue this website could mean something in the future.
All in all, we couldn’t be more excited about what could be in store in the very near future. We’re loving this new pink and blue pastel aesthetic. These shades along with the glitter and hearts are a far cry from the dark color scheme and snakes of the Reputation era. Could the Old Taylor make a return? We’ll just have to wait until April 26th to see what Taylor Swift has been planning.