Throughout her career, Miss Taylor Swift has included the word “midnights” in many of her songs.  From her hit song “You Belong With Me” from 2008 to one of her most recent tracks, “Nothing New,” Miss Swift has lyrically referenced the significance of the middle of the night.  Her album “Midnights” will be released October 21.  Through music, she will share the stories of 13 memories from midnights during her life.  As an avid fan of Miss Swift, senior Blakely Tusa shares her anticipation of the artist’s latest work.

Miss Swift announced her new album at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) August 28.  As she took the stage to accept her awards for best direction, best long-form video, and video of the year for her song  “All Too Well” (Ten-Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version), she shared the news with the audience, according to billboard.com.

After the awards, Miss Swift posted details about the album on Instagram at 12 a.m.  Her post contained information about the musical content and the story behind her new song.

“We lie awake in love and in fear, in turmoil and tears,” Miss Swift said, according to billboard.com.  “We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren’t – right this minute – about to make some fateful life-altering mistake.  This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams.  The floors we pace and the demons we face.  For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching – hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes 12…we’ll meet ourselves.”

Blakely is eager to listen to Miss Swift’s new album.  She hopes “Midnights” holds similar features to past albums.

“I hope that this next album is like Folklore in a lyrical sense but maybe has a more upbeat and fun vibe,” Blakely said.  “I absolutely love every single one of her albums, but I hope that “Midnights” has a more pop or even rock background attached to it.”

Miss Swift’s most recent albums have been re-recorded versions of her records “Fearless” and “Red.”  Music containing “Taylor’s Version” in the title indicates that Miss Swift owns the songs.  The re-recording of these tracks follows the feud with her former manager, Mr. Scooter Braun.  Mr. Braun bought master rights to Miss Swift’s music, eliminating her full ownership of the songs, according to time.com.

On her Instagram and TikTok accounts, Miss Swift reveals the names of the tracks in “Midnights” through a game called “Midnights Mayhem With Me.”  She shared the titles of tracks, such as “Mastermind,” “Maroon,” and “Sweet Nothing,” song by song.  Miss Swift disclosed that her song “Snow on the Beach” features Ms. Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, whose performance name is Lana Del Rey, according to latimes.com.  In an Instagram video, Miss Swift specifically explained the track “Anti-Hero.”

“I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before.  I like “Anti-Hero” a lot because I think it’s really honest,” Miss Swift said, according to her Instagram.

Miss Swift is notorious for leaving “easter eggs” in music videos, photos, and songs.  Easter eggs are hidden clues and hints for fans.  Miss Swift’s fanbase has predicted that “Midnights” is the sister album to “Lover,” which Miss Swift put out 2019.  Fans expect that “Midnights” will follow the themes of nighttime, exploring darkness, uncertainty, and loneliness, according to capitalfm.com.

Blakely believes Miss Swift has gained a strong following throughout her career because she explores many genres of music.  She credits Miss Swift with the ability to lyrically deliver messages to society.

“Taylor Swift is so successful in my opinion for how she constantly changes the type of music she writes and how it relates to or even matches the situations her fans go through,” Blakely said.  “I also think her message to young girls is incredible and an absolute inspiration to anyone.”

Featured Image by Lindsay Benza ’23