Top 10 Times Taylor Swift Truly Was a Mastermind

After a year-long hiatus from both music and the public, Taylor Swift returned with a bang. A total departure from her usual fare, “Reputation” shocked and delighted long-time and newly anointed fans. Her lead single, “Look What You Made Me Do” was especially iconic, with a music video filled to the brim with easter eggs. Some, like outfits from previous eras, were obvious. However, Swifties quickly uncovered more obscure clues, such as the seemingly symbolic $1 bill in the bathtub from her 2017 sexual assault trial. After the first or second watch of this music video, there are still hidden messages to find—even for the most seasoned fan.

The night of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards has gone down in infamy. When Kanye West hijacked Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video, he ignited a lengthy feud. When we think of the night, Swift’s sparkling one-shoulder Kaufman Franco gown stands out in our minds. So it’s only right that when she arrived at the VMAs 13 years later, she seemingly paid homage to that controversial night. She wowed in a glittering Oscar de la Renta dress that certainly appeared to be a callback to her 2009 look. She also totally surprised fans by announcing her 10th studio album on stage, and we have to applaud her choice of venue.

There’s nothing wrong with a little mayhem, especially when it’s conducted by the queen of chaos. When Taylor Swift dropped the news that her tenth studio album was on the way, fans knew that something big was coming. What no one expected was “Midnights Mayhem With Me,” a TikTok series that had Swift draw a ball from a bingo cage to announce her tracklist, one title at a time. Of course, she kept things extra fun and chaotic by doing things like holding the phone she was using upside down for a couple of tracks. We were all sleep deprived for the duration of the series, but it was totally worth it.

When Taylor Swift dropped the music video for “ME!”, she let fans know that the “Reputation” chapter was closing. A snake bursting into butterflies signaled the start of a new era with a totally different vibe. The music video was not only a colorful spectacle, it also hinted to fans what was to come. Indeed, the roughly four minute-long clip is full of clues about TS7. The singer let fans know that the title of the second single and the album were hidden in the video, sending them on the funnest goose chase. While the neon “Lover” sign was easy to spot, the clever reference to “You Need to Calm Down” largely slipped under the radar (at least at first.)

There’s no question that T. Swift is a loyal friend. She practically takes every opportunity to shout out her tight-knit crew, especially Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Despite referring to her 2020 album, “folklore” as a work of fiction, Swift couldn’t resist the opportunity to reference her good friends. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the characters James and Inez were named after the power couple’s first two daughters, and suspected Betty was the name of their third. Swift basically confirmed this when she made a nod to the characters’ namesakes in her speech for the Album Of the Year Grammy in 2021. Any remaining speculation was put to rest when Reynolds addressed the subject in an interview with SiriusXM. Mystery solved!

Could a price tag be a clue to an album dropping? If you ask a Swiftie, they’ll tell you it could very well be. The release of Taylor Swift’s re-recorded albums has become a major game between her and the fans. So when “Red (Taylor’s Version)” came out, it’s no surprise that Swifties looked into every detail. It struck many as interesting that Swift chose to sell the signed album CD for $20.10 — i.e. 2010, the year that “Speak Now” was originally released. In addition, the price font was purple, a color synonymous with that album. “Speak Now” is officially the next re-recording, so it seems unlikely that those things were coincidences!

When Swift announced “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” was coming, she confirmed something that fans long suspected: there would be new songs released on each album. With so many unreleased songs presumably in her catalog, there was no telling what would be unveiled when she re-recorded her six “stolen” albums. However, Swifties always have fun making guesses. It turns out, Swift was having a bit of fun on her own. Before unveiling the tracklists for her first two re-recorded albums, “Fearless” and “Red,” she opened the literal doors to the vault. And she had fans decode the vault track titles and features themselves! We’ve got to hand it to her. She’s definitely earned her reputation for being chaotic in the best way.

Some Taylor Swift easter eggs are more obvious than others. But it’s safe to say that nearly everyone missed this one. It was only a few months after the release of “folklore” that Entertainment Weekly named Swift one of their 2020 Entertainers of the Year. The singer shared the photoshoot to her Instagram Story, commenting on the holiday vibes of her outfit with an apt caption. Little did fans know that a new album was right under their noses all along. It turns out “‘tis the damn season” was actually a track of her album “evermore” which was released soon after! We’re still recovering from the whiplash of this moment.

Taylor Swift is constantly finding new and exciting ways to reinvent her sound and image with each album release. These chapters of her career are so iconic that she and fans refer to them as different “eras”. Shortly before announcing her record-breaking Eras tour, Swift played on this idea in her "Bejeweled" music video. She selects the purple button to the third floor in an elevator, hinting that her third studio album “Speak Now” would be the next release. She also later heads to the purple-coded 13th level, another clue in that direction. With the recent announcement of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)”, we can’t help but notice that she also visits floor 5 at one point. Is “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” next? Only time will tell!

What started as a simple phrase has become synonymous with T.Swift’s amazingly chaotic energy. Back in 2013, she released the “22” music video, where she donned a sequined top that featured this saying. Seven years later, the message became an extra important part of Swiftie lore when Swift used it to caption a seemingly innocent selfie in April 2020. What many assumed was in reference to COVID-19 was actually a cheeky nod to her upcoming album, “folklore.” A text exchange later released by collaborator Aaron Dessner confirmed that the pair were working on “cardigan” around that time! Fans were duped again in November 2020 when Swift posted another picture with the same caption, this time hinting at “evermore.” That’s the mastermind at her finest.