Magic at Midnight. Taylor Swift surprised fans during the 2022 Video Music Awards when she announced her tenth studio album while accepting the award for video of the year.
“I’m just so proud of what we made,” the 32-year-old singer said on August 28 while accepting a Moonperson for the “All Too Well” short film. “We wouldn’t have been able to make this short film if it weren’t for you, the fans. Because I wouldn’t be able to re-record my albums if it weren’t for you. You emboldened me to do that.”
The “Welcome to New York” performer went on to say that she was excited to surprise her fans with some news: her next record.
“I had sort of made up my mind that if you were gonna be this generous and give us this, I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21,” Swift told the crowd. “I will tell you more at midnight.”
When the clock struck 12 A.M. on August 29, the Grammy winner revealed that her new project is called Midnights. “Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight,” she wrote via Instagram at the time.
In a second photo, the pop star added: “We lie awake in love and in fear, in turmoil and in tears. We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. 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 twelve … we’ll meet ourselves.”
The set of songs will be her 10th studio album, following her 2020 releases Folklore and Evermore. Her last record, Red (Taylor’s Version), debuted in November 2021.
In addition to the intriguing artwork Swift shared with fans on the night of the announcement, the “Blank Space” songstress has been teasing more details leading up to the launch of the album.
Scroll down to find out more about Midnights, from its release date to potential easter eggs and more.
During her speech at the MTV VMAs in September, the “Bad Blood” singer revealed that her latest project will be released on October 21 at — you guessed it — midnight. Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
Following her announcement at the VMAs, Swift shared photos of the cover and interior art for Midnights, writing that it was a "collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams." "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 twelve ... we'll meet ourselves," the “Reputation” singer wrote via Instagram. "Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out Oct. 21. Meet me at midnight,” she concluded. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Swift shared the official artwork along with her announcement, which shows her striking a lighter while wearing shimmery blue eyeshadow. Two weeks later, she pointed out via social media that there are “four different covers” for the album and, if you turn them around, the separate back covers form a clock to emphasize the theme of time. The vinyl variants also contain four different colors: Moonstone Blue, Jade Green, Blood Moon and Mahogony. Social media users took note of the particular retro, nostalgic aesthetic of the art, pointing out that the hazy photos not only evoked the 1970s, but also echoed early 2010s Tumblr and indie rock bands like Vampire Weekend. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The “Lover” crooner initially confirmed that there are 13 tracks, though she didn’t reveal any song titles at the time. On September 21, however, Swift took to TikTok to share a video set to elevator music, explaining that she wanted to “defy” her “habit of dropping cryptic clues and Easter eggs.” The pop star went on to spin a bingo roller machine filled with white Ping-Pong balls labeled to match each of the album’s 13 tracks. "I'm going to be using this technologically advanced device to help me allow fate to decide exactly what track titles I'm going to be announcing and in what order," Swift says in the video. "In this cage are 13 Ping-Pong balls labeled 1 through 13, each representing a track on the Midnights album. So, let's leave it up to fate." After rolling the contraption a few times, the ball that rolled out contained the number 13. “Because of course,” the musician quipped about her favorite digits, before informing fans the name of the song: “Mastermind.” One night later on September 22, Swift was back again, this time revealing track no. 8: "Vigilante S—t." In the September 29 episode of "Midnights Mayhem," the "Everything Has Changed" singer revealed the second track on the album: "Maroon." Courtesy of Taylor Swift/TikTok
In a video shared on her various social media channels, Swift confirmed that friend and frequent collaborator, producer Jack Antonoff, worked on the album together. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
In addition to the regular release, there will be a deluxe version of the album available at Target. The vinyl and CD will be lavender-colored and will contain three bonus tracks. Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Swift has been revealing the Midnights tracklist out of order via TikTok, which includes “Mastermind,” “Vigilante S—t,” “Question?” and “Midnight Rain.” The album will also feature songs titled “Bejeweled” and “Karma.” On Friday, October 7, the pop star unveiled the full track listing including “Lavender Haze,” “Snow on the Beach,” “Labyrinth,” and “Sweet Nothing.” “Maroon,” “Anti-Hero” and “You’re on Your Own, Kid” are also song titles. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
In October 2022, Swift revealed that the Midnights opener, "Lavender Haze," was partly inspired by her romance with Joe Alwyn. "I happened upon the phrase 'lavender haze' when I was watching Mad Men and I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it's a common phrase used in the '50s where they would just describe being in love," she explained in an Instagram video. "Like, If you were in the lavender haze, that meant you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful. And I guess theoretically when you're in the lavender haze, you'll do anything to stay there and not let people bring you down off of that cloud." The "I Know Places" songstress explained that the new tune is about trying to maintain that feeling of happiness in the face of adversity. "I think a lot of people have to deal with this now — not just, like, quote-unquote public figures — because we live in the era of social media and if the world finds out that you're in love with somebody, they're gonna weigh in on it," she said. "My relationship for six years, we've had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff, and we just ignore it. And so this song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff. I hope you guys like it." Shutterstock (2)
Swift announced on Friday, October 7, that Lana Del Rey will be featured on the song “Snow on the Beach,” which is track four on the record. Xavier Collin/Picturegroup/Shutterstock
On October 16, Swift revealed the rollout plan for the week following the album’s release. On Thursday, October 20 — the night prior to launching Midnights — the “Shake it Off" singer will debut a teaser trailer during the third quarter of Thursday Night Football on Prime Video. At the same time that the album drops at 12 a.m. PT on Friday, October 21, Swift announced that she would also be unveiling a “very chaotic surprise” before releasing a music video for the album’s first single, “Anti-Hero,” along with YouTube shorts, at 8 p.m. ET. Lyric videos for all 13 songs will also be available at that time. The Grammy winner will be making an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Monday, October 24, before releasing a second untitled music video that same day. The Folklore crooner will then pop up for her second interview on The Graham Norton Show on Friday, October 28. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Three days before the album's release, fans discovered a list of Swift's collaborators, which included Jack Antonoff and Zoë Kravitz. One song, "Sweet Nothing," is credited to Swift and William Bowery — the pseudonym used by her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, when he contributed lyrics to her 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore. Shutterstock (2)
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