Thirteen years after being infamously interrupted by Kanye West (“Life of the Party”) during her 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) acceptance speech, singer-songwriter and pop culture icon, Taylor Swift, makes headlines again; this time, she controlled the narrative.

 This year, Swift attended the 2022 VMA award ceremony after being nominated for Video of the Year, Best Longform Video, Best Cinematography, Best Direction and Best Editing. Winning the awards for Video of the Year, Best Longform Video, and Best Direction, Swift was already gaining attention from fans and the press. The attention grew during her acceptance speech for Video of the Year when Swift announced that she would be releasing her tenth studio album “Midnights” on Oct. 21. 

“I had sort of made up my mind that if you were going to be this generous, and give us this, I thought it might be a good moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21,” Swift said. 

The new album will feature 13 tracks telling the story of “13 sleepless nights scattered throughout [Swift’s] life” Swift said in her announcement following the awards ceremony. Fans of Swift recognized the significance of the number 13, the artist’s signature number, and were quick to notice that the album announcement at this year’s VMAs occurred 13 years after her spat with West. 

Prior to the announcement at the 2022 VMAs, a quick search on the internet of Swift VMA appearances, the 2009 controversy was the first thing to pop up. Now, Swift has changed those headlines from the humiliating reminders of a rude interruption to the excitement of a new era. 

Known for leaving “easter eggs,” or clues and hints relating to future projects, in her videos, public appearances and social media posts, Swift has built an engaging fan base since her rise to fame. Speculations, fan theories and just plain excitement started trending as “Swifties” await a highly anticipated tenth album. 

While song titles, single release dates and other promotional announcements have not been communicated to fans yet, Swift has left just enough for some people to start trying to piece things together. On TikTok, users like @taylorswiftsbestie, @m1dn1ghts.13 and @moonybug have gone viral for their attempts at piecing together the various “clues” from interviews, public sightings and promotional releases Swift has made recently.

For some speculators, Swift was noted above all for her dress on the red carpet, one that was similar to the 2009 VMAs award ceremony look, and the costume she wore in the music video for “Look What You Made Me Do…,” a song widely speculated to be a reference to her feud with West and his wife Kim Kardashian West in 2016. In perhaps another coincidence, “Midnights” is set to be released on Kardashian’s birthday, perhaps another way of Swift asserting her dominance in the world of popular culture. 

With less than two months remaining before the release of the album, fans are sure to continue to piece together clues and make new speculations. “Midnights” will be an album of intrigue, drama and a new era for Swift, one that fans are more than ready for. 

Image from MTV via YouTube