After months of anticipation from her fans, Taylor Swift released the third music video for her 2022 pop album, “Midnights.” The “Lavender Haze” music video is the most psychedelic of the three so far (“Anti-Hero” and “Bejeweled”) and it  gives viewers a look into a comforting, confusing and ethereal world dreamed up by Swift.

Swift previously said her inspiration for the track came after learning the meaning of the song’s titular phrase. Commonly used in the 1950s, a “lavender haze” refers to an intoxicating, all-powerful state of love. 

Now, it’s clear to see why Swift sings so earnestly about wanting to stay in that world. 

Swift stars in the video, which she also wrote and directed, alongside actor Laith Ashley (“My Divorce Party”). The two play love interests, drawn to each other as they find themselves in various sultry backdrops. 

There are several solo-shots of Swift that add to the moody, ‘70s-inspired world she creates: laying on a bed of flowers in a retro living-room, bathing in a milky, lavender bath, slo-mo dancing through (you guessed it) lavender fog in a crowded room. The final sequence that has fans dusting off their highest hopes is where Swift pushes down the walls of a room to join the vast universe beyond, fit with massive Koi Fish swimming among the stars. 

In typical Swift fashion, the video is peppered with Easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans to decode. Easter eggs may be anything from references to her past work to sly hints at her upcoming projects.

Swift pushing down the walls of the room to reveal a starry, Koi Fish filled sky is a visual reference to the romantic 2019 video for “Lover.” The video shows Swift and her love interest swimming together in a fishbowl. The singer has previously confirmed the scene is meant to show how her boyfriends must choose to metaphorically ‘enter the fishbowl’ of Swift’s life, due to intense public scrutiny on her personal life. 

By ‘breaking out’ of that fishbowl, Swift shows that she and her partner of six years (actor Joe Alwyn) do not have to isolate themselves to have a fulfilling, private life together, despite any pressures from the media or public. 

The fish in these scenes may hold the biggest clue as to which re-recorded album Swift will release next. After releasing Taylor’s Versions of “Fearless” and “Red,” Swift must also drop re-recordings of “Taylor Swift,” “Speak Now,” “1989” and “reputation” in order to gain full ownership of her artistic catalog. The presence of the Koi Fish alone may be enough to all but confirm that “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” is next.

Koi Fish are linked to the Speak Now World Tour in 2011 and 2012, during which Swift often performed with a teal acoustic guitar featuring multiple Koi. Coincidence? With Swift, not likely. 

Plus, in the Taylor Swift universe, the color purple is nearly synonymous with the “Speak Now” album: it’s the color of both Swift’s album cover and an iconic tour dress, most closely associated with performances of the scathing power-ballad “Dear John.”

Sprinkling Koi Fish throughout the only lavender-soaked music video so far from “Midnights?” Her fans may as well expect the album announcement this week. 

There are plenty of other ways Swift weaves parts of herself, both professional and personal, into the “Lavender Haze” video. The ones that have most fans talking their talk and going viral are creating buzz for a potential release of the long-awaited “Speak Now” rerecording. 

Luckily, eager Swifties have three and a half minutes of dreamy, lavender-filled romance to hold them over until then.

Image from Taylor Swift via YouTube