After Scooter Braun sold the masters, or original recordings, of Taylor Swift’s first six albums to Shamrock Holdings in 2019, Swift has been working with her new label to get control over her work again. Obviously as Fearless (Taylor’s Version) came out in early April, she was successful. Once her re-recording of Fearless dropped, fans have been speculating what her next re-recording will be. It’s no secret across her large fan base that every move Swift makes ends up being a clue as to what her next project entails. Included in this article are some of the most convincing clues or theories fans have found to prove that 1989 (Taylor’s Version) might be coming our way soon. 

A Snippet of “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” Was Released

Prior to the announcement of Fearless (Taylor’s Version), a piece of the hit song “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” was used in a commercial, by her good friend Ryan Reynolds, for the dating app Match. Soon after the snippet was released, Swift announced her first re-released album would be available in April. Now a similar thing is happening with a song off of 1989. “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” was used in a commercial for the movie Spirit Untamed. Fans predict that this means her next album will be 1989 (Taylor’s Version). A fan on TikTok also noticed that the clip of the song also contains added bird sounds, which are another hint to the 1989 re-release because on the cover she is wearing a sweater with birds on it. 

Swift’s Mood Board 

On April 13, four days after her rerelease of Fearless, Swift went on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss whether the song “Hey Stephen” was about him. During the bit, Swift pulled out a mood board filled with pictures of Colbert, along with stars, hearts, and even a piece of pizza! Fans thought that the board might contain “easter eggs” that prove 1989 will be her next rerelease. One fan in particular, Andre (@TS8TR4CK on Twitter), began a Twitter thread with all the possible clues hidden in it. One clue is that the first picture on the mood board was a picture of Colbert from 1989. The piece of pizza in the corner of the board has five pieces of pepperoni, which coordinates with 1989 being her fifth album. Not to mention, the seagull at the bottom, which were on the sweater she wore on the cover of 1989. There were also eight hearts and nine stars hidden, which Andre believes represents ‘89. 

Other Stephen Colbert Mentions

While the mood board contained some of the more obvious hints of the night, fans investigated more clues she mentioned throughout the interview. One being how she said that she loved Stephen King books, saying his short stories are “absolutely luminescent.” Many of King’s short stories were published in 1989. Swift also mentioned Colbert’s past address being 513 and his birthday being on 5/13, which fans think could be a hint to her announcing or releasing something on May 13. Another fan, Andy (@renjunrush on Twitter), has two theories regarding release dates. They noticed how she mentioned 1989, which is her fifth album, and her song “You Need To Calm Down,” her 14th song on her album Lover. Andy believes that this means she will release the debut single off the album on May 14. Their second theory is that Swift mentioned “Shake it Off,” her sixth track on 1989, and “Hey Stephen,” her fourth track on Fearless (Taylor’s Version), meaning that she could release 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on June 4.

In May of 2019, Swift had an interview with Elle where she said that she loves dropping clues for fans. “I love that they like the cryptic hint-dropping,” Swift spoke of her fans, “Because as long as they like it, I’ll keep doing it. It’s fun. It feels mischievous and playful.” Knowing that Swift loves placing clues throughout her interviews and social media, fans can never be sure what each interaction with her includes. Keep a lookout on May 13 or14 and June 4 to see if the Swifties’ theories are correct!

Sophomore Isabella Rowan is a staff writer for the 2020-2021 Colonel. In her free time, she likes to play tennis, paint, and bake. You will probably find her listening to Harry Styles or watching movies with her dog, Dublin.