Taylor Swift may have just dropped her biggest clue about when she will announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version) — and Swifties are ready for it.
Fans pointed out online that Swift, 34, recently unarchived a November 2017 Instagram post featuring the original cover art for Reputation, which was captioned, “3 days until #reputation.” The discovery was made three days before the 2024 Grammy Awards, leading Swifties to believe she will announce her fifth rerecorded album at the awards ceremony (which she is set to attend).
Swift announced her plans to rerecord her first six albums in 2019 after her former record label, Big Machine, sold her master recordings to music manager Scooter Braun. She released her first rerecording, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), in 2021 and has since dropped new versions of Red, Speak Now and 1989. Reputation and her self-titled 2006 debut album are the last two albums on her rerecordings lineup.
Swift has dropped several hints about Reputation (TV) over the past few months. Some suspected Swift would announce the album in December 2023 after noticing a clock in her TIME 2023 Person of the Year mosaic portrait was placed next to a snake and pointed to the numbers 12 and 7. Supporting the theory at the time was the fact that the singer’s “Rep Memories” Instagram Story highlights began on December 7, 2017.
Many of Swift’s Reputation (TV) hints have come through her fashion choices. In September 2023, she stepped out in a sexy black dress with gold accents at the MTV Video Music Awards, wearing a color palette similar to the one she highlighted during her original Reputation era.
While stepping out to dinner with pal Blake Lively last month, Swift channeled her inner serpent by sporting a green velvet dress and brown snake-patterned boots. She also covered up a red sweater with a black peacoat with gold buttons while supporting her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, at the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, January 28.
Swift is no stranger to dropping album announcements at awards shows, as she announced her 10th studio album, Midnights, while accepting Video of the Year at the 2022 VMAs. Some fans, however, still believe the Reputation (TV) announcement could arrive during the next international leg of The Eras Tour, which kicks off in Tokyo, Japan, on February 7.
Since the start of The Eras Tour in March 2023, Swift has performed every Reputation song except “I Did Something Bad.” Given that Swift previously announced Speak Now (TV) and 1989 (TV) during her secret songs portion of the show, several Swifties believe the track is being saved for a Reputation (TV) announcement.
In her TIME 2023 Person of the Year profile, Swift dubbed the upcoming album “a goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure,” adding that Reputation (TV)’s vault tracks are “fire.”
Swift went on to compare releasing her rerecorded albums to “collecting horcruxes,” in reference to the Harry Potter series. “I’m collecting Infinity Stones [from the Marvel Cinematic Universe],” she added. “Gandalf’s voice is in my head every time I put out a new one.”
