Secret’s out! Taylor Swift officially confirmed Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) after months of speculation among her most diehard fans — and she’s still dropping hints about the big release.
The 33-year-old took the stage in Nashville on May 5 for the first of three Eras Tour shows, surprising the audience with “Sparks Fly” during the acoustic portion of her set.
“It fills me with such pride and joy to announce that my version of Speak Now will be out July 7 (just in time for July 9th, iykyk 😆),” she later wrote via Instagram, referring to lyrics in her song “Last Kiss.”
She continued: “I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness. I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing … and living to speak about it. With six extra songs I’ve sprung loose from the vault, I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) with you on July 7th. Pre-order now at TaylorSwift.com 💜💜💜.”
Swifties began to wonder whether the 2010 record was being revisited after the pop star dropped some not-so-subtle hints throughout her “Bejeweled” music video. When the visual was released in October 2022, eagle-eyed fans spotted a handful of Easter eggs that seemingly pointed to Speak Now, including purple jewelry and a balcony that resembled what was used during the Speak Now tour in 2011 and 2012.
Perhaps the most obvious clue, however, was when the Cats actress pressed a purple elevator button that dropped her off on floor 3. Speak Now was Swift’s third album, and she wears a purple gown on the cover. Each of the other buttons in the elevator appeared to correspond to every record in Swift’s discography, from her self-titled debut to new album Midnights.
News of Speak Now‘s updated release comes one month after Us Weekly confirmed Swift’s split from Joe Alwyn after six years of dating.
The Grammy winner has been in the process of rerecording her earliest music after losing control of her masters in a highly publicized battle with manager Scooter Braun. “I’ve spoken a lot about why I’m remaking my first six albums, but the way I’ve chosen to do this will hopefully help illuminate where I’m coming from,” she wrote via Instagram in February 2021. “Artists should own their own work for so many reasons, but the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work.”
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was released in April 2021, more than a decade after its initial debut. The updated album included several “From the Vault” songs that didn’t make the original cut. Later that year, Swift unveiled Red (Taylor’s Version), which featured the highly anticipated 10-minute edition of her breakup hit “All Too Well.”
When the new version of her 2012 record dropped, the Pennsylvania native opened up about how it felt to revisit those songs. “It’s really nice to be able to put this album out and not be sad. Not be taking breaks in between interviews to cry,” she teased during a November 2021 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers. “I’m telling you, it’s much better this way.”
The Miss Americana star continued: “[Red] came out originally about a decade ago, and I was 22, and that release week was so stressful because nobody has heard any of the music. There are, like, 14 different genres on this album. It’s a real patchwork quilt of genre. I was really experimenting.”
Several of Swift’s songs on Red — including “All Too Well” — were written in the wake of her split from Jake Gyllenhaal. When asked whether she was worried about how her former flames would react to her rerecorded albums, the “Maroon” songstress confessed, “I haven’t thought about their experience, to be honest.”
Speak Now, meanwhile, features music written in the wake of her splits from Taylor Lautner and John Mayer. During a May 16 Today.com interview, the Twilight actor, 31, weighed in on his ex revisiting the 2010 record.
“I think it’s a great album. Yeah, I feel safe,” he teased. “Praying for John.”
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