This is it Swifties! After all of the clues, all of the theories, the incredible butterfly mural in Nashville ... at the stroke of midnight (ET) on this blessed day, April 26th, 2019, Taylor Alison Swift has finally shared her new music, her "next chapter." T-Swift dropped her new single called "ME!," along with its accompanying music video, and it features Panic! At the Disco's Brendon Urie.
Before dropping the song, Taylor appeared live on the NFL Draft night to give clues about her new single, and quickly chatted with ABC's Robin Roberts. The superstar told Roberts of the song, "'ME!' is a song about embracing your individuality and really celebrating it and owning it. With a pop song, I think we have the ability to get a melody stuck in people's heads, and I just want it to be one that makes them feel better about themselves, not worse."
Of course, "ME!" follows Swift’s reputation era, and that's exactly where we leave off in the new music video, directed by Dave Myers, as a pastel snake is slithering on a colorful road ... before turning into a bunch of beautiful butterflies. The rest of the visual is a wonderland full of color ... and a new cute cat!
It’s been an exciting past few weeks (actually, who are we kidding — MONTHS) for fans as they followed along as Taylor dropped clue after clue, trying to decipher when she would share the music from her next era. Over the last few weeks alone, she shared images from the "ME!" music video to her social media, and then on April 25th, she surprised fans who gathered at a butterfly mural that she commissioned (from street artist Kelsey Montague) in Nashville. The mural, as Taylor explained, contains clues about “ME!” and her new music. In fact, the mural prominently displays "ME!" in its center, tipping off fans.
Just how far back do the hints go? Well, in reputation's "End Game," Ed Sheeran sings lyrics “Reputation precedes me,” which one eagle-eye fan noticed and when they made the connection (reputation precedes ME!) and posted the theory to Tumblr. Taylor shared the post on her own Tumblr. Also, let’s not forget what movie comes out today — Avengers: Endgame.
And as for the Brendon Urie feature, in her Elle essay, Taylor wrote, "I'm clutching a guitar and learning to play the chords and sing the words at the same time, rehearsing for a gig at a coffee house. When I hear 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' by Panic! At The Disco, I'm transported back to being sixteen and driving down the streets of Hendersonville, Tennessee, with my best friend Abigail, euphorically screaming the lyrics."
And by the way, Abigail quoted some "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" lyrics on Instagram when she shared Taylor's Elle cover. She wrote, "Well this calls for a toast, so pour the champagne."
As Taylor explained to fans on her Tumblr, “cryptically planning is [her] love language.”