Later this month, Taylor Swift will release her fourth re-recorded album with ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’, taking her past the halfway point in reclaiming her back catalogue. She’s already confirmed the tracklist but fans have noticed something missing that could point to more ‘1989’ music on the way.
Unlike the rest of the ‘Taylor’s Version’ albums so far – ‘Fearless’, ‘Red’, and ‘Speak Now’ – the tracklist for ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ doesn’t include any features. What makes that even more suspicious, according to some Swifties, is the lack of the version of ‘Bad Blood’ featuring Kendrick Lamar. They’ve also pointed to the fact that ‘1989’ as an era was very collaborative, with a raft of different special guests appearing with Taylor across that album’s tour and the peak of the star’s infamous squad.
As the release date for the new record approaches, theories surrounding it are ramping up, with one favourite of fans being that Swift hasn’t shared her entire plans for the release. Swifties are suggesting that ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ could be a double album, or dual release, with one part following the tracklist she’s already given us and the other featuring collaborations on different versions of the songs.
That means we’d likely get a re-recorded version of ‘Bad Blood’ with Kendrick and maybe, just maybe, the special guest appearance fans have been vying for – Harry Styles featuring on ‘Styles’. As one Redditor suggested on the Taylor Swift subreddit, releasing a full album of collabs would be a smart way to team up with Styles without having the record be overshadowed by Taylor working with an ex.
In recent months, Swift has been spending a lot of time at New York’s Electric Lady studios, with a wealth of other famouses also hanging around. BLACKPINK’s Rosé, Sabrina Carpenter, Paramore’s Hayley Williams and more have all been spotted leaving the studio when Taylor has been in residence and, while they could have just been hanging out, their appearances have sparked a lot of rumours.
TikTok user @chloeandpercy has also pointed to ‘The Man’ video for another clue that ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ could be a double album. As they point out, one scene features Swift’s album names graffitied on the wall. The only record to have its title on there twice? Yep, it’s ‘1989’.
We’ll find out soon enough, with ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ due to arrive on October 27. Think Swifties will get a break from theorising after that? Think again – they’re already trying to crack when ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version)’ will be announced and released.
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