It was 11:59 pm on October 21 and many NASH students were continuously refreshing various music streaming platforms for the long awaited release of Midnights by Taylor Swift. Midnights is Swift’s tenth studio album, and it is an album that she is the sole owner of. She has also announced The Eras Tour that will encompass this album and her previous albums, too. The announcement of Midnights surprised Swifties (i.e., Swift’s fanbase), seeing as she appeared to have been spending the majority of her time re-recording old albums to attain the right to own her work. Swift announced the album at the 2022 MTV awards, which was the same award show that Kanye West interrupted Swift almost 13 years ago. The album was not just a surprise but a success due to a Spotify shutdown from Swifties flooding the app.

“The album is a great mix of her most successful pop albums, showcasing a lot of built-up strength in her production. I think the creative freedom she and Jack Antonoff (Swift’s collaborator) took with the production does a great job of staying true to her work while pushing new creative boundaries,” NASH junior Cate Lenchner said about Midnights.

Taylor Swift not only announced the album, but she began a series of videos on social media to announce each individual song and surprise. The series, known as “Midnights Mayhem,” announced all 13 tracks and got listeners excited for what is to come. The video series included Swift gradually announcing the names of the tracks and if any would have a feature from another artist. 

“I loved Midnights Mayhem. I thought it was a good way to keep people excited for the album,” senior Sadie Kelly said. 

Reviews of Midnights seem to vary across the Swiftie population, but the majority are in agreement regarding the album’s success. Many came to the conclusion that it was a compilation of all of Swift’s previous albums, which inevitably led to even more streams. 

“No one reflects on heartbreak like Taylor Swift,”  NASH English teacher Ms. Peters said. “She philosophizes upon power, pain, and passion. T. Swift for Life.”

Midnights consists of 13 tracks, which is famously Swift’s lucky number. She also announced a “3am” version of the album that got released at 3:00 in the morning the same night the album itself dropped. Swift explained that these songs are the “other songs we wrote on our journey to find that magic 13.”

“Midnights was really good, but not as good as some of her other albums. I feel like the 3am songs made up for what Midnights missed,” junior Evie Disque said. 

A music video for the song “Anti Hero” followed the release of the album the next morning. The video has a 70’s theme and was meant to showcase the insecurities that Swift feels herself facing. Body dysmorphia, feeling too tall, worry of what others think, and more are addressed as nightmares in the video as a way for Swift to find common ground with her listeners. Although, a scene with Swift on the scale was deleted after she received backlash for it.

In addition to the “Anti Hero” music video, Swift released a music video for her song “Bejeweled.” Many Swifties speculate that the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) may occur in the future after the many Easter eggs that can be connected to the album.

“The music videos were so good. I loved that they were so different from her past music videos to show her creative growth,” senior Nora Lee said. 

Swifties are often always on the prowl for Easter eggs hidden in Swift’s songs and music videos that allude to future projects or intimate personal details. The Easter eggs included in Midnights are increasing the anticipation and excitement for what comes next for Taylor Swift.