There are a few things Taylor Swift is known for: writing amazing songs, smashing records, loving wine and cats, and being a massive sneak when it comes to leaving clues for fans.
Of course, this also means that fans can get very…imaginative…with their theories. Some of them absolutely fall flat (ahem, Woodvale), but others actually end up coming true. Let’s take a look at the smartest theories which actually were real predictions.
1.
The title of the album Lover.
2.
The Lana Del Rey collab on Midnights.
Midnights is a wild ride of an album and I couldn’t be happier that my co pilot on this adventure was @jackantonoff. He’s my friend for life (presumptuous I know but I stand by it) and we’ve been making music together for nearly a decade HOWEVER…
https://t.co/jjqUNkGSme
When a photo of Taylor and Lana hanging out with Jack Antonoff surfaced in April 2022, fans were absolutely convinced this meant a collaboration would be coming from the three musicians.
Of course, in August, Taylor announced that Midnights was coming, but we didn’t get any track list info. But when she uploaded a TikTok showing snippets from the making of Midnights, fans quickly realized that the sweater she’s wearing in one clip is the same one from the photo with Lana and Jack.
Everyone assumed there’d be a Taylana collab on Midnights — and they were right!
3.
The name of Blake Lively’s child revealed on Folklore.
View this video on YouTube
As we all know, the songs “Cardigan,” “Betty,” and “August” from Folklore are a trio of songs about a love triangle between three teenagers. The three names given in these songs are Betty, James, and Inez. At this point, Blake Lively — Taylor’s close friend — had recently welcomed her third child but hadn’t shared her name. Her first two kids are named James and Inez, so it wasn’t long before Swifties cottoned on that perhaps Betty was the name of her new daughter. Confirming the rumor, Taylor introduced the song on country radio a few weeks after it was released, saying, “I named all the characters in this story after my friends’ kids.”
Republic Records / Via youtube.com
4.
The identity of the baby voice in “Gorgeous.”
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Speaking of Blake Lively, this wasn’t the first time one of her kids popped up in a Taylor Swift song. You might remember that the song “Gorgeous” starts off with a baby voice saying “gorgeous.” Though some people assumed it was just a voice-changing effect used on a recording of Taylor, some big-brained Swifties speculated that it could be the voice of Blake Lively’s then 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter, James. Turns out, they were right! Taylor revealed the secret at a fan event, and the info spread online from there.
Big Machine / Via youtube.com
5.
The identity of William Bowery.
6.
The secret messages in her album liners.
7.
The infamous “ME!” mural
8.
The “This Is What You Came For” backing vocals.
View this video on YouTube
In April 2016, Taylor was still dating Calvin Harris. That month, he released his iconic collab with Rihanna, “This is What You Came For.” It’s a banger of a song, and of course, Swifties were streaming it. But it didn’t take long for some very keen-eared fans to notice that there is one particular “ohhoohoohoohooohh” in the background that sounds kinda a LOT like Taylor. Well, a couple months later, it turned out they were right. Which leads us to…
Columbia / Via youtube.com
9.
The identity of Nils Sjöberg.
11.
Something’s going on with Ed Sheeran.
12.
And something was coming on May 5.
13.
A Paul McCartney collab.
14.
“Not a lot going on at the moment.”
Honorable mention: the suitcase.
A deeper investigation into whether Taylor Swift is hiding in that giant suitcase or not https://t.co/S7NpET1ifc
JCNYC / Splash News / Twitter: @BuzzFeed
Lol, this is so dumb, but for some reason, Taylor made headlines in 2017 for leaving her home by hiding in a suitcase. Zayn Malik seemingly confirmed it in an interview, as did one of her “neighbors” on a gossip blog.
Yes, this one could be totally fake, but honestly…I’m into it.
And a prediction: Speak Now will be the next re-record.
The lesson from all this: If you ever go missing, you want a Swiftie to be the lead on your investigative team.