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Taylor Swift fans always look for Easter Eggs — even if they ‘tease’ the Midnights artist for her weirdly cryptic music videos. Here’s what this artist said about being the “mastermind” of her latest era.

Taylor Swift released ‘Midnights’ in October 2022

NSAI Songwriter-Artist of the Decade honoree, Taylor Swift performs during NSAI 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards
NSAI Songwriter-Artist of the Decade honoree, Taylor Swift performs during NSAI 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards | Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

Fans met her at midnight — even if they tried to figure out the album’s meaning beforehand. In October 2022, Swift released Midnights, complete with the music video for “Anti-Hero” and new original songs produced in part by Jack Antonoff. This quickly became one of Swift’s most popular album release dates.

According to Guinness World Records, since its debut, Midnights has broken three Spotify records — most streamed album on Spotify in 24 hours, most day-one streams of an album on Spotify, and most streamed act on Spotify in 24 hours.

Like most albums, though, this production was full of Easter Eggs, whether it was Swift holding a phone upside down or nods to past eras in her official music videos. Some even took to social media, decyphering lyrics and imagery.

Taylor Swift is known for being cryptic — and loves that her fans tease her about it

While visiting The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Swift discussed the fan response to Midnights, saying she felt “soft and fragile” from the support. Fallon even mentioned that “Mastermind” was track 13 — an intentional move from an actual mastermind.

“I think over the years my fans and I, we kind of have a really funny — like, they tease me a lot and I enjoy it,” Swift explained. “And one of the things they like to make fun of me for is the kind of cryptic needing to plan things out.”

“I think we just stopped pretending that it’s accidental at this point,” she joked. This wouldn’t be the first time Swift joked about leaving Easter Eggs for fans. 

“I’ve trained them to be that way,” Swift said during a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I love that they like the cryptic hint-dropping. Because as long as they like it, I’ll keep doing it. It’s fun. It feels mischievous and playful.” 

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Taylor Swift References Nearly Every Past Era in ‘Anti-Hero’ Music Video, From ‘Speak Now’ to ‘Evermore’

Taylor Swift left surprises for fans in the ‘Anti-Hero’ and ‘Bejeweled’ music videos

The “Anti-Hero” music video even references past eras, especially with the “ghosts” haunting Swift’s home. One ghost wears a cowboy hat, which could be a nod to her country roots. The other sports heart-shaped sunglasses and sparkly cat ears similar to those in the “22” music video. 

Some fans even anticipate another era from Swift beginning in December 2022 thanks to a teaser in the “Bejeweled” music video. The production hinted at a “Taylor’s Version” of Speak Now, the next album in her discography set to be re-released. 

As an added surprise, Swift released a “3am Edition” of Midnights just hours after the original album premiered. This included songs “Glitch,” “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,” and “Dear Reader,” which each earned millions of Spotify streams. 

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