Taylor Swift launched her new era of music on Apr. 26 by releasing “ME!,” featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco. Before the release, Swift posted cryptic Instagram photos, from chicks in sunglasses to two of her cats, sending her fans into a frenzy to solve what her clues meant about the ushering of her new musical era.
Swift’s fans finally got their answer when “ME!” was released along with the music video, as her Instagram posts were stills from her video. Filled with rainbows, grand dance numbers and of course, cats (Swift is the proud owner of three cats), “ME!” is an explosion of color and vibrancy.
“ME!” may sound like another typical pop song, but that’s exactly what Swift wanted to achieve. Swift’s previous lead singles all share common elements, and “ME!” does not stray from that. From a spoken-word interlude (“Hey kids, spelling is fun!”) to a pop melody that is difficult to get out of your head, “ME!” is another example of how Swift’s lead singles are an outlier from the rest of her albums.
“Look What You Made Me Do” from her last album “reputation” contained similar elements as “ME!” Both used spoken-word (“I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now”), inside jokes in the music video that only Swift’s fans would find and a chorus that, at times, can be frustratingly catchy. “Look What You Made Me Do” led many to believe that “reputation” would portray Swift as still vengeful over her feud with Kanye West, but were surprised when the rest of the album contained themes of finding yourself, true love and admitting that it’s okay to make mistakes. It seems that Swift is still following the same pattern for her lead singles, and “ME!” is just another example.
Swift’s talent for building hype for her new albums comes from leaving fans to wonder which musical direction she’ll head towards. While “Look What You Made Me Do” saw Swift using a darker, edgier aesthetic, “ME!” is the complete opposite. It’s bright, bubbly and cheerful. “Look What You Made Me Do” was a satire about Swift’s feuds and how the media portrays her, but “ME!” is simply about embracing your individuality and celebrating it. From lines such as “I promise that you’ll never find another like me,” Swift wants to start off her new musical era by preaching self-love and acceptance, rather than focusing on the past.
Only time will tell what the rest of Swift’s upcoming album will sound like. Will it continue the theme of butterflies and rainbows? Or is “ME!” a complete outlier from the rest of the album? There are still many things about the album that are currently unknown (the name of the album has not yet been released), but it seems that’s exactly how Swift wants it.
