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When Taylor Swift arrived to the 2022 VMAs red carpet in a crystal-draped Oscar De La Renta mini-dress, fans were quick to point out its striking resemblance to a scene from her “Look What You Made Me Do” music video. Sure, it could have just been a coincidence — but Swifties know that there’s usually more than meets the eye when it comes to the music industry’s queen of Easter eggs.
So what could be the story behind the look? Ahead of the awards, the Internet was abuzz that this was Swift’s subtle way of sharing that reputation (Taylor’s Version) would be the next album in her lineup of re-recordings. But an announcement of her third re-record was nowhere to be found that night. Instead, the pop star threw a *swift* curveball, revealing that her next project would actually be her 10th studio album, Midnights.
With the arrival of the 13-track set (or 20 tracks on the 3am Edition) on Oct. 21, fans will now agree that the dazzling drip was almost certainly a tribute to “Bejeweled,” her second song from the album to be given the music video treatment. Covered in gems and rhinestones — and including cameos from Laura Dern, the HAIM sisters and Dita Von Teese — the video does exactly what Swift declares: “I can make the whole world shimmer.”
In honor of her newest visual triumph, which she self-wrote and directed, Billboard went back through her catalog of music videos to find the moments where she shimmers brightest (including “Look What You Made Me Do,” of course). Check them out below.
The early numbers are in for Taylor Swift‘s Midnights, and while it was safe to assume her 10th studio album would be a hit, fans might not have predicted just how big it could be.
According to initial reports to Luminate on Monday, the album earned more than 1.2 million equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first three days alone. With that news, Midnights has the biggest week for an album, by units, since Swift’s own reputation in 2017 and is already the year’s top-selling album, year to date.
On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith discuss all the circumstances that allowed Swift to reach that elusive million mark again, from the curiosity surrounding the album and the awareness campaign that included a prominent Thursday Night Football teaser to the positive word-of-mouth from early listeners and dozens of collectible (and clock-building) variations.
Listen below to hear all about it:
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Sam Smith and Kim Petras hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “Unholy” — the first chart-topper for both acts — and how Lil Baby captures his third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with “It’s Only Me.” Plus, listen to the show for even more early numbers from Swift’s blockbuster album-release week.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard‘s senior director of charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
