swifties
As 1989 (Taylor’s Version) draws nearer, Taylor Swift is ramping up her teases and Easter eggs. On Tuesday (Sept. 19), Google launched a new pop-up animation in honor of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) — and based on some of the puzzles, fans think a Nicki Minaj collaboration could be imminent.
If you search “Taylor Swift” on the search engine, a new pop-up will offer one of 89 puzzles that fans are tasked with solving to “unlock Taylor’s vault.” Each puzzle asks the user to unscramble a word and then type it into the Google search bar to solve the exercise. Sharing the new feature on her Instagram page, Swift wrote, “You can tell me when the *search* is over… if the high was worth the pain 😎,” a reference to “Blank Space,” one of three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles from the original 1989.
One puzzle’s answer, in particular, has captivated the attention of both Swifties and Barbz; “Sagittarius.” Not only is it the ninth astrological sign, but some fans are taking the answer asa hint for a collaboration between the two music powerhouses.
First, Swift and Minaj are both Sagittariuses given their Dec. 13 and Dec. 8 birthdays, respectively. At the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (Sept. 12), after accepting her third trophy from Minaj — who served as the night’s emcee — Swift said, “That’s my favorite Sagittarius over there,” eliciting a giant smile and an enthusiastically affirmative response from the “Last Time I Saw You” rapper. Minaj has been a devoted champion of her star sign for years, so this came as no surprise to her biggest fans.
Last month (Aug. 24), Minaj tweeted, “Fighting the urge to say Sagittarius tingz right now so bad,” when she quoted a tweeted commemorating her and Swift as the only female artists in Billboard chart history to place over 100 entries on the Hot 100. Earlier this year (Mar. 24), the “Super Freaky Girl” rapper tweeted, “Dear Barbz, it must be exhausting always rooting for the Anti-hero,” a reference to both her controversial public persona and Swift’s Hot 100-topping Midnights single.
A collaboration between Swift and Minaj would not be completely out of left field. Swift was an early champion of Minaj’s “Super Bass,” and the two performed a medley of their songs together (Minaj’s “Trini Dem Girls” and “The Night Is Still Young” and Swift’s “Bad Blood”) at the 2015 VMAs after ironing out an argument regarding that year’s nominees for video of the year.
See what the Swifties and Barbz are theorizing about a potential Taylor Swift-Nicki Minaj collaboration:
🚨 Taylor Swift & Nicki Minaj appear to be teasing a collaboration on ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ following Google vault puzzle clue: Sagittarius.Taylor also called Nicki her “favorite Sagittarius” at the VMAs last week. pic.twitter.com/N9E8iE4Unq— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 19, 2023
if nicki and taylor collab i’ll do insane things— hannah !! (@lovatojauregxi) September 19, 2023
I really might be getting a Nicki and Taylor swift collab 😭😭😭😭. Yall I’m so going to rinse it . I’ve prayed and fasted for this day to come— Choco Latte🍫☕️ (@Aaliyah_Lillli) September 19, 2023
Taylor and Nicki collab would be such sagittarius power— Fifi // GUTS🖤 (@basedaquarius) September 19, 2023
Taylor Swift teamed up with The National on their new song “The Alcott” on Friday (April 28), and the collab immediately had Swifties buzzing over its lovelorn lyrics.
The downtempo cut off the band’s new album First Two Pages of Frankenstein finds the pop star’s voice melding perfectly with frontman Bryce Dessner’s as they wistfully intone, “And the last thing you wanted is the first thing I do/ I tell you my problems, you tell me the truth/ It’s the last thing you wanted, it’s the first thing I do/ I tell you that I think I’m falling back in love with you” on the chorus.
Swift’s ardent fandom flooded the Instagram comments of her official fan club’s posts announcing the track with reactions to the song, with one writing, “Taylor remember he’s dreamy, but you’re the sun in your universe!!! Thank you for allowing us to look directly in the sun when we see our lives reflected in your poetic music!”
Others were quick to compare the track to Folklore‘s “Exile” featuring Bon Iver and earlier The National collab “Coney Island” from Evermore. “It’s so exile im crying,” one commented; another opined, “This is literally Coney Island and exile’s love child and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.”
Recently, Swift brought out The National’s Aaron Dessner out during her Eras Tour stop in Tampa, Fla. to perform Midnights bonus track “The Great War” as one of the tour’s many surprise songs.
Stream Swift and The National’s “The Alcott” and check out Swifties’ reactions to the song on social media below.
When it comes to Taylor Swift, even Attorney General Merrick Garland is a bonafide fan. The head of the Department of Justice cleverly put his Swiftie status to the test when testifying before the Senate on Wednesday (March 1).
Speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding DOJ oversight, Garland told the committee that he’s “pretty familiar” with the superstar and her music, but according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, the federal government’s chief law enforcement officer has almost all of Swift’s CDs on display in his office and even counts “Shake It Off” as his favorite song in her discography.
Apparently, Garland’s entry point into the Swiftian musical universe came courtesy of his two daughters, who would listen to 2006’s Taylor Swift and 2008’s Fearless on repeat as he drove them to school every morning. But even since then, he’s stayed on top of the singer’s discography. “My daughter sent me Midnights right away as a CD, which I appreciate is a little prehistoric at this point,” he quipped to the WSJ. “And then she told me the playlist order in which I should listen to the songs.”
During his testimony, the attorney general also couldn’t resist sneaking a lyrical reference into the proceedings. When pressed about Senator Amy Klobuchar — who counts Red single “I Knew You Were Trouble” as her favorite Taylor song — having anti-trust material regarding the 2010 merger between Ticketmaster and LiveNation in her possession, Garland cleverly responded, “I know that all too well.”
While the ticketing mess that prompted every politician and government figure to sneak her lyrics into the public record continues to play out in Congress, Swift herself is preparing to kick off The Eras Tour with back-to-back shows in Glendale, Ariz. on March 17 and 18.
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