Every Taylor Swift [1] fan knows that being a Swiftie also means being a trained detective. Since the singer is known for dropping hidden references in her music videos [2] and lyrics, fans have been trained to pay extra attention to detail, including her Instagram posts. Following recent rumours that Swift is getting ready to release new music [3] soon, fans have created full-blown theories about her posts.
During the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Swift made a subtle reference to those theories [4] when she thanked her dedicated fans on stage. "I also just wanted to say before I go that I love your passion," she said. "I love your attention to detail, I love how much you care, I love seeing all the things that you're posting online." While she assured us that "when there's new music [we'll] be the first to know," we're still not convinced that her palm tree photos [5] are really just palm tree photos.
In fact, many fans speculate that her Instagram posts have actually been hidden clues about the theme of her seventh album. Following a darker era with her Reputation album, a lot of her new posts about palm trees and butterflies seem to symbolise a new era of peace, love, and rebirth. Remember when Swift said in the death of her reputation, she truly felt alive [6]? Bear with me as I break down her posts and what they could symbolise ahead.
Mermaids = Love
Theories about the theme of Taylor's next album first started bubbling up after her star-studded New Year's Eve party [7] in 2018. The costume party encouraged everyone to dress up as their childhood heroes, and Swift opted to go as Ariel from The Little Mermaid. While it could have meant nothing, fans quickly began to notice that this wasn't the first time Swift had donned mermaid gear [8].
In the magazine for her Reputation album, Swift wore a camouflage jacket with a mermaid motif, and in the blooper reel for her Reputation stadium tour, she sported a t-shirt with two mermaids.
Since mermaids often symbolize love and beauty, fans began to wonder if her next album would be a romantic one. While Reputation took on a darker theme with dis tracks about frenemies and the death of her reputation [9], it could be that her next album will have a lighter tone now that she has discovered who her "true friends" are and found happiness with boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
Palm Trees = Peace
Everyone really went overboard with theories when Swift posted a picture of seven palm trees with seven palm tree emoji. While some speculated it could be a countdown for a new single, others theorized it could be the theme of her new album.
In fact, Swift alluded to the palm trees quite a few times during her Reputation era, including her outfit in her "Look What You Made Me Do" music video [10], her "End Game" music video [11], and her artwork for Reputation [12].
A palm branch symbolizes victory, peace, and eternal life. [13] As you'll recall, Swift had the word "eternal" stitched on her dress when she attended the Billboard Music Awards [14] in 2018. Perhaps after "the death of her reputation," Swift is alluding that her next album will be all about her rising from the ashes and finding peace with her new self.
Rainbows = Light
Over the past few months, Swift's Instagram feed has been filled with colorful posts with lots of pinks and blues and dreamy filters. Shortly before attending the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Swift raised a few eyebrows with this rainbow filter in particular.
For one, rainbows often symbolize peace and serenity, which could allude to Swift finally being at peace with her life after the past few chaotic years. As one Tumblr user pointed out, the use of so many different colors in her Instagram could also symbolize how Swift is stepping into the light [15] and away from the dark in her new album. In her Elle cover story [16], she also opened up about learning to forgive herself for past mistakes [17] and move on, adding that she needs to "step into the daylight and let it go."
Butterflies = Metamorphosis
Before attending the iHeartRadio Music Awards [18], Swift shared a few photos with butterfly emoji, causing fans to swarm to social media with even more theories. She even wore butterfly shoes [19] to the award show! Just like the palm trees and the rainbows, butterflies symbolize change, hope, and resurrection. It could be that Swift is leaning toward a metamorphosis theme with her next album as she "sheds her skin," so to speak, and moves into the next chapter of her career.
That being said, it could also symbolize how she's merging her old and new self. This year marks the 13th anniversary of Swift's debut album, Taylor Swift, which many people have pointed out included butterfly imagery [20]. We all know how Swift loves the number 13! That could also line up with one of the palm tree theories [21]. The four palm trees on the left could symbolize her four country albums (Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, and Red), the two palm trees on the right could symbolize her two pop albums (1989 and Reputation), and the one palm tree in the middle could symbolize the merging of both genres.