Taylor Swift via Instagram Taylor Swift
Like she did before revealing her upcoming record’s release date, Taylor Swift announced that she would be hosting a live video session on Instagram at 5 p.m. ET on July 23, to announce some big news. Captioning a gif that showed an arrow hitting a bullseye with the number 5 emblazoned in the center she wrote, “I have some stuff I’m reeeeeally excited to tell you about, including some info on this Easter egg right here.”
During the live chat, Swift released a new bonus track entitled, “The Archer.” which she said, “Is NOT the next single, I haven’t made a video for it or anything. It’s just a glimpse of another side of the album that I wanted to show you.” The song is available to stream on iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music. “The Archer” was composed with lyricist Jack Antonoff, but it is not a collaboration banger like many of her fans were anticipating.
In addition to the surprise song release, Swift also revealed that each deluxe edition of Lover album will contain 30 pages of personally written journal entries.
New music from @taylorswift13 is exactly what I needed today 🏹✨ #TheArcher
To listen to Swift’s new mellow jam, which is indeed the fifth track off of her upcoming Lover album without streaming or downloading it, you can listen to “The Archer” via the official You Tube video below.
The Rumors Beforehand
Prior to her announcement, fans quickly went full 007 to figure out what these clues meant. With the No. 5 in the center bullseye, and the five “eeeee”s in “really,” the announcement seemed to leading toward news about the fifth track off her seventh studio album, Lover, which is set to drop on August, 23. Many Swifites also believed this Easter egg was connected to similar scene in her music video for the song “You Need to Calm Down.” In the celeb studded video, singer Hayley Kiyoko is featured shooting an arrow at a target, which may mean that the Grammy Award winner would soon be releasing a collaboration track with Kiyoko.
Another strong theory among fans included Swift possibly announcing that Kiyoko would be her opening act on her not-yet announced upcoming tour, which could kick off the in the fifth month of 2020. However, “The Archer” turned out to be a solo track, and there has yet to be official news for an upcoming tour.
the heart has an arrow!! and “the archer” it all makes sense
Who is Hayley Kiyoko?
Kiyoko, a 28-year-old actor, singer and songwriter, who has 1.8 million followers on Instagram, opened up to E! about the honor of being a part of Swift’s LGBTQ themed music video and said, “To have so many incredible people in the community in that three minutes and thirty seconds, or however long it is, was so powerful. Taylor’s been a huge ally to me, just as a friend and as a musician, and it’s really cool that she just did that on her own.”
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