Sunday night, numerous fans of the beloved pop star of this generation, Taylor Swift, rejoiced at the announcement of the highly anticipated album, Midnights. The long-awaited album release was announced at the MTV Video Music Awards as Taylor Swift stood on stage, accepting her befitting award for the fan-loved music video, All Too Well (10 Minute Version). She disclosed the modest details of her 10th album, revealing the 13 unnamed tracks within it. Swift recites the album: “Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight.”

Fans of the admired artist have waited through the dormancy since Red (Taylor’s Version) was released in November of 2021. Her fanbase, the Swifties, remained patient and were rewarded with this album’s announcement release. One fan’s reaction in the Downey community, Veronica Padilla, 10, expresses her raw emotions to the climatic announcement of Midnights, after being a versed supporter of the beloved singer.

“I was so excited, I couldn’t wait. T-Swift is my top artist, I know it’s going to be good without even hearing it,” Padilla explains. “Taylor’s music is so good, my favorite, anyone that listens to her is my friend. My favorite album is Folklore and my favorite song on it is ‘Cardigan’ because it’s relatable.”

Over the past couple of years, Swift has accomplished many achievements, namely attaining her doctorate of fine arts and re-recording her past albums to own the rights to them. While achieving and winning numerous record-breaking awards, she’s struggled with criticism within the industry and hate. Many people surged to defend and support Taylor in the feud between the entertainment executive, Scooter Braun, in the fight to own the masters of her self-made albums from the previous years. Numerous assumptions were put on platforms everywhere, but in the end, Taylor stood victorious in taking a new approach to the tangled situation. She took a different route to deal with the hatred; she put her heartfelt responses into her songwriting. Swift made the executive decision to re-record her famous albums. During these tough times, she’s gained love and support from her growing fanbase as she continues to thrive in the music industry.

Taylor’s relatable lyrics refer to the modern associations of adolescence, heartbreak, and personal experiences. The singer-songwriter is loved amongst the community, due to her way of revealing and pouring her feelings into song lyrics, which many listeners could relate to. Listening to Taylor’s music is a sensation of overwhelming emotions many fans feel. Fans like Victoria Tejada, 10, enjoy listening to the intricate way of Swift’s songwriting and relatable content. Tejada expands her knowledge of Taylor’s artistic material after being a long-time fan, constantly supporting her, even through her infamous eras. 

“I was very shocked and excited to hear about her new album release because it was very unexpected since she’s been very silent on all her social media accounts. I love listening to her songs and deciphering what they mean,” Tejada says. “Taylor’s music is very diverse, she sings about multiple topics including love, heartbreak, loss, friends, her struggles with being in the media, and political and social issues, she’s an incredible songwriter, her lyrics are very powerful and well thought out. I think her re-recordings are amazing because she’s able to own her work and it excites her fans as we get to see her voice mature and find differences in the re-recording versus the original.”

The announcement of the soon-released album, Midnights, was a shock to many. Fans had been anticipating the release of another “Taylor’s Version” album. Either way, fans were ecstatic through the announcement, displaying their love and curiosity across social media platforms everywhere. Since the announcement, Swift has been steadily dropping hints, leading up to the ultimate release of Midnights on October 21, 2022. She has a common habit of dropping “easter eggs” to tease her upcoming projects. Her newest addition to disclosing information regarding her musical project is a video series called “Midnight Mayhem with Me”. The series is mainly focused on the social media outlet of TikTok but is shared on her official Instagram account. The series releases minute-long videos where Taylor plays a lottery game, revealing her discography track by track. Fans grew curious every day as the names added up to make a complete album. The official tracklist of Midnights is: Lavender Haze, Maroon, Anti-Hero, Snow On The Beach, You’re On Your Own, Kid, Midnight Rain, Question…?, Vigilante Sh*t, Bejeweled, Labyrinth, Karma, Sweet Nothing, Mastermind.

This album is the first fresh material since the release of Evermore back in 2020. The conspiracies around the album are the fun components of the Swift fanbase. Since the announcement, fans have been speculating about the features of recognizable artists. On October 7th, Taylor Swift announced the final track of her album along with a special announcement many fans were beyond excited to hear. Track 4, Snow On The Beach, has recently been confirmed as featuring the sensational music artist, Lana Del Rey.  

Many students at Downey High School spread their excitement and curiosity about the continued rising popularity of Taylor Swift and her upcoming album. Whispers of excitement circle campus, even before the announcement where speculation over Taylor’s next album drop would come. Some students like Isis Robles, 12, are overjoyed in excitement to feel the once nostalgic feeling, yet again, from the unique storytelling lyrics of Swift. If Taylor knows one thing best, it’s how to achieve an important, deep connection with her promising fans.

“I was so excited, she had been hinting at a new album for a while. So, just hearing her say that she’s coming out with a new album was so riveting. I know with each song she’s coming out on the new album is going to be so gravitated towards her audience. If it’s one thing about Taylor, it is for every album there is a hidden meaning in each one of her songs.” Robles states. “So I’m excited for, of course the new songs, but also feeling that nostalgic feel good music. No matter what is on her album, I’ll know that everything she says in her songs will be true to her and for her fans! The best way I can explain Taylor’s music is receiving a warm hug. Her music is like I said, feel good music, and makes you feel reassured that everything is going to be okay. Which majority of her music is like that, but I also like that she has different types of genres and is very versatile.”

As the countdown continues to the official drop of Taylor Swift’s 10th album, Midnights, fans grow weary and curious, experiencing their own sleepless nights until the high anticipation hits live. Till then, Swift continues to grow as a person, and as a musical artist, gaining endless support from abiding fans everywhere. Swifties are especially excited to see what Taylor has in store this October.