With nine studio albums, two re-recorded albums (and more to come), numerous awards and recognitions, and millions of fans worldwide, Taylor Swift is an absolute legend in the music industry. However, Swift isn’t done yet. Just recently, at the 2022 Video Music Awards (VMAs), Swift, while accepting her “Video of the Year” Award for her hit song, All Too Well (10 Minute Version), made a surprise announcement: she is releasing a brand new album on October 21st. 

Not much is known about this new album, and Swifties (the nickname given to Swift fans) are pining for any information they can get as they anxiously await the new album’s release. All that is currently known is that there will be 13 tracks (13 is Swift’s favorite number) on the new album that will describe “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life” said Swift herself in an Instagram post after the VMAs ceremony had concluded.

The Swifties have already started dissecting information and coming up with their Wildest Dreams about the newest record. Releasing “easter eggs” and secret hints is something that Swift is known for, so fans have already begun collecting all the eggs they can. One very popular theory is that ‘Midnights’ is the sister album to ‘Lover’, an album that was originally supposed to be called ‘Daylight’ (Daylight and Midnight do pair well together for obvious reasons). Some fans think that this album will be her most vulnerable and emotional yet. Others believe that the two sides of the album, side A and side B, will tell the stories of dreams and nightmares. Some NAHS students have their own theories as well. “There is a lot of talk that this will be Taylor’s last album, or at least her last one for a while,” said junior Liza Barry. “However, I disagree. I believe she is way too close to having 13 studio albums to stop now.”

It’s no surprise, or coincidence, that Swift announced the name, cover, and inspiration of the new album at exactly midnight. Immediately after Swift posted on Instagram, fans flooded her website to pre-order the album, causing the site to crash. Taylor Nation “broke the internet” (literally) out of thrill for this new album and era. Just like Swift’s fans from all over the world, the Taylor Swift fans of North Atlanta are buzzing with excitement. “I literally screamed when I saw her Instagram post,” said junior, and Taylor Swift super-fan, Blair Rubinger. “I was expecting the re-recording of her album, 1989, before a new album so it was such a surprise. I will definitely be staying up to listen to the new album at exactly midnight on October 21st.”

All that is left for fans to do now is wait. Swift plans to keep with her theme and release the album at midnight on October 21st. Let’s hope September and October slip away fast, just like August did, to get to the 21st as quickly as possible. The Swiftie-Dubs have a feeling that this album is going to be her best (the) 1 yet. Long Story Short, Taylor Nation is so Ready For It.