Topline
Devoted fans of billionaire pop star Taylor Swift, known for planting clues to her upcoming music releases, have developed their latest theory: that Swift may announce the long-awaited re-recorded version of her 2017 album “Reputation” at the American Music Awards on Monday night, though it’s unclear whether she will attend.
“Look What You Made Me Do” (Taylor’s Version) was featured in a trailer for “The Handmaid’s Tale” … More
Key Facts
Swifties believe the singer has hidden the number “26”—which they think is a reference to May 26, the date of the American Music Awards—in various places to suggest she may announce new music during the awards ceremony.
Fans have noticed some merchandise on Swift’s website is discounted at 26% off, while the order of links—Apparel, Music, Accessories, Sale—spell out “AMAs.”
Swifties have crunched the numbers, concluding Swift has posted photos from the “Reputation” set of the Eras Tour 26 times, and they noticed her total Instagram post count, 676, is equal to 26 squared.
Last week, the not-yet-released re-recorded version of “Look What You Made Me Do,” a song from “Reputation,” was included in a trailer for an upcoming episode of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” though the trailer offered no indication of when the song or album would be released.
Swift is also known for using awards shows to announce her forthcoming releases: She announced “Midnights” at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2022 and “The Tortured Poets Department” at the Grammy Awards in 2024.
When Are The American Music Awards?
The American Music Awards air Monday, May 26, at 8 p.m. EDT on CBS and Paramount+. This year’s ceremony is hosted by Jennifer Lopez, who is also slated to perform, with other performers including Janet Jackson, Gwen Stefani, Benson Boone and Renée Rapp. Kendrick Lamar leads the nomination tally with 10, followed by Post Malone with eight. Swift, who has won the most AMAs of all time with 40, has six nominations this year.
Why Is Swift Re-Recording Her Albums?
Swift announced in 2019 she would re-record her first six albums after her former label, Big Machine Records, was purchased by Scooter Braun, a record label executive and former artist manager, giving him the rights to Swift’s master recordings. Swift accused Braun of bullying her and stripping her of the rights to her work, though Braun pushed back and claimed he offered her the opportunity to buy her masters back. Swift began releasing her re-recorded music, subtitled (Taylor’s Version), in 2021, and to date she has re-released four of her first six albums, with only “Reputation” and her debut album, “Taylor Swift,” left. All of her re-recorded albums have topped the charts, and they include previously unreleased songs.
Key Background
Swift has long teased fans with clues and Easter eggs hidden in her social media posts, CD booklets, music videos and more. In 2017, she said the “whole video” for “Look What You Made Me Do” was an Easter egg, and in 2019, she said she “trained” her fans to scour her every move for clues. This has caused fans to generate wild theories that aren’t true—like a rumor she wrote the big-budget movie “Argylle” under a pen name, which was false—though in recent years, she has directly challenged fans to unscramble the titles of upcoming songs.
Forbes Valuation
Swift is the wealthiest woman in music with a net worth of $1.6 billion, according to Forbes estimates. She joined the billionaire ranks in 2023 as the Eras Tour smashed records to become the highest-grossing tour of all time, at more than $2 billion.
Further Reading
How to watch 2025 American Music Awards: Date, performers, nominees, more (USA Today)
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