Is Taylor Swift making a big announcement at the American Music Awards on May 26? Some Swifties are speculating that the music icon is dropping more of her famous Easter eggs for fans to find, and that it all leads up to the Memorial Day awards show.
Swift ended her years-and-continents-spanning Eras Tour on Dec. 8 in Vancouver, Canada, and since then has kept a low profile as she jet sets with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. She hasn’t teased new music on the horizon, or even the release of her upcoming rerecordings of her 2017 album Reputation or her 2006 debut album, both of which fans expected to drop over the span of her tour. Of course, Swift — who, over the last four years, dropped eight albums including rerecordings — isn’t one to step away from the spotlight for long.
Many Swifties now believe the “Anti-Hero” artist is planning something major for the AMAs, where she’s nominated for six honors: Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Pop Artist, Album of the Year, Favorite Pop Album, Collaboration of the Year and Favorite Touring Artist. Taylor Nation is encouraging fans to vote but staying mum about whether the so-called chairman of the Tortured Poets Department is attending or performing at the event, leaving fans to speculate.
Here are the clues that some fans think suggest we should keep an eye out for an announcement — or even something bigger.
The website
Eagle-eyed fans on social media noted that when you scroll down on Swift’s merch site, you get a blocked section with several different click-through links for Apparel, Music, Accessories and Sale. Take the first letter of each and what do you have? AMAs … i.e., a hint that Swift may be directing fans toward the upcoming awards show.
Oh, and there’s more: As many Swifties have noted, there are currently 12 items on sale for 26% off on her website. The AMAs are on May 26, and Swift’s next album will be her 12th. Some are interpreting this as a clue that she won’t be announcing a rerecord, but a brand-new album.
The outfits
This potential clue requires a bit more planning, but it involves the dresses that Swift wore to the past three Grammys. In 2023, when she accepted the Album of the Year for Midnights, Swift sported a blue, subtly sparkly outfit. The following year, when she announced her new album The Tortured Poets Department, she wore a white gown. This year, she returned to the Grammys in a red number — which some fans thought was surprising given that it did not appear to be nodding to any specific body of work.
So this is where things get interesting. All three of these colors happen to be the colors of the American flag … and the AMAs this year happen to fall on Memorial Day.
This clue suggests that Swift must have known the date for the AMAs prior to her Grammys arrival this year, and knew that she would have an announcement to make. Officially, the AMAs date was released to the public at the end of February — and the Grammys were Feb. 2. So, it’s quite possible Swift’s team got wind of the date and put together a red outfit to go with a red, white and blue theme over the years.
Some fans speculate that Swift might be announcing on Memorial Day and then releasing her album — whether that be “TS12” or one or both of her rerecordings — on July 4, the next America-focused holiday. Swift’s pretty well known for hosting famous friends at her Newport, R.I., home for lavish Fourth of July parties, where red, white and blue outfits are encouraged.
The anniversary
Fans of Swift know all about her beef with Scooter Braun, who acquired Swift’s masters in summer 2019 — something she made clear she was unhappy about. Months later, she took the stage at the AMAs and performed her Lover song “The Man” while wearing a white shirt that included the titles of her original albums in black lettering, as well as a medley of several other songs like “Love Story.” It was at that ceremony she became the most-decorated artist in AMAs history — a title she claimed after surpassing Michael Jackson’s record of 26 wins.
Swift hasn’t performed at the AMAs since — but some fans think it might be the perfect place to announce that she’s releasing all of her rerecordings, given that all the drama started there in the first place. And if we get a surprise performance? All the better.
The basic math
Any good Swiftie knows that her favorite number is 13. The AMAs is on May 26 — aka, 5/26. And what is 5 + 2 + 6? Well, 13.
