Taylor Swift’s surprising move hints at Reputation's release date
Taylor is re-recording her first six albums
After months of speculation, Taylor Swift has given her biggest hint yet that Reputation (Taylor's Version) is coming soon, after premiering the new version of "Look What You Made Me Do" on The Handmaid's Tale.
The dystopian drama's sixth and final season sees the Handmaids stage an uprising against the Commanders, and the song is used in the opening moments of episode nine, as June Osbourne (played by Elisabeth Moss) leads the handmaids, in formation, away from the Commanders.
It's the perfect moment for the song, which was first released in 2017 and came after Taylor disappeared from the public eye for almost 12 months following Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's attempted takedown of the singer.
The song recalls a betrayal from a supposed close confidante, and how the protagonist has returned "up from the dead" to fight back and reclaim their reputation.
"I've been wanting to use a Taylor song for many years on the show and we finally found the perfect spot for a track from her, and I'm so glad we waited because there could not be a more perfect song for a more perfect moment," Elisabeth told Billboard.
"Taylor has been such an inspiration to me personally. As a Swiftie myself, and I think I can speak for [co-star] Yvonne [Strahovski] and our entire cast as well, who are all Swifties, it’s such an honor to be able to use her music in the final episodes of our show."
Taylor performs at the Z100's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in 2017Re-release speculation
The release of Reputation (Taylor's Version) has been under speculation for months, with many fans expecting her to drop it in 2024 at the end of the Eras Tour.
Instead the 35-year-old has remained quiet when it comes to career news since she closed the tour in December 2024 after 20 months and billions of dollars.
Many fans believe that she may drop Reputation and the Taylor's Version of her self-titled debut album at the same time, as she finally reclaims her reputation and her name at the same time.
Taylor is re-releasing her first six albumsWhy is Taylor re-recording albums?
In August 2019, Taylor announced that she would be re-recording and releasing her first six albums, all of which were owned by her first record label, Big Machine.
Big Machine's owner Scott Borchetta – the man who had helped Taylor's career blossom and whom she had considered a second father – sold the label to Scooter Braun, whom Taylor had accused of "incessant bullying".
In response, because Taylor still owned the publishing rights, as she is the primary songwriter on all of her songs, she was able to re-record them, therefore allowing her to own the original six albums as new releases.
She has so far released Fearless and Red in 2021, and 1989 and Speak Now in 2023.
Fans believe if she continues this trend, Reputation and the debut album will come in 2025.