Thursday seemed to be a regular weekday morning for fans of Taylor Swift until the singer emerged with some very unexpected news. Less than a year after sharing her seventh album Lover, Taylor announced that she would be living up to her last name in making a swift return with her eighth album, entitled Folklore. Along with the album’s release, she also shared the first video from Folklore.
Giving the album’s second track, “Cardigan,” the visual treatment, Taylor announced the video shortly after the album announcement. Written and directed by Taylor herself, it begins with Taylor playing the piano in a dimly-lit room, she then sees a golden light and matching sparkles coming out of the piano’s interior. Stepping inside she ends up in a magical rain forest filled with light and warmth. Witnessing the same light and sparkles come from her seat, she once again steps inside, only this time to end in midst of restless waves in the middle of ocean. For a third and final time, the golden light and sparkles shine from the piano’s interior prompting Taylor to step inside once again where she finally lands back in the dimly-lit room from the video’s start.
With the album announcement, Taylor revealed that Folklore was written during the coronavirus quarantine. In the Instagram post announcing the album, she revealed that she “poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings.” Taylor also revealed that the album, which is composed of 17 songs, was mostly crafted with help from The National’s and Big Red Machine’s Aaron Dessner, who co-wrote 11 songs. The remaining songs were written with help from Jack Antonoff, William Bowery, and Bon Iver, who guest features on “Exile.”
Watch the “Folklore” video above.