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Will Taylor Swift's debut album be her final re-recording? Here's all the latest theories and easter eggs for Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)
The countdown to Taylor Swift’s final re-recording is officially on... 'Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)' is coming, but when will it be released?
If the theories are true, Taylor Swift will soon be reclaiming her Reputation, and she will also soon own her own name too. 'Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version)' – also known amongst the Swifties as 'Debut (Taylor’s Version)' – could possibly be the last re-recording to be released.
For the Swifties who joined the fandom when Taylor was fully in her Pop Star Era, 'Debut (TV)' might not sound as exciting as '1989 (TV)' or 'Rep (TV)', but for the Day One country fans, it has the potential to be one of her best re-recordings of the whole bunch. While we’ve already heard her sing them as surprise songs on the Eras Tour, fans can’t wait to hear what the iconic country bops will sound like with Taylor’s matured voice.
Seeing as the 'Debut (TV)' easter eggs have now started to trickle in, here's everything we know about 'Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)' so far.
Taylor Swift attends Golden Globes
Since she started the Eras Tour, Taylor has released two re-recorded albums: 'Speak Now (TV)' and '1989 (TV)'. The latest theories point to 'Reputation (TV)' being announced and released while she’s on tour, which means there's a strong possibility that 'Debut (TV)' will be announced/released at some point before the Eras Tour ends in November 2024.
Potentially re-releasing her very first studio album right at the end of her record-breaking, career-spanning Eras era? It doesn't get more perfect than that!
When exactly that will be, however, remains to be seen... While all signs appear to have been hinting at Taylor releasing 'Reputation (TV)', she instead surprise announced a brand new album called 'The Tortured Poets Department', which was released on April 19th.
Now, fans are theorising that 'Debut (TV)' could be released at the end of 2024 to coincide with Taylor's December birthday, or maybe even early 2025. Assuming that 'Rep (TV)' comes first, of course...
We'll update this article as soon as more theories emerge.
The 'Debut (TV)' easter eggs have been few and far between throughout the past few months, but Taylor appears to have finally started dropping hints. She's also blending them in with the 'Rep (TV)' easter eggs, prompting the hilarious 'Debutation' meme.
So far, Taylor has mostly hinted at 'Debut (TV)' through her outfits. Back in October 2023, she was pictured wearing a Shania Twain 'Any Man Of Mine' t-shirt paired with green socks, appearing to officially mark the start of the 'Debut (TV)' easter eggs.
In January 2024, Taylor appeared to drop the biggest 'Debut (TV)' easter egg so far when she and Keleigh Teller went to the Golden Globes in the full Debut-era colour palette. Fans clocked it right away, and even noted the butterflies adorning the wall behind them in a photo shared by Keleigh on Instagram.
oh. my. god. pic.twitter.com/7zDui41puv
— sofia ོ ☃️ eras gkn n1, n2, n3 (@meantaysversion) January 8, 2024
At the start of the European leg of the Eras Tour, Taylor also added a brand new '1989' two-piece costume which allows her to mix and match colours. One of those colour combos is green and blue which look like the exact same shades as the debut album cover.
Taylor has now worn the Green x Blue combo twice – in Lyon (Night 2) and Warsaw (Night 2). She's also worn it as a Blue x Green combo in Zurich (Night 1).
debut is coming!!! pic.twitter.com/iIpjqtw7cK
— Taylor Throwbacks (@ThrowbackTaylor) August 2, 2024
Before she was signed to Big Machine Records, Taylor used to perform at local venues and hand out demo CDs that included all the songs she had written when she was a young teenager. Some of those ended up on her debut album, some of them didn't.
OG Swifties who have those CDs have since uploaded the majority of the unreleased demo songs to YouTube, but whether or not Taylor plans to re-record them as vault tracks remains to be seen.
The most popular unreleased tracks that fans are dying to see turned into vault tracks include: 'I'd Lie', 'Dark Blue Tennessee', 'Welcome Distraction', 'Nashville' and 'Sweet Tea and God's Graces'.
Fans are also hoping that Taylor will re-record 'I Heart ?', which was released as part of the 'Beautiful Eyes' EP.
In June 2024, Taylor sent fans into meltdown after she performed her 2009 track 'Crazier' from the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack as a surprise song on The Eras Tour. While she was singing it, the light-up bracelets in the crowd reportedly flashed green – the colour assigned to Taylor's debut era.
But will it end up as a vault track on the re-recorded album? It's not completely out of the realm of possibility...
Despite being released in 2009, 'Crazier' was not written specifically for the film. Taylor actually wrote the song long before that, and sent it to Disney after they asked if she had a song "that was perfect to fall in love to" and "sort of a country waltz".
Taylor has not yet confirmed when she wrote it, so it's unclear if it's a song from her debut era or her 'Fearless' era.
We'll have to wait and see whether or not Taylor decides to include it in the 'Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)' release. If not, here's hoping she re-releases it as a single some point down the line.
As much as fans are hoping that Taylor will go all out with the 'Debut (TV)' vault and re-record as many of her old unreleased songs as possible, it's possible that she might just stick with the pattern she's established with her re-recordings.
'Fearless (TV)' and 'Speak Now (TV)' both had 6 official vault tracks, while '1989 (TV)' had 5. 'Red (TV)' included 9 tracks in the vault, but only 6 of those were previously unheard songs.
Fans can probably expect to see at least 6 vault tracks on 'Debut (TV)' – unless Taylor switches it up completely!
Seeing as 'Debut (TV)' is Taylor's full-blown country era, fans are expecting the vault to feature some of the biggest and most iconic names in country music.
Over the years, Taylor has spoken highly of the country artists she admires, and those who have inspired her throughout her career. In turn, they've frequently praised and supported her.
So far, Taylor has already featured Keith Urban, Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton on tracks from the vault. She's also previously collaborated with folk-country duo The Civil Wars ('Safe & Sound (Taylor's Version)') and The Chicks ('Soon You'll Get Better').
But who could appear on the 'Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)' vault tracks? Here's all the latest theories...
Taylor has dropped two major Shania easter eggs so far. One is the aforementioned 'Any Man Of Mine' t-shirt, and the other is the TikTok she shared wayyy back in September 2021. In the viral 'Mama said that it was ok' clip, she cites Shania as her main influence and inspiration as a country artist moving into pop music. (Shania then duetted that video and credited Dolly Parton in her own version.)
With two Shania Twain name drops, fans are suspecting that she might be included on 'Debut (TV)'s vault...
Day One Swifties will know how much of an important role Kenny Chesney played in Taylor’s early success, and how the two are still great friends. The story of how Taylor and Kenny's friendship began was also recently included in Taylor's TIME Person of the Year profile. The two have appeared as surprise guests at each others shows, but collaborating with Kenny on the album that started it all would surely be a great way to end her re-recording era, right?
Kenny's 'Big Star' features in Taylor's Eras Tour pre-show playlist that is played in the stadium before she takes the stage.
Tim, alongside Faith Hill, has been a major supporter of Taylor's from her early days right up to now. Taylor has previously featured on one of Tim's songs ('Highway Don't Care') but he's yet to feature on one of hers. And how perfect would it be if he was featured on the re-recording of the album featuring her debut single that was named after him?!
Taylor credits Faith as being a "wonderful mentor" to her when she was just starting out. Taylor opened for Tim and Faith on their Soul2Soul II tour back in 2007, and Faith has made surprise appearances at Taylor’s Speak Now World Tour and the Reputation Stadium Tour.
Faith's iconic track 'This Kiss' is also included in Taylor's pre-show playlist. Could they finally be about to collaborate on a track together?
Taylor and Kelsea's friendship goes way back to 2008, when Kelsea first met Taylor at a Meet & Greet. As both of their stars rose within the country music industry, they eventually ended up hanging out together at various award shows and performing together on stage. Kelsea also appeared as a special guest on Taylor's 1989 World Tour in Nashville. Taylor has always supported Kelsea and Kelsea has always spoken highly of her. Joining forces with someone she inspired at the start of her career would be a really sweet way to end her re-recording journey.
Ok, so Kelly Clarkson is not a country artist but she can master any genre she sings. If Debut (TV) is the final Taylor's Version album released, fans are hoping that Kelly is somehow involved because she publicly suggested that Taylor should start re-recording her albums way back in July 2019, following the selling of her masters. Kelly recently revealed that Taylor sends her flowers after she releases a new Taylor's Version album, and the two collaborating on a track together on the final one to be released would be an incredible moment.
Other names that have popped up include George Strait and Brad Paisley, both of whom Taylor supported on tour while promoting her debut album.
But we'll have to wait and see if Taylor adds any collaborators to her Debut (TV) vault tracks!
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