Taylor Swift’s third Midnights video has erupted in a glorious purple puff onto our feeds, with “Lavender Haze” debuting at midnight on Thursday.
Written and directed by Swift as per usual these days, the surrealist, swirling, romantic, ’70s fever dream of a music video follows Swift through lush purple pools, hazy living room dance parties, and whimsical fields of lavender in her own house.
She’s joined by her co-star, trans model and artist Laith Ashley, who appears as Swift’s beloved partner through the clip.
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Of course, this wouldn’t be a Swift production without a few Easter eggs, as the artist is famous for leaving breadcrumbs for Swifties to find. Here’s just a few they’ve spied in the video.
Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ is here. Let’s talk about those fan theories.
1. The Eiffel Tower lamp
In the earlier sequences of the video, Swift’s bedroom features a lamp with a base shaped like the Eiffel Tower. This could be a reference to the track “Paris” from Midnights.
2. The weather forecast
Swift watches a weather forecast on a ’70s era set, hosted by Ashley, who is predicting rain at midnight where Swift is located. “Midnight Rain” is a track from Midnights.
3. The constellations
At one point in the video, there’s a fleeting moment that shows a record titled “Mastermind” (a track on Midnights) with two constellations on the cover. These are Sagittarius and Pisces, Swift’s star sign alongside her boyfriend Joe Alwyn’s. Aw.
4. The fish
This one has been picked up by a few fans as a possible connection to Swift’s video for “Lover” from her previous album. In the video, which follows a couple through various gorgeous, candy-coloured rooms of their house, one sequence sees Swift swimming with her love in a giant fishbowl. In the “Lavender Haze” video, it appears the fish may have become a little bigger and more free. It’s not the only Lover era parallel fans have picked up on either.
5. The incense
This one’s a lyric-based clue, one made for hardcore fans. At the beginning of the video, there’s a shot of incense burning on a sideboard in the bedroom. It’s been called out by fans as a reference to Swift’s Midnights track “Maroon,” and it’s opening lyric: “When the morning came we were cleaning incense off your vinyl shelf / ‘Cause we lost track of time again.”
Swift’s not the only one leaving Easter eggs in their videos of late, of course. Don’t forget Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers.”