Get out your evidence boards and red string, Swifties, because Taylor Swift is dropping clues about a countdown to...something.
Sometimes, Swift's Easter Eggs and hints about things to come are subtle and other times, they just aren't. The current countdown clue that has fans melting down definitely falls into the latter category in pure can't-miss-that-it's-a-thing terms: This is definitely not an instance of fans reading too deeply into something innocuous or unintentional.
The moments that sparked this round of Swiftie theorizing came during Swift's performance of "Midnight Rain" while in Toronto for the Eras Tour last week. During that song, Swift typically strikes a different pose after singing the lyrics, "And he never thinks of me, except when I'm on TV," and during Nights 5 and 6 in Toronto (on November 22 and 23), she made it clear that a countdown is on.
On Night 5, she used the moment to count down with her fingers from five to four, a moment that fans at the show captured and quickly shared on TikTok.
@lyricalsmiledesigns ♬ original sound - Lyrical Smile Designs
The next night, Swift used the same moment to count down from four to three, prompting screams from the crowd.
"We officially have a countdown!!" From 4 last night to 3 last night," the text on a video posted by TikTok user @lyricalsmiledesigns read, while the post's caption added, "4 … 3 … It's countdown time Swifties. But what do you think were counting down to? The Eras Tour finale? Or something else … Toronto Night 6 The Eras Tour."
@lyricalsmiledesigns ♬ original sound - Lyrical Smile Designs
While some fans are speculating that the countdown could be to an announcement or release (possibly related to the highly-anticipated re-record of her sixth album, Reputation), many seem to think she's just counting down to the end of the Eras Tour, which will end on December 8 after its final three shows in Vancouver, Canada.
Still others think it's a combination of the two and that the countdown is Swift's way of letting fans know that she's going to make a big announcement on the last night of the Eras Tour.
"I mean she wouldn’t just countdown to the last show cause it’s the last show…right? Something special has to happen……….right??? (I am going insane)," one user wrote in the comments of the Night 6 video shared by @lyricalsmiledesigns on TikTok.
Given Swift's open love for Easter Eggs and giving her fans clues about things she has coming, it's totally reasonable to wonder if this countdown could be about more than just the end of the Eras Tour.
"I think the best messages are cryptic ones," she once explained in a video for Entertainment Weekly. "Easter eggs can be left on clothing or jewelry. This is one of my favorite ways to do this because you wear something that foreshadows something else, and people don't usually find out this one immediately, but they know you're probably sending a message. They'll figure it out in time. Lots of examples of this exist through the history of my career."
