Taylor Swift’s Latest Clue About New Music Has Fans Convinced A Country Album Is On The Way

Could Taylor Swift be returning to her country roots? Fans seem to think so after the singer dropped a major hint about her big surprise coming on Friday in the Gulch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee. Swift confirmed that she would be releasing new music this week, and although she did not say exactly what is to come, her detective-like fans are drawing up some big theories based on her appearance at a beautiful mural on Thursday.

With less than 12 hours to go on Swift’s mysterious countdown to April 26 at midnight, the “Shake It Off” singer revealed that she commissioned a giant butterfly mural in Gulch painted by artist Kelsey Montague, according to Hollywood Life. In an Instagram Stories video on Thursday, Swift explained that the mural contains clues about “the song and the new music,” which marked the first time she verbally confirmed that the big surprise on Friday will be music-related.

The pop sensation then surprised fans with a visit to the colorful artwork. Photos from the outing show a massive pastel pink, blue, purple, and orange butterfly painting with the word “ME!” in black lettering between the wings. It’s worth noting that the colors in the mural match the apparent color scheme of Swift’s website and her Instagram feed, which is completely different from the black and edgy theme of her previous album, Reputation. Fans have already guessed that the stark contrast means a new era is coming.

Wearing a flowy blue skirt and a matching top, Swift arrived at the scene to pose for photos with the mural and take selfies with fans. She did not reveal exactly what the clues were, but she did thank fans for their “FBI-level detective skills” in an Instagram post about the mural on Thursday afternoon.

She also spoke about the mysterious clues during her appearance.

“You guys are amazing for figuring this out because no one knew we were coming, no one knew this was a part of the campaign,” she said, E! News reported.

Fans on Twitter are now speculating that the pop star will step back into country music, which is how she got her start 13 years ago. Many cite the fact that she chose the country music capital of the world for her mural as the biggest hint.

“I think the album would be like something about being re-born again. Since in [Reputation] the old Taylor is dead. Maybe in this new album the New Taylor is born (again). And if we are lucky enough maybe she will go country again!” one user wrote.

Another possible hint that Swift will return to country is a mysterious video on her Instagram Stories. Swift recorded herself asking her father if he had a guitar pick just before she arrived in Nashville, which seemed a bit random at the time. However, this might allude once more to her days as a country star, when she often performed with her own acoustic guitar.

The clues don’t stop there. Swift announced on Thursday that more hints will be revealed when she joins Robin Roberts tonight live from Nashville for the 2019 NFL Draft broadcast at 8 p.m. on ABC.