Taylor Swift is truly living in a lavender haze in her latest music video, and this is true in all connotations.
Today, Taylor Swift unveiled the hypnotising music video for ‘Lavender Haze’ via Republic Records and Universal Music Group on January 27, 2023. Directed by Swift and co-written by Swift, Jack Antonoff, Jahaan Sweet, Sounwave, Zoë Kravitz, and Sam Dew, the romantic visuals comprise dreamy hues, cosmic aquariums, purple pools, and a lavender dance party, elevating the mood instantly.
It incorporates psychedelic and surrealist elements featuring the American heartthrob singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and Dominican-American model and trans activist Laith Ashley as her love interest.
The singer released the music video for “Lavender Haze,” featured on her 2022 album “Midnights,” at 12 a.m. ET on Friday after she encouraged her fans and followers on social media to “meet me at midnight.” The release of the “Lavender Haze” music video comes on the single’s 13th week on the Billboard Hot 100 — evidently Taylor Swift’s lucky number since the very beginning.
Swifties have been waiting for these visuals for months, especially since the Cinderella-inspired “Bejeweled” music video in October 2022. Since the release of “Midnights,” Swift has also dropped two music videos: for the album’s No. 1 lead single “Anti-Hero” and “Bejeweled,” donning her director hat.
As shared by Swift in an Instagram video after announcing the track’s title “Lavender Haze,” refers to a phrase sometimes used in the 1950s to describe the feeling of being in love.
“I happened upon the phrase ‘lavender haze’ when I was watching Mad Men, and I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the ’50s where they would just describe being in love. Like, if you were in the lavender haze, then that meant that you were in that all-encompassing love glow — and I thought that was really beautiful.”
“And I guess, theoretically, when you’re in the ‘Lavender Haze,’ you’ll do anything to stay there and not let people bring you down off of that cloud,” she further added. “And I think a lot of people have to deal with this now — not just, like, quote-unquote public figures — because we live in the era of social media and if the world finds out that you’re in love with somebody, they’re gonna weigh in on it.”
“Lavender Haze” is an “emo-erotic” synth-pop and R&B song featuring modular synthesisers, muted synth drum beats, and Swift’s falsetto in the refrain, sprinkled with layered electro-hip-hop and disco elements. Its lyrics found inspiration from the social media and tabloid gossip surrounding Swift’s six-year-long-and-going relationship with her British actor boyfriend Joe Alwyn. She saw parallels between the 50s expression and her relationship with Alwyn, signifying an “all-encompassing love glow.”
“My relationship for six years [and] we’ve had to dodge weird rumours, tabloid stuff, and we just ignore it,” Swift explained of her trick to prolonging the couple’s honeymoon phase. “And so this song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff. I hope you guys like it.”
Watch the ‘Lavender Haze’ music video below!
Listen to “Lavender Haze” by Taylor Swift on all the digital streaming platforms available worldwide!
Buy/Download/Stream ‘Midnights’ here!
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