Taylor Swift’s fame is no small thing. As one of the most successful stars of our time (even if you’re not a fan, she was named Artist of the Decade for a reason), her impact on the music industry is monumental. Recently, Taylor’s been working on her biggest project yet: re-recording her older albums to gain ownership back. 

Because Taylor’s earlier albums were recorded under a contract with manager Scooter Braun, he currently owns that music. Braun and Taylor have a rough history, so now that her contract with him is over, she wants to regain ownership of her master tracks. Her first re-recording, Fearless, met phenomenal success. Her upcoming re-release, Red, is due to drop in just under two months. But Taylor has confused countless fans with her newest move: she released Wildest Dreams, a hit track from the not yet re-recorded album 1989 after the song began to trend on TikTok. 

This surprise release shocked ‘Swifties’ everywhere, along with raising questions about the re-recording order. Taylor has dropped surprise albums before; will 1989 be her next release despite earlier plans? As of now, the star is sitting back and letting fans theorize. Taylor is even having fun watching the chaos, commenting “Hahahahaha WHAT ERA ARE WE EVEN IN” on a fan’s TikTok and releasing signed Fearless CDs for exactly $19.89.

I talked with three students to see how they felt about Taylor, the re-recordings, and the surprise drop. “I feel like [Taylor’s] re-recordings allow me to relive my childhood,” says junior Simran Manku. “It reminds me of better, more carefree times where I didn’t have the stress of AP exams or scholarships, SATs, and Covid… I honestly have no idea what she’s planning but I’m looking forward to Red and 1989 TV!”  

Simran’s classmates, junior Cece Ford and senior Sampada Tumuluri, shared their theories about the next releases. “I feel like other people think she’ll space the rerecordings out over the next few years but I think she’ll have them done by next summer… There are rumors that 1989, the whole album, may drop on Friday, but I don’t really know because she made it very clear that Red would be next. Maybe she changed her mind,” wonders Sampada. “I saw this theory where she’s doing it chronologically or alphabetically–well, now it’s clearly not chronological because she’s already released Fearless– but however it goes, I think it’s exciting!” Cece says.

No matter what Taylor chooses to do with her music, fans will appreciate it all the same. While Swifties try to theorize the star’s next move, they’ll keep streaming Fearless and Wildest Dreams all the same.