Taylor Swift did her own glam for her Cardigan music video.
The 30-year-old singer released a brand new album Folklore while in lockdown and for the lead single, Taylor crafted her own video, including doing her own styling, hair and makeup to make it work.
‘I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling,’ the crooner said on social media on Monday.
All her: Taylor Swift did her own glam for her Cardigan music video. The 30-year-old singer released a brand new album Folklore while in lockdown and for the lead single, Taylor crafted her own video, including doing her own styling, hair and makeup to make it work.
‘The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other.
‘A million thank you’s to my brilliant, bad ass video team – cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, producer Jil Hardin, executive producer Rebecca Skinner, AD Joe ‘Oz’ Osbourne, editor Chancler Haynes, special effects wizards David Lebensfeld & Grant Miller, and set designer Ethan Tobman,’ she said, sharing a picture from the video.
Taylor announced the news she is set to release a ‘surprise’ new album last week, with the tracks coming out last Thursday.
Good job Tay! ‘I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling,’ the crooner said on social media on Monday
The 30-year-old singer wrote on Twitter at the time: ‘Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my 8th studio album, folklore; an entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. Pre-order at https://store.taylorswift.com … folklore will have 16 songs on the standard edition, but the physical deluxe editions will include a bonus track the lakes.
‘Because this is my 8th studio album, I made 8 deluxe CDs & 8 deluxe vinyls available for 1 week [smiley emoji].’
Taylor explained via Instagram that she hadn’t actually planned to release her new album at this time. But recent events have reminded her that ‘nothing is guaranteed’ in life.
All the feels: The songbird premiered the emotional music video for her album’s lead single Cardigan on YouTube
She wrote on the photo-sharing platform: ‘Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much [love heart emoji] (sic)’
Along with the 16 original songs, the Grammy Award-winning recording artist premiered the emotional music video for her album’s lead single Cardigan on YouTube.
In the four-minute and 35-second video, Swift journeys through her piano into a mythical realm that forces her to confront, both, tranquility and turmoil.
Battling the elements: In the four-minute and 35-second video, Swift journeys through her piano into a mythical realm that forces her to confront, both, tranquility and turmoil
It was revealed in the video’s credits that Swift and her crew operated ‘under the strictest guidelines’ in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the shoot.
‘A special thank you to our set medics, COVID-19 compliance personnel, and the crew for operating under the strictest guidelines including wearing PPE, practicing thorough sanitization, and respecting social distancing during the video shoot.’
The Cardigan music video commences with Taylor sitting at her piano in what looks like a rustic cabin, complete with vintage decor and a burning fireplace.
Swift has her pulled back into a romantic bun and she sports a white, floor-length nightgown as she continues to delicately run her fingers over her piano keys.
Suddenly, the cracks of her piano are illuminated by a warm, golden light.
With a curious gaze, Swift opens the lid to discover an overwhelming cloud of glistening pixie dust that begins to seep out of the piano like fog.
Roots: The Cardigan music video commences with Taylor sitting at her piano in what looks like a rustic cabin, complete with vintage decor and a burning fireplace
Romantic: Swift has her pulled back into a romantic bun and she sports a white, floor-length nightgown as she continues to delicately run her fingers over her piano keys
Pixie dust: With a curious gaze, Swift opens the lid to discover an overwhelming cloud of glistening pixie dust that begins to seep out of the piano like fog
Journey begins: She steps up onto her bench and climbs into the piano, closing the lid behind her
She steps up onto her bench and climbs into the piano, closing the lid behind her.
The audience is then taken to a Neverland-inspired setting, complete with winding trees, mossy overgrowth, and more natural wonders.
Taylor climbs out of her piano and gazes at the scenery around her with delight before resuming her piano playing.
As the camera pans around Swift, we can see that her piano has become the source of a picturesque waterfall.
Moss and other forms of greenery begin to takeover her piano as she continues to work her way through the chorus.
Without warning, the mystical, golden dust returns and begins to ooze from Taylor’s piano bench like smoke.
Neverland: The audience is then taken to a Neverland-inspired setting, complete with winding trees, mossy overgrowth, and more natural wonders
One with nature: As the camera pans around Swift, we can see that her piano has become the source of a picturesque waterfall
She lifts the top of the bench slowly before stepping into it one leg at a time.
All tranquility is lost as the next scene shows Swift floundering in water and gasping for air as rain pours down from the moody sky above her.
She begins to paddle, battling the current, while the sky flickers with ominous lightening.
Taylor looks at her surroundings frantically before she spots her beloved piano – that has ‘Folklore’ engraved on it – floating the water.
Using all of her strength, she fights the current and swims towards her piano, eventually latching onto it.
The camera pans out in order to reveal the vastness of the ocean that surrounds Taylor and her piano.
Rough waters: All tranquility is lost as the next scene shows Swift floundering in water and gasping for air as rain pours down from the grey sky above her
Against the grain: She begins to paddle, battling the current, while the sky flickers with lightening
Reunited: Using all of her strength, she fight the current and swims towards her piano, eventually latching onto it
Suddenly, the gold pixie dusts returns and a means of escape is presented. Taylor quickly opens the magical piano lid and hurls her soaked body inside.
The next scene shows Taylor reentering her cozy cabin, but she is dripping wet from her unexpected ocean endeavor.
As she sits down on her piano bench, Swift notices a white cable knit cardigan lying next to her.
She picks it up, places it over her shivering frame, wraps her arms around herself, and stares into the camera.
The camera zooms in on Swift’s face before fading to black and rolling the credits.
A girl and her piano: The camera pans out in order to reveal the vastness of the ocean that surrounds Taylor and her piano
Safe haven: Suddenly, the gold pixie dusts returns and all hope returns to Taylor’s eyes. She quickly opens the magical lid and hurls her body inside
Home: The next scene shows Taylor reentering her cozy cabin, but she is dripping wet from her unexpected ocean endeavor
Taylor wrote and directed the impressive, socially-distanced video, which undoubtedly hyped fans up as they moved onto the 16-track album.
Folklore commences with The 1, which takes the listener through a series of hypotheticals and romanticized moments as Swift journeys through the ruins of a past love.
Cardigan – which is the album’s lead single – takes on the guise of a love song, but the video has fans convinced that track is about Taylor finding safety in her music.
The Last Great American Dynasty is written like a complete narrative, with a dramatic beginning middle and end, as she goes through the history of her iconic Rhode Island abode.
Exile features the haunting vocals and melancholic vibes signature of beloved indie folk band Bon Iver, who appears as a feature on the track.
What’s this? As she sits down on her piano bench, Swift notices a white cable knit cardigan lying next to her
Skeptical: She stares at the cardigan briefly
Resilience: She picks it up, places it over her shivering frame, wraps her arms around herself, and stares into the camera
Taylor and the group’s lead singer Justin Vernon engage in sweet, lyrical banter as they simulate a gradual loss of understanding between lovers.
In My Tears Ricochet, Taylor sings that she ‘didn’t have it in [herself] to go with grace’ as she grapples with the intoxicating nature of a love that once was, but will never be again.
Mirrorball presents the listener with more than a tinge of relatable desperation as Taylor attempts to hold the attention of the person she loves most by being as shiny and bold as a ‘mirrorball.’
‘Just like a folk song, our love will be passed on,’ sings Taylor in her signature breathy falsetto on the album’s seventh song aptly titled Seven.
The track embodies Swift’s inherent lust for a storybook romance and the excitement that comes with leading with love over logic.
Folklore: Taylor said she created the album, consisting of 16 songs, during lockdown as songwriting helped her ‘pour all of my whims, dreams, fears and musings into’
August sounds like a track pulled from Taylor’s Red era as it illustrates the finite nature of a summer romance and how we often set ourselves up to get our hearts broken.
This Is Me Trying sings ‘I had the shiniest wheels, now I’m rusting’ before launching it a tale of self-responsibility as she explains to her lover that although she is not perfect, ‘at least [she is] trying.’
Illicit Affairs illustrates how love starts with ‘just one glance,’ but when it dies ‘it dies a million times.’
Invisible String takes the listener through all the mistakes and chance encounters that Taylor had to endure before meeting the one she was ‘tied to.’
‘And you’ll poke that bear, until her claws come out,’ sings Taylor in Mad Woman of the internal rage she has harbored over the years due to the various betrayals and heartbreaks she has experienced.
Epiphany is a track about Taylor’s grandfather, who bravely served during WWII, and poses the alternative reality that would have resulted if he had never made it off the beach at Guadalcanal.
Betty is a song fans were most excited for 1.) due to rumors that Taylor’s boyfriend Joe Alwyn co-wrote the track under the pseudonym William Bowery and 2.) that it is written from a man’s perspective about a girl he misses.
Peace confronts the realities of Taylor’s chaotic life and volatile feelings and how she can never truly give any partner she has ‘peace.’
Exciting: Taylor said she created the album during lockdown as songwriting helped her ‘pour all of my whims, dreams, fears and musings into’ (pictured in December)
The album’s finale track Hoax depicts a love that is doomed and tormented by pain, but a love that she cannot – and will not – turn her back on.
After publishing Folklore to streaming platforms and YouTube, Taylor took to her Instagram to explain that each song comes from a place of fiction or depicts a moment/feeling from her past.
‘In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve. Now it’s up to you to pass them down,’ concluded the singer.