THE RUNDOWN
Taylor Swift just released the next single off her The Life of a Showgirl album this morning—but in a less traditional way. The music video for “Opalite,” which is believed to be a love song about Travis Kelce, came out on Friday, February 6 at 8 A.M. ET on Apple Music and Spotify Premium. It will not be on YouTube for days.
Taylor Nation, Swift’s marketing team, shared details on her site yesterday, along with an official countdown. They added that “Opalite” will be released on YouTube on Sunday, February 8 at 8 A.M. ET. (That’s Super Bowl Sunday.)
taylorswift.com
Here’s what to know about the release:
How can I watch the “Opalite” music video on Friday?
There are only two platforms on which the music video can be viewed until Sunday morning, and both require a subscription: Apple Music and Spotify Premium. Spotify Premium currently has a free two-month trial deal and costs $12.99 per month after. Apple Music offers a free three-month trial deal; it has various plans, but an individual plan is $10.99 per month after the trial period.
Swift’s site includes links to view the music video on Spotify Premium and Apple Music.
What is the music video about?
The music video is a ’90s-themed rom-com, where Swift plays a lonely woman attached to her pet rock, and Domhnall Gleeson plays a lonely man who has that same relationship with his pet cactus. A magic Opalite spray brings them together—and leads to them falling in love and enjoying several cute dates, from a dance competition to a mall outing. Swift wrote the script and directed the project.
Apple Music
Apple Music
Apple Music
Can I watch the video on YouTube?
Yes, but not until Sunday at 8 A.M. ET. Swift hasn’t revealed the link yet to the YouTube music video of “Opalite,” but this post will be updated once she does.
Has Swift said anything about the “Opalite” video?
Initially she didn’t. She just quietly changed her profile photo to promo art for the single yesterday:
But once the video came out, she shared its backstory on X:
My favorite part about writing is that first spark of an idea. It can happen at any time, for any reason. The idea for the “Opalite” music video crash landed into my imagination when I was doing promo for The Life of a Showgirl. I was a guest on one of my favorite shows, @TheGNShow [The Graham Norton Show]. For those of you who aren’t familiar, it’s a U.K. late night show where Graham Norton (the insanely charismatic and lovable host) invites a random group of actors, entertainers, musicians, etc., to be on his show and we all sit there and chat like it’s a dinner party. They even serve wine. Anyway. I remember thinking I got ridiculously lucky with the group I was paired with. Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Lewis Capaldi. All people whose work I’ve admired from afar. When we were all talking during the broadcast, Domhnall made a light-hearted joke about wanting to be in one of my music videos. He’s Irish! He was joking! Except that in that moment during the interview, I was instantly struck with an *idea*. And so a week later, he received an email script I’d written for the “Opalite” video, where he was playing the starring role. I had this thought that it would be wild if all of our fellow guests on the Graham Norton show that night, including Graham himself, could be a part of it too. Like a school group project but for adults and it isn’t mandatory. To my delight, everyone from the show made the effort to time travel back to the ’90s with us and help with this video. You might even recognize some friendly faces from The Eras Tour. I got to work with one of my favorite people in the world, Rodrigo Prieto, again! I had more fun than I ever imagined—Made new friends, metaphors, and fashion choices. It was an absolute thrill to create this story and these characters. Shot on film. The “Opalite” video is out now on Spotify and Apple Music.
Back in November, Swift sparked speculation that she was secretly shooting a music video in the U.K., but the singer never addressed the rumors. She has generally kept her music projects under wraps until they are ready for release.
In her End of an Eras docuseries, Swift spoke about why she does that, admitting, “It is so much extra work to keep things a surprise [for fans]. Let me tell ya, I need a nap just thinking about it. But it’s so worth it when we can actually pull it off.”
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