On Aug. 28, at the 38th MTV Video Music Awards, pop sensation Taylor Swift shocked the world with the surprise announcement of a brand-new album. While accepting the video of the year award for her 10-minute-long “All Too Well” short film, Swift thanked her fans by giving them something in return.

“I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand-new album comes out October 21, and I will tell you more at midnight,” Swift said to close her acceptance speech.

Just like she promised, the singer took to Instagram to reveal the album’s title and cover art. In addition, she updated her website for new “Midnights” themed apparel and merchandise once the clock struck 12.

The Instagram post gave fans more information about the article: “We lie awake in love and in fear, in turmoil and in tears. We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren’t – right this minute – about to make some fateful life-altering mistake.”

“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching – hoping that just maybe when the clock strikes twelve… we’ll meet ourselves,” Swift posted on Instagram. 

“Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out Oct. 21, Meet me at Midnight,” the post concluded. 

To maintain the excitement surrounding her album, Swift started a TikTok series entitled “Midnights Mayhem with Me.” Beginning on Sept. 20, at midnight, the pop star announced one track title per episode. By Oct. 7, Swift had released the entire tracklist:

1. “Lavender Haze”
2. “Maroon”
3. “Anti-Hero”
4. “Snow on the Beach” (featuring Lana Del Rey)
5. “You’re on Your Own, Kid”
6. “Midnight Rain”
7. “Question…?”
8. “Vigilante S—”
9. “Bejeweled”
10. “Labyrinth”
11. “Karma”
12. “Sweet Nothing”
13. “Mastermind”

Between episodes of “Midnights Mayhem with Me,” Swift gave brief descriptions behind select songs on her Instagram account. The lucky songs include track one “Lavender Haze”, track three “Anti-Hero” and track four “Snow on the Beach” (featuring Lana Del Rey). 

Specifically, track three “Anti-Hero” really got fans talking on social media with Swift’s description of the song. The pop star is known for her break-up anthems, beautiful lyrics and in-depth storytelling, so when Swift announced that she had never “delved this far into [her] insecurities in this detail before,” fans went wild. 

The fandom has wasted no time taking to social media to post their reactions, theories and predictions. Swift is known for dropping hints on social media, during interviews and even in her songs themselves, so the possibilities are endless.

As the album drop is nearing, fans are hoping for a single release. Many thought the pop star would release a single 13 days before the release or on Oct. 13 due to 13 being the singer’s favorite number; however, no track has been released.

Additionally, Swift surprise dropped a week’s worth of announcements following the album’s release:

Thursday, Oct. 20: A trailer teaser for “Midnights” drops during the third quarter of Thursday Night Football on Prime Video.

Friday, Oct. 21: 12 a.m. “Midnights” album release, 3 a.m. a “special very chaotic surprise”, 8 a.m. “Anti-Hero” music video premiere and 8 p.m. lyric videos.

Sunday, Oct. 23: Swift tells fans to “visit your local record store.”

Monday, Oct. 24: The singer will appear on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Tuesday, Oct, 25: The second “Midnights” music video will be released at 12 a.m.

Friday, Oct. 28: Swift finishes the week with an appearance on The Graham Norton show.

With the release of “Midnights”, the pop singer could make history. With her original and rerecorded albums, Swift has already had 10 releases reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. If “Midnights” reaches the peak position, she will tie Barbra Streisand for the most No. 1 albums by a female artist. Only The Beatles (19) and Jay-Z (14) have accumulated more than 11 No. 1 albums. 

As the hype around the album continues to grow, Swifties cannot wait to meet the singer at midnight.