Taylor Swift is putting her cowboy boots back on.
The singer announced that her new song, I Knew It, I Knew You, will be released Friday as part of the soundtrack for Toy Story 5, which hits theatres June 19. Swift wrote on Instagram that she “wrote this song as soon” as she returned “home from the screening” of the film.
“I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a five year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie. I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages,” Swift said. “Sometimes you just know, right?”
Swift has been teasing her participation in Toy Story 5 with billboards in cities including Chicago, Toronto and Austin, Texas, that read “TS,” both the singer‘s and the film’s initials.
The billboard also featured 13 cartoon clouds, a nod to Swift’s lucky number. On Monday morning, Swift’s website debuted a countdown screen featuring a graphic of a ranch house, a “TS” billboard and the beloved Toy Story character Jessie.
In a statement, Disney explained that the song was inspired by Jessie, a cowgirl toy that first appeared in 1999’s Toy Story 2. Swift’s song will emulate her early country style.
"I Knew It, I Knew You also marks a return to Swift’s country roots, blending styles that have defined her record-breaking career as a songwriter and artiste,” Disney said.
Toy Story 5 director and co-screenwriter Andrew Stanton called it “kismet” and said “it instantly felt like it had always belonged there” upon first listening to the song.
“It’s incredible just how meaningful it’s been having Taylor write and perform this song,” Stanton said in a statement. “Her connection to Jessie and the immediate way she understood what the character was going through was undeniable. The song is so deeply connected to Toy Story.”
Swift will also release acoustic and piano versions of the single, all three of which are now available to preorder on her website. Swift reunited with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff to write and produce the song. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
