Taylor Swift song releases June 5

Taylor Swift said on June 1 that she will release a new song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” on June 5 as part of Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5.” Swift announced the track after a Toy Story-themed countdown appeared on her website, a move that followed days of fan speculation over billboards and other clues tied to the film. Disney described the song as connected to the character Jessie, the cowgirl first introduced in “Toy Story 2.” “Toy Story 5” is due in theaters on June 19. ### How did Swift confirm the song? Swift made the announcement in a message to fans after the countdown expired at 2 p.m. Eastern on June 1. Variety reported that Swift wrote, “You knew it! My new original song ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ for Disney and Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 5’ will be yours on June 5th.” Deadline reported that Swift said she had seen the film “in its early stages” and wrote the song after that screening. (variety.com) The same report said Swift worked on the track with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. ### What was the countdown fans saw first? Billboard reported on June 1 that a countdown clock on Swift’s website was themed around “Toy Story,” with imagery including Jessie and a “TS” billboard styled in the film’s font. (variety.com) The countdown pointed to 2 p.m. Eastern that day, before Swift’s announcement. USA Today also reported that Swift’s website carried a three-hour countdown ending at 2 p.m. (deadline.com) Eastern on June 1, when the new single was announced. Earlier reporting from Billboard said the countdown appeared after Pixar had posted “TS” billboards that prompted fresh speculation about Swift’s involvement. ### Where did the earlier rumors come from? (billboard.com) Deadline reported that billboards bearing the letters “TS” appeared in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Toronto, Mexico City and London over the weekend. The outlet said Swift fans also noticed a visual change tied to her rerecorded “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” artwork and connected that to the campaign. (billboard.com) The Economic Times said the confirmation followed weeks of fan theories built around countdowns, billboards and other clues. Billboard separately reported that Pixar had shared images and video of the “TS” billboards, adding to the speculation before Swift confirmed the song. (deadline.com) ### What has Disney and Pixar said about the track? Disney said, in a statement quoted by Variety, that “I Knew It, I Knew You” was inspired by Jessie’s story in “Toy Story 5” and marked “a return to Taylor Swift’s country roots.” Variety reported that the song is being sold through Swift’s webstore in multiple versions, including standard, acoustic and piano editions. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Andrew Stanton, the film’s writer-director, said in a statement carried by Variety that Swift’s connection to Jessie was immediate. Stanton said the song felt “so deeply connected to ‘Toy Story’” that it seemed as if it had “always belonged there.” ### What do we know about the release rollout from here? NBC News reported that fans can preorder one of three collector’s-edition CDs for $3.99 on Swift’s website for a limited window. (variety.com) Variety reported that the CDs are due to ship on June 19, the same day the film opens in theaters. “Toy Story 5” will arrive in theaters on June 19 with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen returning as Woody and Buzz Lightyear, Billboard reported. (variety.com) Swift’s song is scheduled to hit streaming platforms on June 5, according to Deadline. (billboard.com) (nbcnews.com)