Taylor Swift sent shockwaves through her global fandom on August 17, Saturday, when she unveiled "I Did Something Bad" as a breathtaking surprise during her concert in London. Swifties had long anticipated this track as the cherry on top, believing it would be the grand finale to announce the release date of the rerecorded version of her iconic album, Reputation. However, Taylor, the 34-year-old music maven, stunned everyone by belting out this fan-adored diss track at the third of her five Wembley Stadium gigs, without a hint of the anticipated announcement.
This marked the very first time "I Did Something Bad," the final jewel from Reputation that had never graced her acoustic set, was unleashed live. Taylor's Eras tour has been a treasure trove of unexpected songs, but this moment stood out as a game-changer.
Following a pattern set in 2023, where she reserved gems from Speak Now and 1989 to coincide with the announcements of their rerecorded releases, fans had their hopes pinned on a similar reveal for Reputation. Prior to that, Fearless and Red had been revamped and released in 2021, following Instagram teasers. Now, Reputation and Taylor Swift's self-titled album stand as the lone holdouts, fueling anticipation among ardent fans.
Driven by the desire to reclaim ownership of her early masterpieces sold by her former label, Big Machine Records in 2019, Taylor embarked on a mission to rerecord her first six albums. Confronted with the ultimatum of either signing a deal to record one new album for every previous one to regain her rights or lose them forever, Taylor refused, realizing the potential exploitation. She declared, "I walked away, knowing that signing that contract would lead to the sale of my future."
To sweeten the deal for fans, each rerelease boasts exclusive "vault tracks" – hidden gems penned for the original albums but never heard before. Taylor herself attested to their fiery brilliance in a 2023 interview, leaving fans ravenous for Reputation (Taylor's Version). Given her recent release of the mammoth 31-track album, The Tortured Poets Department, in April, a 2025 drop for the next rerecord seems plausible.
In the meantime, Taylor's plate is full. She wraps up the European leg of the Eras tour with two London shows on August 19 and 20, before retreating to the US for a well-deserved break until October. Amidst this, her beau, Travis Kelce, gears up for the 2024 NFL season, prompting speculation of Taylor's potential appearances at Kansas City Chiefs games. The Eras tour then crescendos with a triumphant finale spanning the US and Canada from October to December.
