Taylor Swift premiered her new song from Toy Story 5 in a children's music video that directly linked the release to Jessie, the franchise's cowgirl heroine.
On Friday, June 5, the singer shared rare footage of herself as a child dressed as a cowgirl to celebrate the release of her new original song "I Knew It, I Knew You" for the Disney and Pixar film. In the video, Swift dances to the music in a cowboy hat, boots, a denim skirt with red trim, and Western-style clothing.
The song was written for Jessie's story in the cartoon «Toy Story 5» , making the choice for home video more specific than the standard soundtrack promotional campaign. Swift accompanied the new track with footage of herself wearing an outfit directly related to the character.
The video matched the song's connection to Jesse.
Us Weekly reported that Swift posted childhood videos on social media platforms X and Instagram in honor of the song's release. The cowboy outfit matched Jessie's look when she first appeared in «Toy Story 2» and returns as a key emotional link in the new film.
Swift wrote that creating something for Jessie was both a new challenge and something she took for granted. She also described herself as a child who has loved the cartoon "" since she was five years old."« Toy Story »" and said she plans to continue this adventure "to infinity and beyond.".
The caption added a personal touch to the release. Swift wasn't just announcing a song for the Pixar soundtrack; she was connecting the track to the film series she grew up with.
This song takes Swift back to her country roots.
"I Knew It, I Knew You" was co-written and produced by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff. People reported that Swift called the track "a musical departure and a homecoming," which fits the song's country direction.
It's notable that Swift's country sound began in that genre before she fully transitioned to pop with albums like «1989» . Song from Toy Story« o Jessie gives her a natural excuse to return to this early musical language without turning the release into simple nostalgia.
The video featuring the young cowgirl cemented this connection. These images connect Swift's early image, her country roots, and Jessie's Western identity in a single, short promotional post.
Swift wrote the song after watching the film at the very beginning of its screening.
Image source: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.
Swift first announced the song on June 1 after weeks of fan speculation surrounding clues about the song's theme. «Toy Stories» . Pitchfork reported that one of the timers on Swift's website used a cloud wallpaper similar to Andy's room, while another showed Jessie moving around a farm.
Swift later explained that she saw an early version of "« Toy Story 5» , fell in love with it and wrote a song as soon as I got home after watching it.
It's this origin that distinguishes "I Knew It, I Knew You" from a typical soundtrack track. Swift presented the song as a direct response to the film and its characters, rather than as an existing track included on a studio release.
Andrew Stanton praised the song's suitability to the sound.
Image courtesy of Eleanore Studer/Shutterstock.
Director and screenwriter «Toy Story 5» Andrew Stanton praised Swift's contribution in a press release cited by People, saying her connection with Jesse and understanding of the character were clear.
Stanton also described the song as deeply connected to the world «Toy Stories» , as if she had always belonged to him. This observation carries weight, as music has played a central role in the franchise since Randy Newman's songs helped define the emotional language of the original film.
In her post, Swift also thanked Newman by placing her song in the musical world he helped create in the films. «Toy Story» .
The release came after a week of fans suggesting something was wrong.
This announcement follows several days of fan speculation. Fans have linked the cryptic clues from Toy Story« with Swift after billboards and countdowns used "TS" images that could refer to either Taylor Swift or «Toy Story» .
The countdown commercial reportedly featured Jessie and a billboard with the letters "TS" and clouds. By the time Swift confirmed the song's release, many fans had already pieced together the clues.
Swift's caption, "You knew it," appeared to be a direct reference to that very same fan detective work.
Toy Story 5 will be released later this month.
Premiere of the cartoon «Toy Story 5» scheduled for June 19, the film brings back the Pixar franchise with a story about toys struggling to maintain their relevance as children increasingly turn to screens and technology.
Jesse's role in the franchise lends Swift's song a clear emotional focus. The character has long embodied some of the series' most powerful themes, dealing with memory, loneliness, devotion, and the love of a child.
These themes fit Swift's songwriting style, particularly her constant focus on recognition, reconnection, memory, devotion, and the recapture of old feelings with new meaning.
A music video from childhood gave the release a personal touch.
The song is tied to one of Pixar's biggest franchises, but Swift's childhood videos gave the presentation a more personal touch than the official soundtrack announcement. She didn't simply share the cover art, trailer, or studio graphics. She showed herself as a child, dressed in the same Western-style clothing that Jessie embodies.
The video showed fans a glimpse of a younger Swift, and it also revealed why the song was written: She wrote it for Jessie, and then accompanied the release with a home video filmed during her cowgirl years.
Now Taylor Swift, tied with the cartoon "Toy Story 5", There are three interconnected elements: a new country song for Jessie, a video of her as a cowgirl, and a caption referencing the Pixar franchise she says she's loved since she was five.