When the US pop trio Haim brought out Taylor Swift for a surprise guest appearance at their concert at the O2 Arena in London in July, it seemed to suggest one thing: after two years of folk-adjacent releases, and four years away from the road, pop-star Swift was on her way back. “I haven’t been on stage in a very long time,” she told the crowd. “It’s very nice!”
That impression was confirmed a month later when Swift announced the release of her 10th studio album, Midnights, onstage at the MTV Video Music awards. She later revealed it would tell “stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life … a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face.”
