Taylor Swift has confirmed she has written and recorded an original soundtrack (OST) for ‘Toy Story 5’, ending weeks of speculation surrounding her involvement in Pixar’s latest animated feature.
The singer announced on Monday that her new track, titled ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’, will be released on June 5 ahead of the film’s theatrical release on June 19.
“You knew it!” Swift wrote in an Instagram post addressed to fans. “I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie.”
The announcement follows weeks of online speculation sparked by a series of promotional billboards featuring the initials “TS” alongside imagery associated with the upcoming film. Fans had debated whether the letters referred to Swift or the ‘Toy Story’ franchise.
According to Swift, she was inspired to write the song after watching an early version of the film.
“I fell instantly in love with ‘Toy Story 5’ when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening,” she said. “Sometimes you just know, right?”
A press release accompanying the announcement said the song was written and produced by Swift and longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. It described the track as a return to Swift’s country music roots and noted that it is inspired by the story of Jessie, the popular cowgirl character voiced by Joan Cusack.
Fans will be able to purchase collector’s edition CDs featuring the film version of the song, alongside acoustic and piano renditions.
The confirmation comes after Pixar fuelled speculation through its social media channels. One promotional video featured Jessie dancing on a billboard, accompanied by a caption referencing lyrics from Swift’s 2014 hit ‘Shake It Off’.
‘Toy Story 5’ follows Bonnie as she begins to drift away from her toys after receiving a digital tablet. The film sees the return of several long-running cast members, including Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear and Joan Cusack as Jessie.
While this marks Swift’s first contribution to the ‘Toy Story’ franchise, it is not her first original song written for a major film. Previous soundtrack contributions include ‘Carolina’ for ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’,’ Safe & Sound’ for ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ for ‘Fifty Shades Darker’.
