Taylor Swift has confirmed she has written an original song for the upcoming Pixar film Toy Story 5. The singer announced the news on Monday, following weeks of fan speculation prompted by cryptic billboards and a mysterious website countdown.
The track, titled “I Knew It, I Knew You,” will be released on June 5, two weeks before the film’s theatrical debut on June 19. In a statement, Swift described the song as a return to her country music roots, inspired by the character Jessie, the beloved cowgirl voiced by Joan Cusack.
Swift revealed she wrote the song after an early screening of the film, saying she “fell instantly in love” with the story. The song was co-written and produced with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. Fans can pre-order collector’s edition CDs featuring the single, an acoustic version, and a piano version until June 3.
Promotional billboards featuring the letters “TS” surrounded by 13 animated clouds had sparked rumours of Swift’s involvement. Pixar’s official Instagram account fuelled the speculation by posting a video of Jessie dancing on the billboard, captioned with a lyric from Swift’s hit “Shake It Off.”
This is not Swift’s first foray into film music; she previously contributed songs to projects such as Where the Crawdads Sing, The Hunger Games, and Hannah Montana: The Movie. Toy Story 5 sees young Bonnie start to ignore her old toys after receiving a digital tablet, with returning voice cast including Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.
