Taylor Swift has officially announced her involvement in the upcoming Toy Story 5 film, confirming fan theories sparked by cryptic billboards and a mysterious countdown website. The 36-year-old singer revealed in an Instagram post on Monday that her new song, titled “I Knew It, I Knew You,” will be released on June 5, ahead of the film’s theatrical debut on June 19.
“You knew it!” Swift wrote, addressing her fans. She expressed her long-held dream of writing for the Toy Story characters, which she has adored since watching the first film as a five-year-old. The song was inspired by her early screening of Toy Story 5, which she described as love at first sight. “Sometimes you just know, right?” she added.
The announcement follows weeks of speculation after billboards featuring giant “TS” letters and 13 animated clouds—Swift’s favourite number—appeared over the weekend. Pixar’s official Instagram account fuelled the rumours by sharing a video of Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) dancing on the billboard, captioned with a lyric from Swift’s 2014 hit “Shake It Off”.
Swift’s new song, written and produced with Jack Antonoff, marks a return to her country roots and is based on the story of cowgirl character Jessie. Despite its similar title to Gracie Abrams’ 2024 song “I Knew It, I Know You,” Swift confirmed the track is original. Fans can pre-order collector’s edition CDs until June 3, featuring the single as heard in the film, plus acoustic and piano versions.
This is not Swift’s first foray into movie soundtracks; she previously contributed “Carolina” for Where the Crawdads Sing (2022), “Crazier” for Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009), “Safe & Sound” for The Hunger Games (2012), and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” for Fifty Shades Darker (2017). Toy Story 5 follows young Bonnie as she neglects her old toys after receiving a digital tablet, with returning voice actors including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack.
