After some mysterious Toy Story-themed "TS" billboards started showing up in cities across the world, it was confirmed this week that 14-time Grammy Award-winning artist Taylor Swift has written and performed a brand-new original song, "I Knew It, I Knew You," for Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5.
The new song—written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff—was officially released today, and will be included on the Toy Story 5 soundtrack when it's released on June 19. You can listen to it in its entirety below.
The song is inspired by Jessie's ongoing journey that began back in Toy Story 2, lending some weight to theories that Swift will also voice the cowgirl's original owner, Emily (recent rumours have, however, suggested she'll cameo as a newly created character, Melody Belle, a ballerina figurine from a vintage music box).
The song isn't the tear-jerker many fans expected and actually seems like it's from quite an optimistic, albeit heart-warming, moment in the highly anticipated sequel. The lyrics may also be telling about what this means for Jessie.
"Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time," Swift wrote on her social media accounts today. "Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once. And being a [Toy Story] kid from the age of 5 til now... is an adventure I plan to be on, to infinity and beyond."
"Thank you to the brilliant Andrew Stanton for imagining me for this, all those years ago when you wrote this newest film. Thank you to the incomparable [Randy Newman] for the gorgeous sonic tapestry of songs and scores you’ve meticulously woven over the years. You created the Toy Story musical world, and we are lucky to get to live in it."
By we, I mean myself and my pal [Jack Antonoff]," the singer continued. "We wrote this with so much adoration for these characters that made us laugh and helped us learn lessons and think outside the backyard all throughout our childhoods. 'I Knew It, I Knew You' from Toy Story 5 is out everywhere now."
The toys are back in Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5, and this time it’s Toy meets Tech. Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the rest of the gang's jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad (Greta Lee), a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?
The movie is directed by Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Kenna Harris, produced by Lindsey Collins, p.g.a., and written by Stanton and Harris from a story by Stanton.
The film features an original score by Oscar-winning Randy Newman, who returns to the franchise with Toy Story 5. The movie arrives in theaters on June 19.