Taylor Swift takes it back to the 70s in her passionate, sultry music video for “Lavender Haze” released on Friday (Jan 27). Since the clip’s release, it has amassed over 11 million views and is the No. 1 trending music video on YouTube (as of Jan. 30).
Written and directed by Swift, the visual for her No. 2 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Lavender Haze” digs into a newfound seductive side of the international pop star. Swift emulates a captivating 70s look in sparkling lavender eyeshadow and a matching fur coat, until she channels her bolder side, flirtatiously mouthing the words to the song while topless in a lavender-colored pool.
The video is a compilation of steamy purple passion, with shots of Swift crawling through a maze of lavender, dancing in a mist and puffing out clock-shaped purple smoke.
Many fans wondered what the meaning was behind the track’s title.
“I happened upon the phrase Lavender Haze when I was watching Mad Men, and I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool,” she shared in an Instagram video. “And it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the ’50s where they would just describe being in love, like, you were in the lavender haze, and that meant that you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful.”
The award-winning artist also cast transgender model Laith Ashley as her love interest in the video.
Ashley expressed his gratitude in an Instagram post. “Thank you [Taylor Swift] for allowing me to play a small part in your story,” he continued. “You are brilliant and this is an experience I will never forget. It was truly magical.”
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“Lavender Haze” is confirmed by Swift to be about her longtime boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. It is the first track on her album Midnights, which was created around the hit single’s mood and ambience.
“Life can be dark, starry, cloudy, terrifying, electrifying, hot, cold, romantic or lonely,” she wrote on Instagram when the album was released. “Just like Midnights.”
Swift posted about the music video on her Instagram, sharing photos from the shoot and shouting out her co-star. “The Lavender Haze video is out now. There is lots of lavender. There is lots of haze. There is my incredible costar @laith_ashley who I absolutely adored working with. This was the first video I wrote out of the 3 that have been released, and this one really helped me conceptualize the world and mood of Midnights, like a sultry sleepless 70s fever dream. Hope you like it.”
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The 13-track album dropped in October of last year, and continues to sit at No. 1 atop Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart for 13 consecutive weeks. Her first single off the album, “Anti-Hero,” has spent 8 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, making it her longest streak on the charts yet. Swift also wrote and directed the music video for the hit song.
Additionally, the iconic superstar will soon be on the road for her massive 2023 Stadium Tour, dubbed Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour.
The trek kicks off on March 18 in Glendale, Arizona at State Farm Stadium and will continue through August wrapping up with back-to-back shows in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium. Paramore, beabadoobee, Phoebe Bridgers, girl in red, MUNA, HAIM, GAYLE, Gracie Abrams, and OWENN will be joining Swift on select dates of the tour.
