Taylor Swift does not stop. She's been one of the hardest-working musicians of the 2020s. Between her new albums and the re-recording of her old albums, it's any wonder she has time to tour. Things seemed to have cooled down after the less-than-stellar reaction to her last album, though. Swift hasn't hinted at any new music, or announced re-recording plans. Her longtime producer, however, started cranking the rumor mill on September 18. Jack Antonoff posted a series of photos on Instagram, and one of them featured TDE producer Sounwave.
The black-and-white photo dump sees Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff and Sounwave occupying the same studio space. Sounwave is alone in his photo, but the background make it clear as day that he was at the sessions being documented. The only real clue that fans have regarding the session is a time stamp with the date December 21, 2023 in the corner. This is a crucial piece of information. Taylor Swift dropped her last album, The Tortured Poets Department, in April. It would be easy to dismiss the photo of Sounwave as being from the Poets sessions, but the producer is not listed anywhere on the album's credits.
Taylor Swift Worked With Sounwave On "Midnights"
The music that Taylor Swift and Sounwave made in December has not yet seen the light of day, which is why Swifties think there's a new release around the corner. Jack Antonoff is very much a partner in crime when it comes to giving the fans clues. His posts are often teases of what's to come, so the chances of a Sounwave photo meaning nothing are low. Besides, Sounwave has an established working relationship with both Antonoff and Swift. The TDE producer is part of the supergroup Red Hearse alongside Sam Dew and Antonoff. He's also produced smash hits on multiple Taylor Swift albums dating back to 2019.
Sounwave is credited as a producer on Taylor Swift's "Lover Boy." His biggest contribution to the Swift catalog came in 2022, though. He is all over the pop star's album Midnights, co-producing singles like "Lavender Haze" and "Karma." This collaborative dynamic proved to be a two way street in 2024. The TDE veteran produced Kendrick Lamar's diss song "616 In LA," and he enlisted none other than Jack Antonoff to help him out. Given that Lamar's opponent, Drake, had previously referenced Swift on the "Taylor Made Freestyle," the link up seemed just as intentional as Antonoff's new Instagram post.
