It's a new day, Swifties. And a colorful one at that.
With the release of Taylor Swift's newest single "ME!"—and the epic music video to go along with it—on Friday, April 26, we're officially in the early days of the superstar's next album era. And if it wasn't already clear from the many pastel-hued teases she shared on Instagram while that countdown clock ticked down to today, the video's early moment of a snake exploding into thousands of butterflies drove home the message that the dark and moody imagery of the reputation is officially a thing of the past.
Taylor has been reborn.
And the pastel-painted fantasia of "ME!" is just further proof of an artist who's pulled off one of the most impressive evolution in recent music history. From her early days strumming along as the teardrops fell on her guitar to the narrative-reclamation (and serpent worship) of reputation to now, Taylor has grown up before our very eyes, album by album.
"Guys, I always look at albums as chapters in my life. And I'm so—to the fans, I'm so happy that you like this one. I'm so happy that this means that you like this one. But I have to be really honest with you about something," Taylor teased fans about her new era while accepting the award for Favorite Pop/Rock album at the 2018 American Music Awards last October. "I'm even more excited about the next chapter."
While we await further information about the album that'll accompany lead single "ME!"—and as we cue up the impossibly catchy track for the thousandth time already—let's take a look back at how we got here, chapter by chapter.