The old Taylor Swift is dead.

A new Taylor Swift era has begun. The debut of her new song “Me!” featuring Brendon Urie was released midnight on April 26. The music video opens with a snake, the mascot for her last album “Reputation.” The snake explodes into a cloud of butterflies, representing the beginning of a new, pastel era.

Her previous album brought on a edgy, darker tone with a radical new look. She embraced a snake motif and killed off her persona with “Look What You Made Me Do.” She rocked a lot of black with a darker lip color, telling everyone she wasn’t going to take anything from anyone anymore.

It was definitely a powerful statement and look, but it didn’t last long.

“Me!” brings back nostalgic feelings from a Swift from another time, the Swift before the retro-chic and revenge seeking eras. The new music video for “Me!” embraces pastel colors and an imaginary world with soft touches — a puffy dress, bright colors and butterflies.

I believe the change to a softer aesthetic represents Swift going back to her roots. Not her country roots, but rather her persona and her soft days. Back when she sang “Love Story” with her ringlet curls and had teardrops on her guitar.

“’Me!’ is all about embracing individuality and owning it,” Swift told Robin Roberts about the song during the NFL Draft ahead of the release. “With a pop song we had the ability to get a melody stuck in people’s heads and we wanted to get a good one.”

Well done, Swift, I’ve had this stuck in my head since the release.

True “Swifties” know that before a release of a Swift album, comes a release of a song that gives listeners an overview of what to expect.

Swift tweeted, “So… the new album is actually revealed somewhere in the video AND so is the title of the second single, but I haven’t seen people finding them yet…”

The release of “Me!” could mean something big for her upcoming album.

Swifties have sensed a change in her aesthetic based off of her Instagram posts. Each post, dating back to February 2019,  has been brighter with a touch of pink and a girly twist. Instagram posts included a date countdown with no explanation, that led up the release of her new single.

As of right now, there isn’t a set date for her new album, but here’s what to expect based on hints from Swift herself.

The snakeskin is gone, shedding her dark facade. Swift is showing her audience who she truly is with her new mysterious album. The brilliance of Swift’s songwriting goes back to her younger days of heartfelt vulnerability and goofy humor.

Her new music shows her audience the empathetic and a hopeless romantic she’s always been. The upbeat “feel good” beat represents her accepting the past and moving forward. Quite honestly, I am here for this new Swift era.

I think people can expect the tune to be heard throughout summer 2019, becoming the next summer anthem. At least for me anyway, anyone who decides to take a drive with me should expect to hear the catchy melody.

Angell can be reached at [email protected].