Taylor Swift’s piano problem during the show raises questions

Taylor Swift fans – also known as Swifties – are questioning piano problems the singer had on stage during the Epoch Tourand many suspect that she is giving them a hint about her music.

The pop superstar is in the middle of the European leg of her record-breaking tour, having performed in Milan, Italy, on July 13 and 14. She is currently taking a two-day break before performing in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on July 17. The three-and-a-half-hour show will feature 10 acts, each inspired by Swift’s albums and a time in her life.

Swift is known for leaving Easter eggs for her fans in her music, on her tours, and in her promotional material, and now Swifties believe her temporarily broken piano on stage was a secret clue about the pop star’s next project.

Newsweek sent Swift’s press agent an email on Monday seeking comment.

On X (formerly Twitter), people have uploaded various videos of the incident to discuss whether it could be a hint of new music.

“The broken piano was FAKE! The guy comes over, doesn’t even try to fix it, a snake hisses as they open it, and the guy walks away laughing hysterically after it happens. Then Taylor opens the piano AGAIN so we could clearly hear a snake hiss twice. What’s going on?!” X-user @idioticxfool13 posted alongside a video of the singer trying to fix the piano.

In the viral clip, which has been viewed 1.5 million times at the time of writing, Swift is seen attempting to fix her piano while a man stands on stage. Many people believe they can hear the hissing of a snake twice, both times when the top of the piano is open.

Swift’s album has a snake theme Callwith the snake connection beginning when Calvin Harris – who Swift previously dated – criticized Swift for claiming to have written the song “This Is What You Came For.” After the hashtag #TaylorSwiftIsASnake went viral, people took to Swift’s social media accounts to comment with the snake emoji. This continued after Kim Kardashian disparaged Swift in a tweet for National Snake Day amid their widely publicized feud.

The singer of “Bad Blood” finally decided to incorporate the snake into her music to silence the haters. Her Call Album contains many snake pictures that she took in the Epoch Tour.

“Why doesn’t this guy do anything to fix the piano and just keeps smiling and why does it sound like a snake when she opens it???? Was it an Easter egg??? I’m probably losing my mind dude I have no idea,” one person commented.

“I’m no piano expert but why the hell does a piano make that noise???? That’s definitely an easter egg (snake emoji),” said another.

“And if you look at the corner of the piano closest to the camera, you can see that it is clearly hitting the back end of the mic stand, which is preventing it from closing. After the second hiss, it is clearly adjusting the mic and then it closes without a problem,” wrote another.

A fourth person added: “It’s not her first time doing this either, so it’s definitely an Easter egg.”

Many fans hoped that this was a sign that the singer would release the long-awaited Call: Taylor’s Version.

“This was hopefully a teaser for Rep TV (multiple crying emojis),” one person wrote, while another added, “She checks it ONCE then she checks it TWICE OHH (two snake emojis).”

However, another X user said that it wasn’t a snake hissing at all, but Swift laughing into the microphone.

“Sorry to disappoint you but it’s just Taylor laughing,” they said alongside a video that showed the moment at the piano on stage from a different angle.

Other X users seemed to agree that the broken piano build was not a plan, with one writing: “We stood right in front of it and it was definitely broken lol the hinge was stuck. We could see it from our vantage point.”

“The piano was broken because the top part wouldn’t close… Taylor never mentioned the keyboard lol it’s not fake at all,” said another.

The original author of the video said that whether the sound of the piano was a snake hiss or not, she still thinks that this moment on stage was a reference to the Call Album.

“It’s just crazy to me that even if she was laughing, it sounds exactly like the snake intro for reputation (crying emoji). I don’t know but don’t DM me because I’m just having fun. I love you all. I did NOT expect this to blow up so fast! Thank you anyway!” said @idioticxfool13.

Swift has been gradually re-recording her first six albums since 2019, when music mogul Scooter Braun bought Big Machine Records, Swift’s original label. The record company owned the rights to the singer’s albums Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014) and Call (2017).

Braun acquired the rights to Swift’s early works when he founded Big Machine Records. Swift had tried to buy the album rights herself, but negotiations fell through.

Over the past five years, Swift has released re-recordings of all of her first six albums, with the exception of Reputation, under the name “Taylor’s Versions” (or “TVs”).

Swifties expected the “Lover” singer to reveal Call TV at the Grammy Awards in February, but she surprised her fans with the announcement of her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD)instead.