Taylor Swift has released ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’, her first new original song since 2025, written for Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 and inspired by Jessie’s storyline in the long-running animated franchise.
by Paul Cashmere
Taylor Swift has officially unveiled ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’, a new original song written and recorded for Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5. Released on 5 June, the track marks Swift’s first new music since her 2025 album The Life Of A Showgirl and arrives two weeks ahead of the film’s cinema release on 19 June. Co-written and co-produced with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, the song was created specifically for Jessie, the cowgirl character whose emotional journey remains central to the latest chapter of the Toy Story series.
The release brings an end to weeks of speculation that began with cryptic online teasers, countdown clocks and imagery linked to the Toy Story universe appearing across Swift’s digital platforms. Fans first noticed a countdown accompanied by artwork resembling Andy’s bedroom wallpaper from the original films before a second teaser featured Jessie wandering through a farm setting. The campaign culminated with the release of the song and a range of limited-edition physical formats.
For Swift, the project represents both a return to soundtrack work and a creative reunion with the country influences that defined the early years of her career. Promotional material accompanying the release described the song as drawing on styles that have shaped Swift’s songwriting across multiple eras while reflecting Jessie’s story within the new film.
In a statement shared after the song’s announcement, Swift explained the personal significance of contributing to one of animation’s most enduring franchises.
“I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie,” Swift said.
She revealed that an early screening of the film provided the inspiration.
“I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening. Sometimes you just know, right?”
Musically, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ leans into acoustic textures associated with Swift’s formative recordings. Steel guitar, harmonica and country-influenced arrangements underpin lyrics centred on memory, friendship, separation and reunion. Those themes mirror Jessie’s continuing story arc, which began in Toy Story 2 and remains one of the franchise’s most emotionally resonant narratives.
Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton said Swift immediately understood the character’s emotional landscape.
“It’s incredible just how meaningful it’s been having Taylor write and perform this song,” Stanton said. “Her connection to Jessie and the immediate way she understood what the character was going through was undeniable.”
Stanton added that the song quickly felt like a natural extension of the series.
“The song is so deeply connected to Toy Story. So much so that on first listen, it instantly felt like it had always belonged there, like a long-lost family member. It was kismet.”
The collaboration places Swift within a musical legacy established by composer Randy Newman, whose work has become inseparable from the Toy Story identity. Songs including You’ve Got A Friend In Me, When She Loved Me and We Belong Together helped define key emotional moments across the previous films. Swift acknowledged Newman’s influence, describing his contribution to the franchise as a “gorgeous sonic tapestry” that shaped the world she and Antonoff entered as songwriters.
The release also continues Swift’s long association with film soundtracks. Throughout her career she has contributed music to Hannah Montana: The Movie, The Hunger Games films, Fifty Shades Darker, Valentine’s Day and Cats. However, Toy Story 5 represents one of her most high-profile soundtrack commissions in recent years and arrives during a period when fans have been waiting for indications of her next creative direction following The Life Of A Showgirl.
Commercially, the song has already generated significant activity. Swift’s online store initially offered three exclusive CD singles featuring the film version alongside acoustic and piano interpretations. Those editions sold out quickly. Two collector’s edition 10-inch vinyl releases and digital download formats remain available, while the song will also appear on the official Toy Story 5 soundtrack album due on 19 June.
The broader significance of the release may lie in what it reveals about Swift’s current artistic interests. While one standalone soundtrack contribution does not necessarily signal a full return to country music, the stylistic choices have reignited discussion among fans about whether elements of her earlier sound could influence future recordings.
For Disney and Pixar, securing an original Taylor Swift composition provides a major promotional asset ahead of the film’s release. For Swift, it delivers a new addition to a catalogue that increasingly spans film, television and popular culture beyond traditional album cycles.
With Toy Story 5 about to arrive in cinemas and the soundtrack release imminent, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ serves as both a nostalgic tribute to characters Swift grew up with and a fresh chapter in one of modern music’s most commercially successful careers.
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