Taylor Swift records 'I Knew It, I Knew You' for Toy Story 5 in a lifelong dream come true

A lifetime in the making

Taylor Swift has released "I Knew It, I Knew You," an original song recorded for Toy Story 5, the upcoming Disney and Pixar film due in theaters on June 19. According to Billboard, Swift dropped the track at midnight after planting a trail of Toy Story 5 easter eggs in recent days, confirming what many fans had already suspected. It marks her first new release since her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl.

Jessie, from childhood to now

The song was inspired by Jessie, the cowgirl character who first appeared in Toy Story 2. Swift shared a childhood video of herself dressed as Jessie, and in a social post she described the project as both personal and creatively stretching: "Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time. Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once."

She credited director and screenwriter Andrew Stanton for "imagining me for this, all those years ago when you wrote this newest film," and praised Randy Newman, whose songwriting and scoring built the musical foundation of the entire franchise. "Newman created the Toy Story musical world, and we are lucky to get to live in it," she wrote.

Jack Antonoff back in the room

Producer Jack Antonoff, a frequent collaborator, co-wrote and produced the single alongside Swift. The pair described the process as driven by genuine affection for the franchise: "We wrote this with so much adoration for these characters that made us laugh and helped us learn lessons and think outside the backyard all throughout our childhoods."

What Toy Story 5 is about

The film brings back Tom Hanks as Sheriff Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, and Joan Cusack returning to voice Jessie. The story follows Andy's old toys as they navigate a new electronic tablet that has taken over the attention of their current owner, Bonnie. Toy Story 5 opens June 19 through Disney and Pixar.