Taylor Swift returned to the red carpet with a style that is directly reminiscent of the Toy Story universe. On the night of June 9, in Los Angeles, the singer appeared at the world premiere of Toy Story 5 wearing a white off-the-shoulder dress by Erdem, with a floral print that evokes the classic look of Bo Peep, an iconic character from the Disney-Pixar franchise.
The 36-year-old artist posed alongside the main cast, including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and others, and carried a VHS tape of the first Toy Story, from 1995, which was autographed by the actors present. The moment reinforces her personal connection with the story that marked generations.
The main attraction of the night, however, came on stage. Swift performed “I Knew It, I Knew You” live for the first time, her original track from the film’s soundtrack, released days earlier. Soon after, she was surprised to be accompanied by Randy Newman for an emotional duet of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”, a classic theme from the franchise.
The country song with harmonica and banjo, produced with Jack Antonoff, has already accumulated impressive marks. On its release day, June 5, it became the biggest debut for a country single on Apple Music in 2026, broke the record for the biggest first-day soundtrack single on the platform and led as the most streamed by a female artist in a single day on Spotify. Amazon Music named it the biggest 24-hour global premiere of the year.
Project kept confidential
Swift’s participation was kept under lock and key by the production. According to VFX supervisor Thomas Jordan, only a small group knew of the actual song during advance screenings — a “decoy” version was used to keep it secret until release.
Toy Story 5 hits theaters on June 19 and brings back classic toys in a plot that mixes nostalgia with modern elements, such as new gadgets and challenges for the gang led by Woody and Buzz.
The appearance marks Swift’s return to the red carpet since the iHeartRadio Music Awards in March 2026. With her natural look, loose hair and clean production, the singer seems to be diving once and for all into a more roots phase, in line with the track’s country tone.
