American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift said that her song I Knew It, I Knew You is a musical departure for her that brought her closer to home, rekindling memories from when she was five years old, in a long note celebrating the release of the latest track from the film Toy Story 5.
On Friday, the 36-year-old singer penned a long note on her Instagram handle, where she stated that this song was a dedication to Toy Story’s Jessie, a character that she practically grew up with.
Alongside the note, Swift also shared a short clip of her five-year-old self, marching and dancing around dressed as a country girl — an ode to Jessie.
Jessie is an energetic, brave, and yodelling cowgirl doll first introduced in Toy Story 2. She struggles with a deep fear of abandonment after being left behind by her original owner.
Over the series, she learns to trust again and becomes an emotional and heroic anchor for the toy gang.
“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. And being a @toystory kid from the age of 5 til now… is an adventure I plan to be on, to infinity and beyond,” Opalite singer wrote.
She added, “Thank you to the brilliant Andrew Stanton for imagining me for this, all those years ago, when you wrote this newest film. Thank you to the incomparable @randynewmanofficial for the gorgeous sonic tapestry of songs and scores you’ve meticulously woven over the years. You created the Toy Story musical world, and we are lucky to get to live in it.”
In her note, Swift also thanked composer and music producer Jack Antonoff, with whom she has collaborated earlier for some of her chartbuster albums, including 1989, Reputation and Lover.
“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. “I Knew It, I Knew You” from Toy Story 5 is out everywhere now,” the singer concluded.
Toy Story 5 will see Tom Hanks and Tim Allen reprise their roles as Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The film follows a group of toys as they face competition for children’s attention from a new tablet called Lilypad.
The film is set to hit theatres worldwide on June 19.
On the work front, Swift’s recent 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, broke Spotify's single-day streaming record for the year within 11 hours of its release.
The album, which dropped in October, 2025, fueled by high anticipation, achieved 137.4 million streams in its first 24 hours and also set the record for the most pre-saved albums in Spotify history.