Taylor Swift fans are convinced she’s gearing up for a return to her country roots after a surprise appearance at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville.

On Tuesday, the pop star, aged 35, surprised a group of fortunate fans by delivering an unplanned rendition of her hit song Shake It Off. This unexpected performance led social media to buzz with speculation that she might be hinting at a country-tinged TS12.

Although Swift hasn’t confirmed specifics about her 12th studio album, such as its title or launch date, fans on X are convinced she revealed some rather clear hints, including the notable return of her classic country accent.

Additional hints involved her sharing the stage with country music artist Kane Brown close to her hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and having her high school best friend, Abigail Anderson, present in the audience.

‘Taylor’s country twang in this!?! Her performing to a small crowd in Nashville. She’s going back to her roots. It’s so serious to me,’ one X user tweeted. ‘The prospect of ts12 potentially being a country album is making me feel physically sick with excitement.’ 

Another wrote: ‘My delusional self is making this an easter egg for TS12 being country and back to her roots and her performing this in nashville WHERE SHE STARTED adds onto it.’

Taylor Swift fans are convinced she’s gearing up for a return to her country roots after a surprise appearance at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville

‘TS12 Country would be hot! Especially Travis rocking the cowboy hat,’ a third gushed. 

Swift rocking out to Florida Georgia Line’s Cruise, which was performed by Chase Rice, also raised eyebrows as she famously danced to it at the 2013 CMT Awards.

Others predicted that Swift may have been signaling that the release of her re-recorded, self-titled debut album may be imminent. 

Last month while revealing she bought back her masters, the superstar stated she ‘already re-recorded’ her ‘entire debut album.’

‘And I really love how it sounds now,’ she gushed in a statement about her 2006 record on her website.

Her debut album, which established her status as a rising star, featured hits like Tim McGraw, Teardrops on My Guitar, Our Song, Picture to Burn and Should’ve Said No. 

Her latest performance, at a concert hosted by boyfriend Travis Kelce, marked her return to the stage for the first time since regaining control of her entire recorded music catalog.

While speaking to the audience about her decision to sing on Tuesday, she told them ‘we planned that three minutes ago.’ 

She dedicated her performance of Shake It Off ‘to our favorite players.’

It was an intimate venue for Swift to perform in after selling out the biggest stadiums around the globe on her historic Eras Tour. 

Her latest performance, at a concert hosted by boyfriend Travis Kelce, marked her return to the stage for the first time since buying back her masters

Other clues included performing alongside country music singer Kane Brown on stage, not far from her hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and having her high school best friend, Abigail Anderson, in the audience

Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl hosts up to 1,200 people while her biggest Eras show was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, where 96,000 people went to see her. 

In a handwritten letter posted on her website, last month, Swift, who is worth over $1 billion, revealed the money she made from her lucrative Eras tour last year helped bankroll the purchase of her old material and ‘her entire life’s work’.

She said: ‘All I’ve ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy. ‘

Swift then thanked Shamrock Capital for their ‘honest, fair and respectful’ way they handled the deal, adding: ‘I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me: My memories and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams.’

She then joked: ‘My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead.’

Justin Bieber’s old manager Scooter controversially acquired the rights to Swift’s material for $300 million after buying her old record label, Big Machine Media, in 2019 before selling them on to Shamrock Capital for profit.

‘Taylor moved to Nashville to pursue her music career and now she’s back singing her songs and actually owning them,’ one tweeted

The Love Story singer, who branded Scooter a ‘bully’ for tactics, was unaware of his plan and also claimed when she previously approached Big Machine label head Scott Borchetta about buying her masters beforehand, he allegedly would only sell her them one at a time, starting from her earliest, least-profitable recordings.

In exchange for the option to buy the masters back, Swift claimed she would have to record a new album for the label in exchange for each old recording she bought, shackling her to Big Machine for years to come just when she was eager to leave the label.

The singer posted an emotional Tumblr telling fans she made the ‘excruciating choice to leave behind my past. ‘Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums.’

She added: ‘Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter.

Swift and Kelce pictured with Kane Brown at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, which hosts up to 1,200 people

Last month while revealing she bought back her masters, the superstar ‘already re-recorded’ her ‘entire debut album’ (seen in 2007)

‘Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to.

‘He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever.’

She added that when she heard the news: ‘All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years.’

Swift then listed a string of examples accusing Kim Kardashian and Kanye West – then Braun’s client – of bullying.

Shamrock acquired the master recordings to Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation – which Swift has now regained ownership of, having previously led a campaign to re-record her first six albums, four of which she’s successfully completed.

Reputation (Taylor’s Version) was heavily tipped to be her next release and the singer addressed the rumors in her open letter, saying it’s the ‘one album I thought couldn’t be improved upon by redoing it’ but teased she may still record another version, as well as offer up ‘unreleased Vault tracks’ from that album.

Swift also noted that re-recorded the entirety of her debut self-titled album which, like Reputation, will ‘re-emerge when the time is right.’