Taylor Swift Reveals Her NYU Commencement Speech Was Filled With Easter Eggs

When pop star and music sensation Taylor Swift releases an album, it has a way of changing the landscape of music for a few years after. Her influence and presence in the music industry have made her a legendary figure. Which means that the August 2025 announcement of yet another album, "The Life of a Showgirl," was a world-shaking event, whether you're a Swiftie or not.

But music isn't all that Taylor is good at. In 2022, she was invited to give the commencement speech for New York University, as well as receive honorary degrees. Not only was her speech thought-provoking and heartfelt, but she dropped several major Easter eggs for her then-upcoming album, Midnights. Here's what we know about the NYU speech that had so many people buzzing, as well as the Easter eggs she's well-known for dropping.

She playfully began the speech by introducing herself, adding, "Last time I was in a stadium this size, I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard. This outfit is much more comfortable" (via Elle).

Taylor acknowledged fellow commencement speech givers, adding, " As for me, I’m…90% sure the main reason I’m here is because I have a song called 22. And let me just say, I am elated to be here with you today as we celebrate and graduate New York University’s Class of 2022."

She went on to praise those who supported the graduates, explaining, "We are each a patchwork quilt of those who have loved us, those who have believed in our futures, those who showed us empathy and kindness or told us the truth even when it wasn’t easy to hear. Those who told us we could do it when there was absolutely no proof of that."

She also added, seemingly incongruously but definitely intentionally, "Welcome to New York. It’s been waiting for you."

Taylor also mused that she never had the typical college experience, because her career started while she was still young. The graduates of 2022, she noted, also didn't have a typical experience, thanks to the major disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. She offered some "unsolicited advice," including, "Life can be heavy, especially if you try to carry it all at once. Part of growing up and moving into new chapters of your life is about catch and release. What I mean by that is, knowing what things to keep, and what things to release."

She mused near the end of the speech, "How do I give advice to this many people about their life choices? I won’t. Scary news is: you’re on your own now. Cool news is: You’re on your own now."

She concluded, "Hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it," adding, "As long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out."

If you haven't already caught them, the speech was rife with Easter eggs for the album she would release just five months after the speech: Midnights.

The comment about New York waiting for you? Straight from the album. As well as the "breathe in, breathe through" line.

The fact that she dropped so many Easter eggs for Midnights led fans to speculate that the Easter eggs for "The Life of a Showgirl" are already out there, waiting to be uncovered.

In an older interview with Entertainment Weekly, she all but confirmed that her work all comes with Easter eggs, sharing, "I think the best messages are cryptic ones. Easter eggs can be left on clothing or jewelry. This is one of my favorite ways to do this because you wear something that foreshadows something else."

She added, "And people don't usually find out this one immediately, but they know you're probably sending a message. They'll figure it out in time. Lots of examples of this exist through the history of my career."

So what Easter eggs are awaiting "The Life of a Showgirl" fans?

Grab a figurative basket and get to hunting. Because if the Taylor Swift of 2025 is anything like the Taylor Swift of years past, those Easter eggs are out there and waiting. And they'll be good, when you finally connect the dots.