Taylor Swift performed her new song “I Knew It, I Knew You” during the Los Angeles premiere of Toy Story 5 on June 10, 2026 [1].
The appearance marks a high-profile collaboration between the pop star and the Pixar franchise, blending Swift's songwriting with the film's central themes of friendship, and reunion.
Swift said she wanted to capture the feeling of reconnecting with someone thought to be lost. The song was written following an early screening of the film to align with the narrative's emotional beats [2].
According to a producer, Swift wrote the entire song in just one day after attending that early screening [3]. The rapid composition reflects the immediate emotional impact the film's story had on the artist [3].
While some analysts suggest the track indicates a return to country music, other reports describe the song as a pop-rock ballad tailored for the film soundtrack [4]. The lyrics specifically focus on the bittersweet nature of finding a lost companion [2].
Attendees at the Los Angeles event were surprised by the live performance, which served as the official debut of the track [1]. The song is designed to reflect the broader themes of love, and reunion present throughout the movie [5].
“"I wanted to capture that feeling of reconnecting with someone you thought you lost."”
This collaboration leverages Swift's ability to write targeted, emotionally resonant music to amplify the marketing of a major animated franchise. By tying the song's creation to a specific emotional response from a movie screening, the production creates a narrative of authenticity and urgency that mirrors the film's own themes of lost and found connections.
