Taylor Swift and Ice Spice performed their new “Karma” remix live for the first time ever! The Midnights singer, 33, and “Princess Diana” rapper, 23, surprised fans at Taylor’s East Rutherford, New Jersey show on Friday, May 26 just before also dropping their new music video at midnight (which also had several clues and easter eggs, perhaps about a 1989, Taylor’s Version release). Taylor sparkled as always in a navy blue sequin bodysuit, one of her Eras Tour looks by Zuhair Murad, along with matching sparkly boots. Ice Spice was also looking chic in a two piece black and silver costume consisting of a bustier style crop top and mini skirt, along with her $100,000 Benny Da Jeweler diamond chain featuring an animation of her face.
Before Ice Spice — née Isis Gaston — came out, Taylor teased the already riled-up crowd with a potential surprise. “She reached out and said, ‘If you’d ever like to do a collab, I would love to.’ And what she didn’t know at the time is that when I was training for the tour, I was listening to pretty much exclusively just her music every single day,” Taylor explained, giving background on how the remix feature came about for the Midnights ‘Til Dawn edition.
🎥 | A longer video of Ice Spice performing “Karma” with @TaylorSwift13 on stage! #TSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/bJD5aYkCTF
— Taylor Swift Facts (@blessedswifty) May 27, 2023
While Taylor didn’t reveal exactly what songs of Ice Spice’s she’s been playing, the rapper has had a slew of recent hits including “Princess Diana” featuring Nicki Minaj, “Munch,” “Gangsta Boo” and perhaps her biggest smash to date, “boys a liar part 2” with Pink Pantheress.
“All day. … So I said, ‘Absolutely, when can we do it?’” Taylor added. “So we immediately went into the studio and I just not only fell in love with her, but just decided she’s the entire future. … I’ve been around so many artists and so many artists just starting out, but I’ve never been around an artist who’s so prepared and curious and focused on what she wants,” she declared ahead of the performance. A day earlier, the GRAMMY winner said that Ice Spice was “the ONE to watch” — high praise from the pop legend.
In the video, Taylor and Ice Spice both take cues from the ancient Greek Gods as they appear to embody “Karma” in different forms. The fashion was on point, of course — with Taylor rocking a gold dress as she took on the image of Greek God Nemesis — also known as the God of revenge and retribution, who holds scales — just like Taylor is. The image of Nemesis is also frequently seen in the world of law, as she represents justice and avenging crime — similar to Taylor’s messaging in song “Vigilante S—.”
The scene includes a major potential clue: the bottom of the statue Taylor stands on reads “MCMLXXXIX” in roman numerals, which means 1989 — both her birth year and the name of her 2014 pop masterpiece 1989, perhaps a nod to her next re-recorded album after Speak Now. Upon zooming in, some fans spotted a falling building that looked like NYC’s Empire State Building — another reference to the popular album, which includes the song “Welcome To New York.” The clues also happens at the :13 second mark, which is notably Taylor’s lucky number.
She also goes costume for a Dorothy Wizard of Oz moment down a yellow brick road as she sings, “And I keep my side of the street clean.” For the ultimate slay moment, the two artists twinned in crystal bodysuits as they held onto glowing ropes tied to the moon and the planet Saturn — seemingly a reference to the line from folklore‘s “seven” where she sings, “love you to the moon and to Saturn.” Taylor then throws a rope down into what appears to be water, later leading the ladies to a celestial style boat ride.
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