Pop superstar Taylor Swift recently opened up about her collaboration on Toy Story 5. While her Eras Tour commitments initially delayed her involvement, the singer had an unexpected concern before signing on. Rather than focusing on the high-profile nature of the Pixar project, Swift worried about accidentally stepping on another artist’s toes
Taylor Swift was worried about ‘kicking’ someone off Toy Story
Billboard reports that during a discussion with director Andrew Stanton, Taylor Swift admitted she immediately questioned whether the team had moved on without her. “Be honest: Did you guys replace me?” Swift recalled asking the team.
Because her busy schedule caused delays, Swift wanted to ensure that another songwriter had not already taken her place. She made it clear that she refused to displace anyone else’s hard work. “I don’t want to kick somebody off of this project that you reached out to after [me],” Swift explained. “I understand, but I’m not in the business of doing that”.
Director Andrew Stanton reassured her that the team had not approached another songwriter while she was unavailable. He explained that he had decided the film would have no original end-credits song rather than bring someone else on board. Once Swift finally watched an early cut of the movie, everything moved fast. She headed straight to the studio with longtime producer Jack Antonoff to craft her original track, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You,’ completing the song in just hours. Stanton later recalled becoming emotional when he first heard the finished track, comparing the experience to hearing Randy Newman’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me
Inspired by Jessie’s journey, the track explores themes of friendship, memories, and emotional connection. ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 following its release. The song also reflects Swift’s connection to the franchise, which she has loved since childhood. By checking that she would not displace another songwriter, Swift made sure her involvement did not come at someone else’s expense
