If you’ve ever wanted to become the main character in the movie that is your life, look no further than the “Wildest Dreams” TikTok trend, which I guarantee will make you feel like you’re in the spotlight. The trend features Taylor Swift’s song of the same name from her 2014 album, 1989, and shows creators “zooming in” on themselves appearing cool and confident. Recently, Swift shocked fans by hopping on the trend herself and releasing her own version of the song — and the responses on TikTok have been nothing short of fantastic. Here’s what went down.
On August 23, Taylor Swift joined TikTok and officially broke the internet. Not only did Swifties lose their minds completely, but they demonstrated (once again) that they are perhaps the most loyal fandom of all time. #SwiftTok immediately began trending on the app, and the hashtag alone currently has 1.9 billion views — which is no surprise given, you know, Taylor Swift. Even TikTok was hype, and commented on her video: “Guess the app is called #SwiftTok now.” Swift responded, “Imagine me blushing and screaming at the same time,” to which TikTok replied, “Imagine me passing out because Taylor Swift replied,” with a crying face emoji.
It’s safe to say that Tay has ruled the music industry for some time now, and the well-known battle to reclaim rights to her music has caused a ton of hype on social media this year alone. On June 18, she dropped a surprise announcement that she’d be releasing Red (Taylor’s Version) on November 19, 2021, and shared that it’ll be the first time fans will hear all 30 songs that were meant to go on the album. One of them is even 10 minutes long. In true Swiftie fashion, fans continue to revel in many marvelous theories about what the album will reveal, speculating that, in addition to artists like Ed Sheeran and Phoebe Bridgers, it may also feature Olivia Rodrigo.
When “Wildest Dreams” originally began trending on TikTok, creators from all over the world began fusing the song with the “slow zoom” feature to highlight moments when they felt their best. As it turned out, Tay was definitely listening: just when you thought she couldn’t be any more iconic, she surprised fans on September 17 by dropping “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version).” Her announcement post on Twitter said: “Hi! Saw you guys got Wildest Dreams trending on tiktok, thought you should have my version.” Of course, Swifties went wild (pun intended) over the fact that she caught onto the TikTok trend so quickly (had she been “taylurking” all along?!) and how exciting it was to see her reclaim what’s rightfully hers.
Along with the surprise song announcement, Swift made her own version of the TikTok trend with the song in the background and the following text: “You set a date in November with Red but then someone mentions 1989.” In the video, Swift wears classic blue overalls and can be seen painting her nails red, and in the next shot, she appears to be outside wearing a blue dress, bold red lipstick, and rocking a look reminiscent of old Hollywood glam. She dramatically takes off her sunglasses in time with the music, and the caption says, “Burnin’ it down” with a fire emoji. Unsurprisingly, the Swift fandom immediately noticed the obvious visual “glitch” that occurs in the middle of her video, and instantly took to the comments section to figure out what it could possibly mean.
While we could debate Swift’s subtle clues all day, the “Wildest Dreams” trend is simple and fun at its core. To try it for yourself, first, save the audio of “Wildest Dreams” here (Taylor’s version, duh) and get ready to become the main character of your life. You’ll record your video in two brief segments: the first being pretty casual, perhaps doing an everyday activity (or simply freaking out over Taylor Swift), and a second clip where you confidently lip sync to “Wildest Dreams” while channeling main character energy. You’ll want to use the “slow zoom” feature (the more drama, the better!) on TikTok and align your video with the lyrics “You’ll see me in hindsight/Tangled up with you all night/Burnin’ it down.”
Like any good viral moment, you can interpret the “Wildest Dreams” TikTok trend in whatever way feels good for you. This #BookTok version is a touching example, and this one by TikToker @marycjskinner at a Harry Styles concert made me smile. Some TikTokers are getting super creative with the trend, like this version, which looks so professional I’m not even sure how the creator filmed it. You can also use the “Wildest Dreams” TikTok trend to simply celebrate yourself and your uniqueness, which to be honest, I am always here for.
When Taylor Swift puts her heart into something, she does it 100%. No, really — she recorded her literal heartbeat for “Wildest Dreams,” which I don’t think I’ll ever be over. Genius. Whether you’re feeling down and want to remind yourself that you’re amazing no matter what or you simply want to hop on the #SwiftTok train, try the “Wildest Dreams” TikTok trend for yourself and show us your main character moment. In the meantime, I’ll keep trying to decode that glitch.