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Taylor Swift’s affinity for the number 13 is no secret to her devoted fans. Since her debut in 2006, she’s ingeniously incorporated this supposedly unlucky number into her music at every opportunity.
This fascination has been a recurring theme throughout her illustrious career. Even on her tenth studio album, “Midnights,” despite its title, Swift features 13 tracks instead of the more conventional 12. This album achievement contributed to her making history as the first artist to occupy all ten spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 entirely on her own.
Over the years, Swifties have grown accustomed to spotting the number 13 in Swift’s work. She even influenced the release date of “The Exorcist: Believer” to coincide with the launch of her groundbreaking Eras Tour film on Friday, Oct. 13. Fans have learned to keep an eagle eye out for this number, as Swift has a knack for weaving it into music videos, award acceptance speeches, and any other place she can hide an Easter egg.
So, what’s behind Taylor Swift’s fixation on the number 13? It turns out, there are several compelling reasons.
In her early days, Swift made a habit of drawing the number 13 prominently on the back of her hand. It became something fans came to expect. During an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in the late 2000s, she explained that it was her lucky number for a multitude of intriguing reasons.
“It’s really weird,” she mused. “I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. Also, my first song that ever went number one, it had a 13-second intro. I didn’t even do that on purpose. And every time I’ve ever won an award at an award show I’ve either been seated in either the 13th row or row M, which is the 13th letter.”
She continued, “And when I won the Horizon Award at the CMA Awards. The producer came up to me when I was sound-checking and said ‘alright we’re going to go in 13 seconds. There are so many numbers!'”
Adding to the intriguing list, she mentioned, “You want to know something really weird too? The first time that I ever played on ‘The Tonight Show’? [It] was the 13th of February 2007.”
One can only imagine the delight she’ll take in her 13th Grammy win. Anticipation is high for the inevitable announcement. After all, she’s only one Grammy away.
While “Midnights” might not have been in the running for the 2023 Grammys, there’s little doubt it will secure at least one accolade in 2024. And who knows, perhaps a “Reputation” re-record announcement might be on the horizon. Until then, fans will eagerly hunt for as many instances of the number 13 as they can find. The hunt is on!