Taylor Swift made a stop at the Dolby Theatre for the premiere of Toy Story 5 on Tuesday evening in Los Angeles. While her arrival came as a surprise, it wasn’t totally unexpected, as the star recently released her new song for the film’s soundtrack, “I Knew It, I Knew You.“
For those in attendance, the singer performed the hit song for the first time on Tuesday, taking the stage in a floor-length gown to play a piano rendition of the wistful track.
In a heartfelt moment later in the night, Swift was joined on stage by acclaimed songwriter and Academy Award-winning composer Randy Newman for a duet of his beloved song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” which has become a staple within the Toy Story franchise. Newman took over the keys as the pair swapped vocals, his voice as tender and warm as ever.
Earlier during the premiere, Swift posed for a photo with the cast of the highly-anticipated film and at one point, the pop star asked Tom Hanks, the voice of Woody, to sign her Toy Story VHS. “I didn’t get a selfie, but I did sign her original VHS of the first Toy Story,” Hanks told USA Today. “I told her she should have brought an original VHS machine and we could have signed it. And that could go in the Smithsonian as well.”
Upon a closer look of photos shared online, it appears that the rest of the cast signed Swift’s tape as well and the singer proudly brandished it on the red carpet.
“I Knew It, I Knew You” marked a return to Swift’s country roots, which swept country radio upon its debut. This week, Swift made history when the song received playlist pickups from all Mediabase-monitored country stations — making the track the first song by a female artist to ever close out the panel on impact in the very first week. Notably, the historic marker arrives as we head into the 20th anniversary of her debut single, “Tim McGraw” on June 19, which also happens to be the same day Toy Story 5 hits theaters.
In a previous Instagram post, Swift shared insight behind the making of the song, which pulls inspiration from the Pixar series’ character Jessie. “Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time. Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once,” Swift wrote alongside a video of herself as a little girl wearing a cowgirl hat and boots. The singer said being a Toy Story fan since she was five years old “is an adventure I plan to be on, to infinity and beyond.”
