As 1989 (Taylor’s Version) draws nearer, Taylor Swift is ramping up her teases and Easter eggs. On Tuesday (Sept. 19), Google launched a new pop-up animation in honor of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) — and based on some of the puzzles, fans think a Nicki Minaj collaboration could be imminent.
If you search “Taylor Swift” on the search engine, a new pop-up will offer one of 89 puzzles that fans are tasked with solving to “unlock Taylor’s vault.” Each puzzle asks the user to unscramble a word and then type it into the Google search bar to solve the exercise. Sharing the new feature on her Instagram page, Swift wrote, “You can tell me when the *search* is over… if the high was worth the pain 😎,” a reference to “Blank Space,” one of three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles from the original 1989.
One puzzle’s answer, in particular, has captivated the attention of both Swifties and Barbz; “Sagittarius.” Not only is it the ninth astrological sign, but some fans are taking the answer as a hint for a collaboration between the two music powerhouses.
First, Swift and Minaj are both Sagittariuses given their Dec. 13 and Dec. 8 birthdays, respectively. At the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (Sept. 12), after accepting her third trophy from Minaj — who served as the night’s emcee — Swift said, “That’s my favorite Sagittarius over there,” eliciting a giant smile and an enthusiastically affirmative response from the “Last Time I Saw You” rapper. Minaj has been a devoted champion of her star sign for years, so this came as no surprise to her biggest fans.
Last month (Aug. 24), Minaj tweeted, “Fighting the urge to say Sagittarius tingz right now so bad,” when she quoted a tweet commemorating her and Swift as the only female artists in Billboard chart history to place over 100 entries on the Hot 100. Earlier this year (Mar. 24), the “Super Freaky Girl” rapper tweeted, “Dear Barbz, it must be exhausting always rooting for the Anti-hero,” a reference to both her controversial public persona and Swift’s Hot 100-topping Midnights single.
A collaboration between Swift and Minaj would not be completely out of left field. Swift was an early champion of Minaj’s “Super Bass,” and the two performed a medley of their songs together (Minaj’s “Trini Dem Girls” and “The Night Is Still Young” and Swift’s “Bad Blood”) at the 2015 VMAs after ironing out an argument regarding that year’s nominees for video of the year.
See what the Swifties and Barbz are theorizing about a potential Taylor Swift-Nicki Minaj collaboration: