Taylor Swift's 'Opalite' music video breaks streaming records
Swifties have actor Domhnall Gleeson to thank for Taylor Swift's '90s-inspired 'Opalite' music video.
Taylor Swift just delivered one of her most epic music videos to date, and she wrote and directed it herself.
The 'Opalite' music video premiered on YouTube on Sunday, February 8 - two days after debuting exclusively on Apple Music and Spotify.
It broke Apple Music's record for most-viewed music video in its first 24 hours. Spotify also reports that 'Opalite' became the most-streamed music video in a single day.
Swift says she got the idea for the 90s-inspired visuals after her appearance on 'The Graham Norton Show'. She stopped by the UK show in October last year to promote her 12th studio album, 'The Life of a Showgirl'.
During the show, Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson joked that he wanted to appear in one of the singer's music videos.
"My favorite part about writing is that first spark of an idea. It can happen at any time, for any reason," the singer wrote on Instagram.
"The idea for the Opalite music video crash landed into my imagination when I was doing promo for The Life of a Showgirl. I was a guest on one of my favorite shows, @TheGrahamNortonShowOfficial," she continued.
"For those of you who aren’t familiar, it’s a UK late night show where Graham Norton (the insanely charismatic and lovable host) invites a random group of actors, entertainers, musicians, etc to be on his show and we all sit there and chat like it’s a dinner party. They even serve wine."
Swift was a guest on the show alongside Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith and Lewis Capaldi.
"I remember thinking I got ridiculously lucky with the group I was paired with... All people whose work I’ve admired from afar.
"When we were all talking during the broadcast, Domhnall made a light-hearted joke about wanting to be in one of my music videos. He’s Irish! He was joking! Except that in that moment during the interview, I was instantly struck with an *idea*."
The concept of you including everyone on this Graham Norton episode in the music video 😭 pic.twitter.com/LkbvauLLVq
— ً (@americanreqiuem) February 6, 2026
Swift messaged Gleeson a week later to play the lead in her 'Opalite' music video, and the rest is history.
"I had this thought that it would be wild if all of our fellow guests on the Graham Norton show that night, including Graham himself, could be a part of it too. Like a school group project but for adults and it isn’t mandatory. To my delight, everyone from the show made the effort to time travel back to the 90’s with us and help with this video," she said.
Some of the people who worked with her on 'The Eras Tour' also feature in the music video. The 'Anti-Hero' hitmaker says she had a blast bringing her vision for the visuals to life.
"I had more fun than I ever imagined - Made new friends, metaphors, and fashion choices. It was an absolute thrill to create this story and these characters."
Social media users are already declaring 'Opalite' one of their favourite music videos.
"I truly admire how you can see the concept racing through her mind, and it is truly remarkable that she involved everyone, even Graham," one Swiftie wrote on YouTube.
Another fan added, "This woman's brain is brilliant. I'm speechless from her creativity."
Swift's fans also spotted dozens of Easter Eggs in the music video, including an alleged diss aimed at her fiancé Travis Kelce's ex-girlfriend, Kayla Nicole.
They are convinced that the cactus in the video, which serves as Gleeson's love interest, represents Nicole, while the rock Swift interacts with represents her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
It's purely fan speculation as Swift has not mentioned either ex inspiring the song's lyrics.
"The way she portrays an emotionally detached person who shows no affection, symbolized by the rock, and a toxic person who only hurts you no matter how much you give, represented by the cactus, is mind-blowing to me," an X user said.
However, some online users are less than impressed with the alleged references to their exes.
"Taylor Swift is 36, a billionaire, & still writing songs dragging exes. Comparing John Alwyn to a rock, mocking Kayla Nicole as [a] cactus. Now, her fans flood Kayla's comments with [cactus] emojis. That’s not 'female empowerment,'" one said.
Watch Taylor Swift's 'Opalite' music video on YouTube below.
Image credit: Taylor Swift/ 'Opalite' music video
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