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Taylor Swift has unveiled the whimsical and retro-inspired music video for her song “Opalite,” giving fans a playful look at love, loneliness, and unexpected connections. The video premiered Friday morning (Feb. 6) on Apple Music and Spotify.
Set in a nostalgic, VHS-style world, the clip opens with a mock infomercial promoting “Opalite,” a mysterious spray that promises to fix broken relationships with a single spritz. Swift stars as a lonely woman spending her days in her cluttered apartment with her only companion — a pet rock she treats like a real partner.
Throughout the video, she takes her rock everywhere, from the park to karaoke and even out for drinks, crafting friendship bracelets and covering them both in glitter. Her routine highlights her isolation, even as she seems content with her unusual companion.
Meanwhile, actor Domhnall Gleeson plays another lonely character whose closest companion is a tiny cactus. Like Swift’s character, he brings his plant everywhere, despite repeatedly injuring himself on its sharp spines.
Both characters eventually turn to Opalite for help. After using the spray, Swift suddenly appears in Gleeson’s apartment, and the two begin an awkward but charming romance. Their relationship unfolds through a series of humorous scenes, including a mall photo shoot cameo by Lewis Capaldi and a soft pretzel date.
The video also features appearances by Graham Norton as an Opalite shop owner and Cillian Murphy as a salesman. The retro theme continues with a dance competition scene, where Swift and Gleeson perform an energetic routine for unimpressed judges.
Swift, who wrote and directed the video, revealed on Instagram that the idea began after Gleeson jokingly said he wanted to appear in one of her music videos during an October 2025 episode of The Graham Norton Show. Inspired, she later wrote the script and invited several guests from that episode to join the project.
“Opalite” marks the second music video from Swift’s album The Life of a Showgirl, which debuted at No. 1 in October and topped the Billboard 200 for 12 weeks.
Unlike her previous releases, the video did not debut on YouTube immediately. Instead, Swift opted for an exclusive launch on Spotify and Apple Music, with the YouTube premiere scheduled for February 8. The delay follows YouTube’s recent decision to remove its streaming data from Billboard’s charts, as well as Billboard’s updated methodology that now places greater value on paid subscription streams. The move reflects Swift’s continued focus on platforms that prioritize subscriber-based listening.
SOURCE: Billboard