January 23 sees the Sundance Film Festival open with Miss Americana, Lana Wilson's documentary look at the last year of pop singer Taylor Swift's life—a time she became increasingly outspoken about her politics and released her album Lover. The documentary is getting a worldwide Netflix release at the end of January, and the trailer promises an unguarded behind-the-scenes look at the singer's life, as well as the debut of new songs.
When is Taylor Swift: Miss Americana out on Netflix?
Netflix has given the documentary movie a release date of Friday, January 31. Miss Americana should be streaming from one minute past midnight California time (PT)—that's 3.01 a.m. Eastern and 2:01 a.m. Central. The streaming service, however, is also giving the documentary a limited theatrical release—though which cinemas will be showing the film in the U.S. have not been announced yet.
Who stars in Taylor Swift: Miss Americana on Netflix?
Alongside Swift herself, the trailer suggests that a lot of famous faces will be appearing in the documentary. In the promo, we can see the cast of Queer Eye (appearing on the set of Taylor's "You Need to Calm Down" video), Swift's boyfriend Joe Alwyn, "Me!" duet partner Michael Urie and her frequent collaborator and "squad" member Todrick Hall. Also spotted in the trailer are her family, particularly her mother Andrea, who was battling cancer and a brain tumor during the filming of Miss Americana.
What new songs will be in Taylor Swift: Miss Americana?
The Netflix documentary will have at least one new song in the form of "Only the Young," described by Variety as, "an anthem for millennials who might have come away disillusioned with the political process." We see the song demoed over the course of the movie, before the song plays in full over the end credits. The track will be available on streaming services from January 31, the day of Miss Americana's release.
Miss Americana director Lana Wilson said of the song: "With the election results, I loved how she channeled so many of her thoughts and feelings into 'Only the Young.' It was a great way to kind of show how stuff that happens in her life goes directly into the songs; you get to witness that."
What will happen in Taylor Swift: Miss Americana?
The official Netflix summary reads: "Miss Americana is a raw and emotionally revealing look at one of the most iconic artists of our time during a transformational period in her life as she learns to embrace her role not only as a songwriter and performer, but as a woman harnessing the full power of her voice."
In a Variety interview, Swift said that the documentary sees her start to speak openly about politics after years of being told not to. She said, "Every time I didn't speak up about politics as a young person, I was applauded for it. It was wild. I said, 'I'm a 22-year-old girl — people don't want to hear what I have to say about politics.' And people would just be like, 'Yeahhhhh!'"
The film will also feature references to Taylor's feud with Kanye West, with Wilson saying: "With the 2009 VMAs, it surprised me that when she talked about how the whole crowd was booing, she thought that they were booing her, and how devastating that was. That was something I hadn't thought about or heard before, and made it much more relatable and understandable to anyone."
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana will be released on Friday, January 31 on Netflix.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
