In the decade since Taylor Swift released her self-titled debut country album, she has conquered a cornucopia of sounds, all leading up to the synth-pop tunes that brought critical acclaim to her 2014 album, 1989. Now, she’s ready to tackle what’s next.

The 10-time Grammy winner, 27, will release the first single from her upcoming sixth album later this week, and it’s sure to get fans talking. “The single is very different. It goes from very soft, to hard, to soft again,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “Taylor is overhauling her image.”

And while the track follows in the footsteps of 1989‘s pop vibe, “it doesn’t sound like anything she’s done before,” a second insider tells Us. “It’s a little unusual. She plays around with new sounds each album cycle, but this one in particular stands out.”

The music video for the highly anticipated single matches its unique sound. “The video is definitely eye-catching,” the second source adds.

As Us Weekly exclusively revealed, Swift’s new single will be released on Friday, August 25, with the video also premiering later this week. “She’s being very secretive about it, but it’s going to be a really good one,” a source told Us.

With the release of her new music, the “Shake It Off” singer is ready to return to the public eye again. An insider told Us that she plans to attend the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 27.

Though Swift has yet to confirm her upcoming project, she teased her return by sharing a cryptic 10-second video of a slithering snake on social media on Monday, August 21, and a similar 20-second clip the next morning. Neither post included a caption, further adding to the mystery.

Tell Us: Are you excited to hear Swift’s new sound?

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