A few minutes before midnight on Friday, Taylor Swift surprised the audience at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where she was kicking off a three-night stint of her Eras tour, by welcoming rapper Ice Spice to the stage. The two women performed their new collaborative version of “Karma” together for the first time live.
Swift and Ice Spice sashayed hand in hand as they sang the new release. “Thank you New Jersey, give it up for Ice Spice!” the Midnights singer yelled at the end of the performance as confetti fell around them, and the two embraced.
The duo released their collaboration early Friday morning (aka midnight, of course) as part of the Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) re-release, on which it was one of three bonus cuts. The remix swaps out one of Swift’s verses on the original for the “Munch” rapper waxing ecstatic on all kind of karma: “Karma is your text ’bout to bounce,” she raps. “Karma is the fire in your house/And she ’bout to pop up unannounced.”
Ice Spice wasn’t the only special guest on tap for Swift’s first of three shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium: Swift’s longtime collaborator and the Garden State’s own Jack Antonoff appeared onstage during the Surprise Songs segment to play “Getaway Car”:
In an audio clip on Spotify, Swift explained that Ice Spice’s management contacted hers saying that she’d been a fan of Swift’s since she was a kid (the rapper is 23), and that she’d love to work with Swift if possible. It turns out, the feeling was mutual. Swift has been listening to Ice Spice while prepping for dates of the Eras tour. She has even included the rapper’s “In Ha Mood” on the playlist concertgoers hear before she hits the stage.
“I was just listening to Ice Spice constantly,” Swift said. “Getting to know her has been so special because I am blown away by her. In my opinion, she’s the one to watch. Watching her work ethic and how thoughtfully she approaches her career, she’s like my new favorite artist and I’m so honored that she’s on the song.”
Ice Spice heralded the collaboration with an Instagram post, in which she wrote, “thxx [Taylor] for being the coolest person on earth ilu.”
Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) also includes the songs “Hits Different” and a new version of “Snow on the Beach,” her collaboration with Lana Del Rey, that showcases Del Rey’s singing more. “You asked for it, we listened: Lana and I went back into the studio specifically to record more Lana on ‘Snow on the Beach,’” Swift tweeted about why they recut the track.
Swift’s ongoing Eras tour has dates scheduled through August. In addition to a rave review from Rolling Stone, Swift has made news on the tour by welcoming Aaron Dessner and Phoebe Bridgers to the stage for duets, as well as for protecting her fans from allegedly overzealous security guards and playing all the way through downpours. She’s even been open about how special the shows have been to her.
Reflecting on the trek’s Philly run, she tweeted: “Philly was a dream, honestly. Playing three nights in the stadium I used to see on tv when my dad watched Eagles games every Sunday. The most magical three hometown shows a girl could hope for.”