Karma's on your scent like a bounty hunter
Karma's gonna track you down
Step by step, from town to town
Sweet like justice, karma is a queen
"Karma" is a playful electroclash song where Taylor Swift confronts her past detractors. She warns her foes that the universe settles scores, so they'll suffer the consequences of their actions.
Karma is my boyfriend
Karma is a god
Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend
Karma's a relaxing thought
Aren't you envious that for you it's not?
Swift has a good relationship with karma because she "keeps my side of the street clean." She can relax in bed at night knowing the universe is blessing her. "'Karma' is written from a perspective of feeling like really happy really proud of the way your life is," she told Apple Music. "Feeling like this must be a reward for doing stuff right and it's a song that I really love because I think we all need some of those moments."
Karma has been a recurring theme throughout Swift's music.
On 2010's "
Better Than Revenge," Swift warns a female love rival: "Stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make you many friends."
On 2017's "
Look What You Made Me Do" she eagerly waits for karma to come to her adversaries.
On 2020's "
My Tears Ricochet," a person who mistreated Swift shows up at her wake, "Cursing my name, wishing I stayed. Look at how my tears ricochet."
Swift released "Karma" on her
Midnights album. She penned the song with her "
Lavender Haze" co-writers Jack Antonoff, Sounwave and Jahaan Sweet, plus Beyoncé collaborator Keanu Torres (aka Keanu Beats).
"'Karma' was just a last-minute Hail Mary," Sounwave recalled to
Rolling Stone. "I remembered I was working with my guy Keanu and had something that was too perfect not to send to her. As soon as I sent it, Jack was instantly like, 'This is the one. Playing it for Taylor now. We're going in on it.' The next day, I heard the final product with her vocals on it."
"Karma" was the last song in the setlist for Swift's 2023-'24 Eras Tour, a cultural game-changer that grossed over $2 billion, more than doubling the record held by Elton John. The show was broken down into 10 acts representing each of her albums, complete with the costumes and visuals from each period. The highly anticipated tour was her first since her Reputation tour in 2018, and it more than lived up to the hype. At every stop, fans would tailgate, exchanging friendship bracelets and talking Taylor even if they couldn't get tickets. On the final stops, before performing "Karma," Swift thanked fans for being "part of the most thrilling chapter" of her career.
Upon the release of Midnights, "Karma" debuted at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. After the song was pushed to adult contemporary radio on May 1, 2023, the song returned to the chart.
During Swift's Eras Tour performances of "Karma," the tune ended the shows with a bang, accompanied by a dazzling fireworks display, vibrant visuals, and an explosion of confetti.
A remix featuring Ice Spice was released on May 26, 2023, as part of the extended Midnights (The Till Dawn Edition). The rapper aligns herself with Swift's philosophy that one's actions will eventually have consequences.
During Ice Spice's relentless verse, she unleashes a verbal onslaught on those who've spread negativity. Brace yourself, because Karma's revenge is lurking. It takes a variety of forms and is poised to strike when you least expect it.
Imagine this: Karma making your checks bounce
Burning down your house in flames
Then showing up unannounced, catching you off guard
Ice Spice ends the verse fearlessly when she claims her ascent to superstardom as a rightful prize for her virtuous endeavors.
So, I stay strong, stacking that paper, never backing down
I promise you won't deal with anyone less remarkable
Dragging my carriage, Karma's a gorgeous queen, winning this pageant, grrah
Ice Spice joins the elite list of rappers who've collaborated with Taylor Swift. Others include:
B.o.B. ("
Both of Us")
Future ("
End Game")
Kendrick Lamar ("
Bad Blood")
Nicki Minaj ("
Bad Blood").
Ice Spice joined Swift during her Eras Tour concert on May 26, 2023, at the MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the first live performance of the remix.
In the video for the remix, which Swift directed, viewers are transported into a realm of cosmic wonder and celestial imagination. Guided by mesmerizing digital effects, the video unfolds with the pop star embodying different personas and donning an array of striking ensembles. From a whimsical Pollyanna to a towering green giantess adorned with lush forests and majestic mountains, Swift seamlessly transforms.
Meanwhile, Ice Spice takes on the ethereal form of a heavenly cloud formation, adding an otherworldly presence to the visual narrative. As the video unfolds, Swift and the Bronx rapper embark on extraordinary feats. Swift ascends a staircase, reaching for the Moon, while Ice Spice skillfully lassoes the mighty Saturn, harnessing its planetary power.
Amid this cosmic spectacle, Ice Spice delivers her electrifying rap verse from within a golden clamshell, adding a touch of opulence to the visuals.
Swift changed a lyric to honor her new boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce, when he came to her show in Buenos Aires on November 11, 2023. "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me," she sang. Kelce was both surprised and amused.
