Karma (Taylor Swift song)

The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift created her tenth studio album, Midnights, as a collection of songs about her nocturnal ruminations, detailing a wide range of emotions such as regret, lust, nostalgia, contentment, and self-loathing. She produced the standard edition of Midnights with Jack Antonoff.^[1] Swift announced the track listing via a thirteen-episode short video series on the platform TikTok; the title of the eighth track, "Karma", was revealed in the episode posted on October 6, 2022.^[2][3]

Midnights was released on October 21, 2022, via Republic Records.^[4] "Karma" was the third pop-radio single from the album, following "Anti-Hero" and "Lavender Haze".^[5][6] Republic Records released "Karma" to US hot adult contemporary radio on May 1, and to US contemporary hit radio on May 2, 2023.^[7][8] On May 26, a remix of "Karma" featuring the rapper Ice Spice was made available as part of a digitally exclusive, extended Til Dawn Edition of Midnights.^[9]

According to Swift, Ice Spice's team reached out to her to suggest a collaboration between the two. She contacted Ice Spice personally to ask her to collaborate on "Karma", to which the rapper accepted immediately.^[10] Various social media users interpreted the Ice Spice remix as Swift's "damage control" after receiving backlash for her romantic linking with the English singer-songwriter Matty Healy, who had laughed at "racist" jokes about Ice Spice made by the American comedians Adam Friedland and Nick Mullen during their podcast;^[11][12][13] Healy later issued a public apology to Ice Spice.^[14]

After working together on "Lavender Haze", Antonoff asked Sounwave if he had other materials that they could produce for Midnights. Sounwave had created a track with Keanu Beats, which the former described as "something that was too perfect not to send to [Swift]".^[15] After Sounwave played the track to Antonoff, the latter sent it to Swift, who recorded her vocals and completed the song the following day.^[16] Sounwave described "Karma" as a "last-minute Hail Mary" and contended that the lyricism was "so cool".^[15]

"Karma"

A sample of the chorus in "Karma", depicting the cascading synth and Omnichord notes

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As listed in the liner notes of Midnights, "Karma" was written and produced by Swift, Antonoff, Sounwave, and Jahaan Sweet; Beats was credited as a co-writer.^[17] At 3 minutes and 24 seconds long,^[17] "Karma" is an upbeat track, set over a tempo of 90 beats per minute.^[18] It incorporates disco,^[19] disco-pop,^[18] electroclash,^[20] synth-pop,^[18][21][22] and chillwave,^[23] with elements of new wave, alternative pop, and techno.^[20] The track is instrumented by oscillating Omnichords and synths that create cascades of notes.^[18] The music critic Annie Zaleski described the production elements as "dreamy synthesizer shimmers, sun-kissed production and laid-back beats".^[16]

In an interview with Apple Music, Swift said she wrote "Karma" from "a perspective of feeling really happy, really proud of the way your life is, feeling like this must be a reward for doing stuff right".^[24] Featuring comical lyrics,^[25] the song is about Swift's confidence in her positive karma, which rewards her with good things in life.^[26][27] She does not seek revenge on her enemies and instead lets the universe take its course: while karma makes her detractors suffer for their wrongdoings (as depicted in the verses), it bolsters her for her good deeds.^[16][28] In the refrain, she likens the rewards that the universe bestows upon her to things like a "purring", lovable cat, a breeze in her hair on a relaxing day, a boyfriend, and a god.^[16] Vulture's Craig Jenkins and The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber interpreted "Karma" as a diss track.^[19][29] CT Jones of Rolling Stone contended that "Karma" was the defining moment for Midnights, naming the lyric, "I'm still here", as Swift's "middle finger to the people who prayed for her downfall".^[30]

The remix features Ice Spice's new second verse and interjections throughout the song;^[31] she wrote her lyrics with RiotUSA.^[32] It is a pop rap track that features trap and dancehall elements in the said verse to accompany her rapping flow.^[18][33] The remix begins and ends with Ice Spice's lyrics, "Karma is that girl, like", and, "Karma's gonna hold you down", respectively.^[31]

Some reviews praised the production of "Karma" as infectious. John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute hailed "Karma" as an "immediate masterpiece", lauding the bright and radiant "singalong" sound.^[23] Zaleski contended that it was the album's catchiest song,^[16] Paul Nolan of Hot Press deemed it a "banger" and a standout,^[34] and Andy Von Pip of Under the Radar complimented Swift's ability to create "huge melodic earworms".^[35] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis deemed the track "kaleidoscopically tuneful", reminiscent of Swift's 2014 album 1989. He commented that the lyrical content about revenge, accompanied by the catchy sound, gave the song a "dish-served-cold poise".^[36] In Variety, Chris Willman highlighted "Karma" as the album's "most unusual and sonically transfixing track".^[25]

Other positive reviews focused on the lyricism. Ann Powers of NPR opined that the track showcased Swift's "wit and tartness", akin to the writer Dorothy Parker.^[37] Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times described the lyrics as full of "vivid metaphors",^[38] while Ellen Johnson from Paste wrote that the couplet, "Karma is a cat/ Purring in my lap 'cause it loves me", could become an "iconic" addition to Swift's discography.^[39] Rolling Stone named it the fourth best song of 2022; Jones hailed the combination of Antonoff's "sleekest, most flexible production tendencies" with the metaphors and wordplay.^[30] American Songwriter listed "Karma" as one of the 24 best songs of 2022; Alex Hopper praised the "lulling verses" and "effervescent chorus", and deemed the lyricism "deeply Swift in nature", symbolizing her "thesis statement" to her stance on the music industry.^[40]

On a less enthusiastic side, Stereogum's Tom Breihan argued that the lyrics were bad "in a fun way",^[41] while The Sydney Morning Herald's Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen contended that a "juvenile" lyric blemished the song ("Karma is my boyfriend").^[21] In The New York Times, Jon Caramanica called it "a largely dim song with an aggressively plastic sound".^[42] Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club categorized "Karma" as one of the "glaring misfits" on Midnights, calling the song "leftover from Reputation but doesn't match that album's scathing fury".^[43] Writing for Billboard, Jason Lipshutz ranked it the second-worst song of Midnights upon its release, calling some wordplay and metaphors questionable. In April 2024, he revisited the track, saying that he had ranked it too low and describing it as the "purest distillation" of Swift's success.^[20][22]

The Ice Spice remix received mixed reviews, with critics commenting that her and Swift's styles did not match well.^[5] Shaad D'Souza of Pitchfork opined that the collaboration was a "clash of sensibilities", deeming Ice Spice's delivery lacking the "rat-a-tat velocity" of her contribution to PinkPantheress's "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2".^[33] HotNewHipHop's Aron A. deemed the remix underwhelming for hip-hop fans,^[44] and Matthew Dwyer from PopMatters contended on whether Swift had Ice Spice on to remain relevant.^[45] However, Billboard and USA Today named the remix one of the best songs of 2023.^[46] In Billboard, Andrew Unterberger wrote that while it was not the best single for either Swift or Ice Spice, it could become "genuinely intoxicating" because of its status as the "shared victory lap moment" for both artists.^[47] At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024, the remix was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.^[48]

Swift performed "Karma" as the closing song of the Eras Tour (2023–2024). After ending the number, she departed the stage as confetti rained down and fireworks flew above the stage.^[49][50] Waiss Aramesh of Rolling Stone and Mark Savage of BBC News wrote that the song's theme about finding peace and victory was the appropriate closer for the tour, which showcased Swift as having persevered through challenges to reach her stardom.^[51][52] On May 26, 2023, Swift and Ice Spice performed the remix of "Karma" at the Eras Tour concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey.^[53]

Beginning with the concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 11, 2023, Swift occasionally changed one lyric of "Karma" from, "Karma is the guy on the screen coming straight home to me", to, "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me." This altered lyric referenced her relationship with the football player Travis Kelce, who was playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.^[16][54] She would change this lyric during the concerts where Kelce was in attendance, or when the Kansas City Chiefs had a game during the football season.^[55]

Upon the release of Midnights, nine of its tracks entered the top 10 of the Billboard Global 200 chart; "Karma" debuted at number 10. This set the record for the most simultaneous top-10 entries.^[56] The track peaked at number six on the Global 200 chart dated June 10, 2023, spending 53 weeks in total.^[57]

In the US, upon the album's release, "Karma" debuted at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Together with other Midnights tracks, it made Swift the first artist to monopolize the top 10 of the Hot 100 the same week.^[58][59] Following the release of the Ice Spice remix, "Karma" peaked at number two on the Hot 100.^[5] The remix marked Ice Spice's highest-charting single in the US, and "Karma" made Midnights the first album since the Weeknd's After Hours (2020) to have three top-two singles.^[60] Unterberger commented that while Ice Spice "covered the one area inside the mainstream that she was no longer really able to touch", she brought to "Karma" a "much-needed freshness", which revitalized its chart performance.^[5]

After its radio release, "Karma" became Midnights's third consecutive top-10 single and Swift's 28th overall top-10 song on the Adult Pop Airplay chart, making her the artist with the most top-10 entries.^[61] It ultimately became Swift's 10th number one on Adult Pop Airplay (tying her with Pink for the most number ones for a solo artist),^[62] and 11th number one on the Pop Airplay chart (tying her with Maroon 5, Katy Perry, and Rihanna for the most number ones).^[63]

In the English-speaking countries, "Karma" charted in the top 10 and has received platinum certifications in Australia (number two, five-times platinum),^[64][65] Canada (number four, platinum),^[66][67] and New Zealand (number nine, double platinum).^[68][69] It also peaked at number eight in Ireland and number 12 in the UK, and has been certified platinum in the UK.^[70][71][72] Elsewhere, the single peaked at number seven in the Philippines,^[73] number 12 in Singapore and Slovakia,^[74][75] number 18 in Malaysia,^[76] and number 20 in Portugal.^[77] It has been certified platinum in Brazil and Mexico,^[78][79] and gold in Denmark, France, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.^[b]

Swift directed the music video for the remix of "Karma".^[85] She premiered it at the Eras Tour concert in East Rutherford on May 26, 2023, and released it to YouTube the following day.^[86] The video features heavy digital effects, cosmic imagery,^[85][86] and Easter eggs to Swift's other songs and albums; for instance, media publications interpreted her blue nail color and the Roman number "MCMLXXXIX" as Easter eggs pointing to her album 1989.^[87][88] Jennifer Zahn of Vulture called the video "magic-heavy",^[89] while Denise Warner of Billboard labelled it "elaborately cinematic".^[90]

Swift adopts various attires and personifications in mutliple locations, such as: Dorothy on a yellow brick road featured in a Wizard of Oz-themed storybook; a woman dressed in turquoise, backed by an enormous photo of her cat Olivia curled up sleeping; and as a green giantess covered by forest and mountain, whereas Ice Spice is in a cloud formation.^[85][86][91] Ice Spice delivers her rap verse from inside a golden clamshell.^[53][89] Swift and Ice Spice climb a staircase from opposite sides and lasso the Moon and Saturn.^[87] The final scene shows Swift's hands carrying a cup of coffee, the surface of which shows a foam clock.^[92]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Midnights.^[17]

Recording

• Recorded at Rough Customer Studio (Brooklyn), Electric Lady Studios (New York City), and Henson Recording Studio (Los Angeles)
• Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (Edgewater, New Jersey)
• Sounwave's performance recorded by himself at Sound of Waves Studios (Los Angeles)
• Jahaan Sweet's performance recorded by himself at The Sweet Spot (Los Angeles)
• Keanu Beats's performance recorded by himself (Melbourne, Australia)

Personnel

• Taylor Swift â€“ vocals, songwriter, producer
• Jack Antonoff â€“ songwriter, producer, engineer, drums, programming, percussion, synths, Juno, Omnichord, recording
• Sounwave â€“ songwriter, producer, engineer, programming, recording
• Keanu Beats â€“ songwriter, producer, engineer, synths, recording
• Jahaan Sweet â€“ songwriter, co-producer, engineer, keyboard, synth pad, recording
• Laura Sisk â€“ engineer, recording
• Megan Searl â€“ assistant engineer
• John Sher â€“ assistant engineer
• John Rooney â€“ assistant engineer
• Mark Aguilar â€“ assistant engineer
• Serban Ghenea â€“ mixing
• Bryce Bordone â€“ assistant mix engineer
• Randy Merrill â€“ mastering