Less than a day after releasing the expanded new version of her Billboard 200-topping album Midnights, Taylor Swift took the stage at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Friday (May 26) for the first of three sold-out shows at the venue. Aside from a three-hour set full of massive hits and beloved deep cuts (which fans have come to expect on her blockbuster Eras Tour), Swift brought out a surprise guest who helped bring the night to a raucous close.
Ice Spice, who features on a remix of the kismet bop “Karma” from Midnights (Til Dawn Edition), came out at the end of the night to perform her verse alongside Swift.
The “Princess Diana” rapper made a royal entrance, emerging onstage from below. Ice and Swift strutted around the stage holding hands, with the rapper patting her hair confidently after delivering her verse. As confetti fell at the end of the concert, the pair had their arms around each other. Spice — who was raised in the Bronx, just across the Hudson River – seemed comfortable and in command as she played to the largest crowd of her burgeoning career.
Earlier in the night, Swift also surprised the crowd with the premiere of the cinematic music video for the “Karma” remix, and when she introduced the visuals, she explained how the collab with Ice came together.
“At the very beginning of the year, when I was just starting to train for this tour, I got reached out to by Ice Spice,” Swift said. “She reached out and said, ‘If you’d ever like to do a collab, I would love to.’ And what she didn’t know at the time is that when I was training for the tour, I was listening to pretty much exclusively just her music every single day. All day. … So I said, ‘Absolutely, when can we do it?’ So we immediately went into the studio and I just not only fell in love with her, but just decided she’s the entire future. … I’ve been around so many artists and so many artists just starting out, but I’ve never been around an artist who’s so prepared and curious and focused on what she wants.”
Prior to the “Karma” remix dropping, Swift praised Ice Spice’s artistry: “I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch.”
Spice covered Billboard magazine earlier this month and talked about her rapid rise to fame over the last two years. “Right now, I’m focused on music,” she told Billboard. “I’m still learning a lot, to be honest. But I’m so happy I’ve put in that time and that work — because it’s paying off.”
Swift plays two more dates at MetLife Stadium as part of her Eras Tour, which Billboard Boxscore reports is on track to be the biggest selling tour of her career.
This story originally appeared on Billboard
