--- title: Taylor Swift Will Open AMAS 2018 With Performance description: Pop princess Taylor Swift will return to the 2018 American Music Awards by being the awards show's opening performer. canonical: https://time.com/5412798/taylor-swift-amas/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-10-02T16:43:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:55:13.679Z og:title: Taylor Swift Will Open the 2018 AMAs With This Song og:description: It's not what you might expect og:url: https://time.com/5412798/taylor-swift-amas/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b85c88fdc6a7161/69893b9e22fb857451e26cc7/taylor-swift-amas-opening-song.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Taylor Swift Will Open the 2018 AMAs With This Song twitter:description: It's not what you might expect twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b85c88fdc6a7161/69893b9e22fb857451e26cc7/taylor-swift-amas-opening-song.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Taylor Swift Will Open the 2018 AMAs and This Is the Song She's Doing > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6bd51358-0805-487d-bd8e-659f05232006&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6bd51358-0805-487d-bd8e-659f05232006&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=6bd51358-0805-487d-bd8e-659f05232006&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Oct 2, 2018 4:43 PM UTC  HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 29: Taylor Swift performs onstage during the reputation Stadium Tour at NRG Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/TAS18/Getty Images for TAS) HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 29: Taylor Swift performs onstage during the reputation Stadium Tour at NRG Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/TAS18/Getty Images for TAS) Emma McIntyre—Getty Images for TAS  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Oct 2, 2018 4:43 PM UTC [Taylor Swift](http://time.com/4411055/kanye-west-taylor-swift-kim-kardashian-feud/) is making her return to the [American Music Awards](http://time.com/4411055/kanye-west-taylor-swift-kim-kardashian-feud/) stage as this year’s opening performer. The [“Look What You Made Me Do”](http://time.com/4918411/taylor-swift-look-what-you-made-me-do-music-video-references/) singer took to her Instagram to share the news alongside her beloved cat Meredith. In the caption, Swift told fans that she would be performing her song “I Did Something Bad,” kicking off a night of star-studded performances and a show that will be helmed by Tracee Ellis Ross, who hosted last year’s AMAs to great fanfare. Other singers in the night’s lineup include Ciara, Missy Elliott, and Dua Lipa. Swift, who’s nominated in four categories at the 2018 AMAs — artist of the year; favorite female artist, pop/rock; favorite album, pop/rock; and favorite tour of the year — last performed at the awards show in 2014, singing her hit song, “Blank Space.” The pop princess has taken home 19 awards from the AMAs in the past. See Swift’s Instagram post below. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5412798/taylor-swift-amas/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5412798/taylor-swift-amas/"},"headline":"Taylor Swift Will Open the 2018 AMAs and This Is the Song She's Doing","datePublished":"2018-10-02T16:43:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:55:13.679Z","description":"It's not what you might expect","url":"https://time.com/5412798/taylor-swift-amas/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b85c88fdc6a7161/69893b9e22fb857451e26cc7/taylor-swift-amas-opening-song.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b85c88fdc6a7161/69893b9e22fb857451e26cc7/taylor-swift-amas-opening-song.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour","caption":"Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour","creditText":"Emma McIntyre—Getty Images for TAS","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5412798/taylor-swift-amas/","name":"Taylor Swift Will Open the 2018 AMAs and This Is the Song She's Doing"}}]}] ```