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Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie Kick Off 2019 Billboard Music Awards With Pizzazz-Filled First Performance of ‘Me!’

All about her! Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie opened up the 2019 Billboard Music Awards on Wednesday, May 1, with a joyous debut performance of their hit single, “Me!”

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A marching band joined the singers for the rendition, which included several callbacks to the song’s unique music video. Colorful briefcases, floating umbrellas and even some of the exact same dance moves accented the elaborate outing.

Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie Opening Billboard Music Awards 2019
Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco and Taylor Swift perform onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 01, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Swift, who is also up for Top Female Artist and Top Touring Artist at the ceremony, teased the song-and-dance routine in a Wednesday interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1. “I was just at rehearsal last night,” the 29-year-old musician explained. “It’s going really well. I mean, you got to wish us luck ‘cause we haven’t really, like, performed this before, but it’s really, really fun what we have planned.”

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When asked whether the performance would include Easter eggs, the Grammy winner replied: “We’ll see. We’ll see. There’s a lot to look forward to.”

Swift announced the first single off her seventh album on Thursday, April 25. “’Me!’ is a song about embracing your individuality and really celebrating it and owning it,” she said during an appearance on the NFL Draft telecast. “I think that, with a pop song, we have the ability to get a melody stuck in people’s heads, and I just want it to be one that makes them feel better about themselves.”

Related: Taylor Swift’s Song Lyrics Decoded: Celebs Featured in Her Songs

The song and its intensely colorful music video were released at midnight on Friday, April 26.  Some fans believe that the clip included a subtle tribute to Swift’s boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. At one point, three of London’s iconic buildings — Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral — appear to make a cameo. The actor, 28, is a native of North London.

The songwriter is not the only act scheduled to perform at the Kelly Clarkson-hosted awards show on Wednesday night. The Jonas Brothers, Halsey, Madonna & Maluma, BTS, Mariah Carey, Panic! at the Disco, Dan + Shay, Paula Abdul, Ciara, Khalid and more are also set to hit the stage.

The 2019 Billboard Music Awards air on NBC Wednesday, May 1, at 8 p.m. ET.

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