Taylor Swift makes a surprise appearance at her Nashville mural

Taylor Swift visited a mural in Nashville on Thursday after fans spent hours there waiting for her to appear.

Rumors had drawn hundreds of Taylor Swift fans to Nashville's Gulch neighborhood Thursday morning after a mural linked to Swift that debuted last week got an update, potentially linked to Swift's mysterious social media countdown teasing a surprise coming Friday, April 26. 

Just before noon, Swift appeared in a two-piece lilac outfit and posed in front of the mural before taking photos with fans.

Earlier in the morning, two artists had added the word "ME!" to the mural, a colorful, building-tall set of wings from street artist Kelsey Montague that appeared last week.

Swift thanked Montague in a tweet after her appearance, also teasing an interview on ABC later that evening.

“So... @kelsmontagueart helped me pull off the best surprise clue reveal today in Nashville!” she wrote. “Thank you to everyone who showed up, I’ve never been more proud of your FBI level detective skills. Next clue: I’ll be joining the magnificent @robinroberts for a chat tonight on ABC”

Swift launched earlier this month a countdown on social media that ends April 26 at midnight E.T., leading many to believe new music could be imminent. It’d be Swift’s first release since parting ways with Nashville label Big Machine Records last year to join Universal Music Group.

Maddie Gann, a 20-year-old Belmont student from Chicago, was among the fans on hand that morning. She had a final in venture management at 2 p.m. but couldn’t miss a chance to see Taylor.

“I love her music, and she’s great to her fans so I know if she sees us she would come and talk to us and it’d be really great to talk to her,” Gann said.

If Taylor doesn't appear, Gann said she would head to her test. “Then I’m gonna go take a final. It’s better to show up and not have anything happen then to have it happen and not be there.”

Mary Cooke Wiley came from work in MetroCenter when she saw the notifications Swift may be here.

"I had to leave. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity if she is here. I came out specially because I feel like I grew up with Taylor Swift," she said.

The wings wouldn't be Montague’s first interaction with Swift, either. In 2014, the “Delicate” pop star posted an Instagram photo featuring Montague’s #whatliftsyou New York art.

Swift released her sixth studio album, “Reputation,” in November 2017 and supported the album on a record-breaking stadium tour that stopped in Nashville last summer.