A new era is beginning for Taylor Swift.
On Tuesday, she revealed her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, set to arrive soon. This marks her first project since finishing the world-conquering ‘Eras Tour’ and reclaiming the rights to her early music. Naturally, fans are pouring over theories about what’s next. Here’s everything we know so far.
How Did She Announce It?
Swift revealed the album on the podcast New Heights, hosted by her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason. The episode will be released Wednesday, but the announcement was teased Monday with a short clip of Swift sitting next to Travis.
New Heights is ranked 10th in audience reach in the US this month, according to the New York Times, making it a savvy platform choice. Travis, a Kansas City Chiefs player, talks about sports and pop culture on the show, and fans have followed the couple closely since they went public in 2023.
The Orange Era: Swift’s New Color
The Life of a Showgirl is linked to the colour orange. Each of Swift’s albums has had a colour theme. Midnights was dark blue, Reputation was black, and Lover was pastel pink. Clues for orange include Swift changing her red lipstick to terracotta and the announcement video showing bright orange text.
Orange also appeared during the ‘Eras Tour’ in her outfits and on stage screens. This suggests the tour ended one era and the next will be orange. The official Eras Tour Book had many orange images and ended with “see you in the next era.”
Orange confetti now falls when you Google Taylor Swift along with a quote: “And baby, that’s show business for you”.
Before the announcement, Swift’s website had a countdown ending at 12:12 a.m. ET on a sparkly orange background with mint green letters. The album cover is still hidden behind an orange padlock.
Some fans think the orange colour might be a reference to Travis Kelce, whose Kansas City Chiefs team colors include red and yellow. It is also one of the few colours Swift has not used for an album era.
Getty Images for TAS Rights Mana
What Will the Album Sound Like?
Swift has kept details private, blurring the artwork and not revealing the release date, track list, or collaborators. However, she shared a Spotify playlist called And, baby, that’s show business for you, which fans are studying closely.
The playlist has 22 songs from 1989, Red, and Reputation—the only albums co-produced by Max Martin and Shellback. One notable absence is Jack Antonoff, a longtime collaborator of Swift.
When Will It Come Out?
Swift has not announced an official release date, but the album seems to be coming soon. Pre-orders are open on her official website, with vinyl, CD, and cassette copies expected to ship by Monday, October 13.
What Came Before This Release
The Life of a Showgirl is the followup to Swift’s 2024 release, The Tortured Poets Department, which expanded into a double album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.
The news comes after a quiet period for Swift since her massive ‘Eras Tour’ ended in December, wrapping up nearly 150 shows across five continents. This year, Swift successfully bought back the master recordings of her first six albums, ending a long ownership battle. During that time, she re-recorded several albums as “Taylor’s Versions.”
“All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me,” the singer wrote in a message posted to her website at the time. “I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but never owned until now.”
More Information on August 14th
Just before the countdown ended, New Heights announced Swift as their next guest. When the clock hit 12:12 a.m. ET on August 12, the podcast shared a clip of Swift showing a vinyl copy of the album, though the cover is still blurred.
The episode will last about an hour. Fans expect Swift to share more details during her conversation with the Kelce brothers. New information is expected at 9am on August 14th AEST.
