Taylor Swift’s New Album, The Life of a Showgirl: What We Know So Far

Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl is coming! Swift announced plans to release her 12th studio album in a clip from her highly anticipated appearance on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, posted on August 12 at 12:12 a.m.

Fans were already on high alert yesterday after a number of Easter eggs were dropped (in true Taylor Swift style) by Taylor Nation, her official fan account, which reminded Swifties of the time she said “See you next era” in an August 11 Instagram. The post included several photos of Swift in orange outfits during her Eras Tour.

Adding further fuel to the speculation that something very big was coming, Kelce posted at the exact same time to Instagram, saying there would be a “VERY special guest” coming to the podcast. The teaser image notably featured a sparkly orange background.

Orange you glad we’re so tuned into these little crumbs of evidence?

Of course, particularly observant Swifties quickly noticed that the silhouette was from her Variety Directors on Directors appearance from December 2022. Iiiinteresting. All very compelling.

The Life of a Showgirl will be Swift’s first album since buying back the full rights to her first six albums. In May Swift announced the happy news that she had done so, writing in a note shared to her site, “All of the music I ever made…now belongs…to me.”

So how did we finally get the news of Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl and what can we expect from it? Here’s what to know.

John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images

John Shearer/TAS24 / Getty Images

How was Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl announced?

The Life of a Showgirl announcement landed on Swift’s website following a mysterious timer counting down to 12:12 a.m. Shocking to no one, when the countdown concluded, Swift’s site immediately crashed. When it recovered, it included limited details about her new project.

However, in a clip from her appearance on Kelce’s podcast we saw Swift dramatically open a cream briefcase with an orange “TS” embellished on it to reveal a blurred-out vinyl. “This is my brand new album, The Life of a Showgirl,” she said, followed by Jason Kelce’s screams. Showmanship at its best.

Has The Life of a Showgirl release date been confirmed?

Yes! During her appearance on the New Heights podcast, Swift revealed that the album will be released on October 3. Preorders will begin shipping on October 13.

What else we know about The Life of a Showgirl

No one works harder than Taylor Swift fans, and they are piecing together the clues already. Along with the major announcement, a playlist also cropped up on Swift’s Spotify.