Much to the delight of Swifties and perhaps the exasperation of their long-suffering friends and families, Taylor Swift has officially announced her hotly anticipated 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.
In a move that broke from her usual tightly choreographed reveal style, the 35-year-old pop icon enlisted her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, retired NFL player Jason Kelce, to unveil the title. The announcement came as part of a teaser for Swift’s upcoming guest appearance on the brothers’ hugely popular New Heights podcast, a publicity coup that fans have noted cements Travis firmly within Swift’s cultural and musical narrative.
The reveal video, posted to Instagram at 12:12 a.m. ET on Tuesday, showed Swift arriving with a mint green briefcase embossed with her initials.
“Can I show you something?” she asked.
“What do we got? A briefcase? Mint green, with T.S. on it,” Jason observed.
“This is my brand new album, The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift replied, prompting Travis to exclaim: “TS12!”
While the album’s cover art was kept hidden, Swift’s website now features a blurred orange-and-green image alongside pre-order options for CD, cassette, and vinyl formats. Visual clues suggest glittery orange will dominate the album’s aesthetic.
On the New Heights set, observant fans spotted stacks of orange-covered art books referencing artists from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Marc Chagall, Ruth Asawa, and Mark Rothko, hinting at a rich and eclectic creative influence. A silver microphone and an American football placed nearby nodded to both Swift’s current surroundings and the Kelce brothers’ NFL heritage.
The announcement followed an online countdown Swift launched on Monday, 11 August – a mint green clock set against a sparkling orange backdrop – which ticked down to the precise moment of the reveal.
Her appearance on New Heights, scheduled for Wednesday 13 August, promises more candid moments. In a teaser posted to X, Swift complimented Travis on his sky-blue sweatshirt. His reply – “It’s the colour of your eyes, sweetie. It’s why we match so well” – drew a delighted laugh from the pop star before she exclaimed: “We’re about to do a f***ing podcast!”
The Life of a Showgirl marks Swift’s first new album since 2022’s Midnights, and anticipation is already at fever pitch among her global fanbase.
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