Taylor Swift announces her 12th studio album ‘The Life of a Showgirl' after boyfriend Travis Kelce hints at her appearance on his podcast
Fans have long theorized that Swift's 12th album would soon arrive. On Monday, Taylor Nation — an official branch of the pop superstar's marketing team — posted a TikTok slide show of 12 images with the caption 'Thinking about when she said 'See you next era…'' Swift is seen wearing orange in every image. A special limited vinyl edition of the album will be released in 'Portofino orange glitter,' according to a pre-order page on her site. A special cassette edition is also available for pre-order.
Sensing a pattern, eagle-eyed fans noticed that 12 minutes earlier, the popular New Heights podcast posted a tease for Wednesday. The show, hosted by Swift's boyfriend and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, alongside his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelce, posted an orange image on social media with a mysterious silhouette, many believing to be Swift. The podcast announced early on Tuesday that Swift would would appear on New Heights, and a teaser video posted about her appearance showed her pulling the album from a briefcase. The actual album artwork, just as it is on her website, is blurred.
'The Life of a Showgirl' follows Swift's Grammy-nominated album The Tortured Poets Department, which dropped last year. The album broke the Spotify record for being the most-streamed album in a day. It was announced during the 2024 Grammys and released during her historic, record-breaking Eras Tour, which raked in over $2.2 billion across 149 shows, 53 cities, five continents, and two years, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time. It was the primary catalyst in Swift becoming a billionaire. The tour concluded last December.
The album is also her first release since Swift regained control over her entire body of work. In May, she revealed she purchased her catalogue of recordings, originally released through Big Machine Records, from their most recent owner, private equity firm Shamrock Capital. However, she did not disclose the amount she acquired it for.
Also Read — Hollywood's biggest fears about Donald Trump are coming true: From Taylor Swift to Stephen Colbert, what celebs got right about Trump's second term
In recent years, Swift has been re-recording and releasing her first six albums in an attempt to regain control of her music. The project was instigated by Hybe America CEO Scooter Braun's purchase and sale of her early catalogue, and represents Swift's effort to control her own songs and how they're used. Previous 'Taylor's Version' releases have been more than conventional re-recordings, arriving with new 'from the vault' music, Easter eggs and visuals that deepen understanding of her work.
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