FACT CHECK: Did Taylor Swift Copy Popstar Britney Spears' Iconic Look for Her New Album as Internet Sleuths Spot Uncanny Resemblance?
Swift, 35, may have drawn inspiration from one of her idols, Britney Spears, who wore a nearly identical Bob Mackie–designed outfit during her $53.3M-grossing, 69-date Dream Within a Dream Tour in 2001. Mackie, now 86 — an iconic designer and a favorite of stars like Cher and Carol Burnett —created the Ziegfeld Follies–inspired sparkling costume for the 1981 Las Vegas stage show Jubilee!
Copy Cat
Taylor Swift poses for her new album X
On April 1, Julien's Auctions sold the 43-year-old Grammy winner's bra, panties, and armbands for a staggering $78K. A replica of Britney's rhinestone-studded, low-rise Levi's 501 medium-wash jeans — created by Corbin Struck — went for $2,925.
In 2023, Spears recalled online about first meeting Swift backstage during her $40.9M-grossing, 88-date Oops!... I Did It Again Tour around 2000–2001.
"My good friend at the time was the assistant to my manager who was trying to become a manager himself," the semi-retired pop star—who boasts 41.8M Instagram followers - wrote.
"There was a knock, and then he said, 'I have a girl named Taylor who wants to come in and sing for you.' I was like of course! He walks in, and she sings a beautiful song with her guitar.
"I was like, 'Wow wow she's unbelievable!' We took a picture, and she then became the most iconic pop woman of our generation. Kinda cool she plays stadiums, and I prefer her videos over movies any day. She's stunning! Girl crush!"
The admiration went both ways, with Swift telling GMA in 2004, "I think Britney Spears is awesome just because she has this aura that, you know, being around her in real life, people just change, and she's just so just awesome that way.
"She has this aura that people just can't resist. And that's what I love about Britney Spears because she's just like nobody else and she's very different."
In the Mood for Love
Britney Spears X
The 14-time Grammy winner announced Wednesday on her boyfriend Travis Kelce's New Heights podcast that her new album, "The Life of a Showgirl", will drop on October 3. The 12-track project features two songs — Ruin the Friendship and CANCELLED! — which many believe address the breakdown of her relationship with Blake Lively.
The disgraced 37-year-old actress allegedly tried to blackmail Swift in February, threatening to leak ten years' worth of private text messages unless Swift publicly supported her during her legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
On May 30, the "How Does It End" singer regained ownership of the masters for her first six studio albums — "Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation."
According to Billboard, Taylor spent roughly $360M to repurchase her music catalog from Shamrock Capital after "bully" Scooter Braun sold her masters to the private equity firm in 2020 — a year after acquiring them from Big Machine.
Meanwhile, Britney is gearing up to launch her first jewelry line, B. Tiny, and is reportedly heavily involved in her fully authorized biopic for Universal Pictures, directed by Wicked filmmaker Jon M. Chu.
Spears — who recently joked about adopting "a beautiful baby girl" — will soon mark the 19th birthday of her son Jayden Federline on September 12.
In November, the singer made her final $20K child support payment to her second ex-husband, Kevin Federline, whom she was married to for just two years before their 2007 divorce.
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AsiaOne
a day ago
- AsiaOne
Taylor Swift reveals new imagery for upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl, Entertainment News
Taylor Swift has revealed striking new imagery for her upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl. The 35-year-old pop star shared a promotional shot for her Shiny Bug Vinyl Collection of the record, which will be available exclusively on her website — sending fans into a frenzy online. A photo showed Taylor leaning against a pale green wall in a sequined red and black bodysuit with nude fishnet tights, her blonde hair loose across her shoulders. The image was captured by photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, whose previous collaborations with Taylor include the artwork for her 2017 album Reputation. Speaking on Travis Kelce's New Heights podcast, she said: "I loved what they did with those photos, so I called them up for [this album]. "I am so happy with the way the photos came out with this one." Taylor also credited producers Max Martin and Shellback on Instagram, saying she was "so proud" of the songs they had worked on. [embed] She explained: "This is a full send. I care about this record more than I can even overstate." The aesthetic of the new promotional campaign has provoked strong reactions from fans and critics alike. One fan said on social media: "We wanted a lead single but you look beautiful, so it's fine." Another wrote: "We wanted a single but you served so it's a win." A third added: "Taylor isn't dropping an album, she's dropping a bomb. The industry is trembling." Others, however, voiced disapproval. One user on X wrote: "Why are you suddenly so desperate to be seen as a sex symbol? LOL." Another asked: "Question to all Swifties. When did Taylor start showing skin like the rest of Hollywood?" Discussing the album artwork further, Taylor told the New Heights podcast: "My day ends with me in a bathtub — not usually in a bedazzled dress — but we try to keep it decent. "I wanted to glamorise all the different aspects of how [the Eras Tour] felt and [the The Life Of A Showgirl cover] is how that felt at the end of the night." Taylor added the record reflects her "offstage" experiences, saying: "The album cover is meant to depict what the end of my night looks like on tour." The 14-time Grammy winner also revealed the full 12-song tracklist, which includes The Fate of Ophelia, Elizabeth Taylor, Opalite, Father Figure, Eldest Daughter, Ruin The Friendship, Actually Romantic, Wi$h Li$t, Wood, CANCELLED!, Honey and the title track The Life of a Showgirl. Sabrina Carpenter, 25, features on the title track, while Travis, 34, described all the songs as "bangers". Actor Zoe Kravitz, 36, told Extra there were "no skips" on the record. [[nid:721399]]
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Straits Times
Reaching New Heights: The podcast is Taylor Swift's latest way to control her narrative
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift announcing her new album The Life Of A Showgirl on the Aug 13 episode of the New Heights podcast. NEW YORK - The transformation of podcasts from a niche audio format to a linchpin of celebrity press tours is complete: Taylor Swift has finally appeared on one. The American pop star's guest spot on New Heights, a video podcast about American football and pop culture co-hosted by her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, amassed nearly 9 million views in about 12 hours on YouTube, setting a record for the show and cementing its place among modern media properties. About 1.3 million people tuned in simultaneously to a livestream of the episode before it was felled by a technical glitch. The episode has since attracted 14 million views. By comparison, an October episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with US President Donald Trump reached about 11 million views in its first 12 hours on YouTube. Released on Aug 13, the New Heights episode served as a long-form album announcement of The Life Of A Showgirl for Swift, 35, who has never taken a particularly traditional approach to delivering such news. When not dropping surprise albums, she has opted for announcing albums on tour stops, on Yahoo livestreams or in the middle of awards shows. Rarely does Swift sit for an interview too. (Exceptions include in-depth conversations for Apple in 2020, Variety in 2022 and Time in 2023.) That her first proper podcast interview was conducted beside her romantic partner speaks to both her personal reluctance to engage with mainstream media and a larger truth about podcasting: For prominent figures, it has become a friendly space, where unchecked conversation can flow freely. Silicon Valley founders and White House officials have embraced two- or three-hour conversations with American podcaster Rogan. Athletes and musicians talk about their mental health on Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard. American actor Jason Momoa just made his podcast debut on SmartLess disclosing a near-drowning, while American actress Dakota Johnson chose to make her debut on Good Hang With Amy Poehler, holding her new puppy in her lap. 'Not only do these podcasts have massive reach, but they're also places where you can have a very nuanced, long-form conversation,' said Josh Lindgren, head of podcasts at Creative Artists Agency, which represents some of Kelce's business. 'The editing tends to have a fairly light touch, and so it's a place where you can go and have a conversation and expect that that's more or less what's going to get transmitted to your audience.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? Key points from the case Asia Sun Haiyan, ex-China ambassador to S'pore, detained for questioning: Sources Singapore Father of 4 among S'poreans arrested in CNB raids; drugs worth over $128k seized Life Online travel agencies Klook and make debut at Natas Travel Fair Singapore Jail for drink-driving cop in hit-and-run accident; victim suffered multiple fractures While these interviews may seem journalistic in nature, most stars of new media do not consider themselves journalists. In their celebrity interviews, they reject the blunt questions of 1990s network broadcasters and the literary sensibility of 1970s magazine scribes. They foster a sense of safety. Their goal is intimacy, not necessarily accountability. 'We're not a 'gotcha' show,' said Michael Bosstick, CEO of podcasting network Dear Media. He and his wife interviewed Ivanka Trump, the elder daughter of Donald Trump, in her second podcast appearance; her first was with Lex Fridman, a podcaster focused primarily on science and technology, whom Ivanka Trump described as a 'friend'. Neither show was a place where Trump would have expected to be grilled on her father's policies or her role in shaping them. 'It's about making the guests feel comfortable that we're going to actually let them tell their story,' said Bosstick, who spoke to Trump about skiing, workout supplements, her morning routine and her interest in artificial intelligence. Alex Cooper, the host of Call Her Daddy, said in 2024 that when interview subjects arrived at her studio 'terrified' that the internet would pick apart their words, she reassured them that 'we're good' and 'it's chill'. Sean Evans, the host of Hot Ones, told Vulture in May that he believed his show should be an 'extension of the guest', assuring one actor that he was in 'safe hands' while eating spicy wings. 'I would assume talent gets bored doing the traditional press junket, so this feels fresh and exciting,' said Kareem Rahma, host of Subway Takes, who has interviewed guests including Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett and Zohran Mamdani, New York's Democratic candidate for mayor, while riding the city's transit system. 'From a more practical perspective, the average American spends seven hours a day looking at their phone, so it makes sense to meet the audience there.' Much energy has been devoted to positioning internet-native shows like Hot Ones or Subway Takes as the new version of late-night talk shows – a long-declining format – particularly in terms of the clamouring by celebrity publicists to book their clients. (Evans has also been public about his desire for a prime-time Emmy statue.) But late-night television appearances have always been short and sweet, marked by canned anecdotes or contrived games. Even glossy magazine covers, once pursued like a golden ticket by publicists, have lost some of their appeal. Agents are still eager to see their clients swathed in high-fashion brands and shot by big-name photographers, but podcasts are simply 'much quicker to execute, and they offer the talent the chance to speak in an unmediated way', said Charlotte Owen, editor of Bustle, which publishes both podcasts and more traditional cover stories. But to Owen, who hosts One Nightstand, a podcast on which guests talk about their favourite books, it is not only celebrities who benefit from these lengthy video interviews. 'I'm often having more robust, intimate and revelatory conversations than I do when sat in a restaurant with a voice recorder between us,' she said. 'And for guests, it's like being in a batting cage for an hour. You're going to hit something in that time.' New Heights will certainly benefit from Swift's appearance at a crucial moment for the podcast. In 2024, podcast network and publisher Wondery acquired the rights to distribute and sell the show's advertisements, negotiating a reported US$100 million (S$128 million) deal with Kelce, 35, and his co-host, older brother Jason, 37. But this month, Wondery was broken up by its parent company Amazon. The Kelces have since been funnelled into a new department, Creator Services, as the company focuses less on traditional audio podcasts and more on deploying its splashy video-friendly talent across its platforms. Before the latest episode's release, after days of teasing the interview with Swift, New Heights reached No. 1 on Apple Podcasts' chart. It had held that spot before, but not consistently. Previously, the brothers' most-watched YouTube video had about 8.6 million views. That was a 2023 interview with Jason Kelce's wife Kylie Kelce, the 33-year-old creator and host of her own podcast Not Gonna Lie, which debuted at the top of podcast charts in December 2024. NYTIMES
AsiaOne
5 days ago
- AsiaOne
Taylor Swift explains orange theme for her upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl, Entertainment News
Taylor Swift has explained the orange theme for her upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl. The singer is returning with her latest record — which is due for release on Oct 3 — and she opened up about her use of the colour orange in the artwork and the promotional teasers explaining the hue represents how she was feeling while making the record during The Eras Tour which was "exuberant and electric and vibrant". During an appearance on the New Heights podcast with her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce, Taylor was asked about the significance of the colour orange and she replied: "I've just always liked it... It feels like energetically how my life has felt and this album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during [The Eras Tour], which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant." Taylor went on to talk about reuniting with producers Max Martin and Shellback for her 12th studio LP after previously working with the pair on her albums Red, 1989, and Reputation. She said: "One of the things about this record is, like, it's a record I made with my mentor Max Martin and Shellback. The three of us have made some of my favourite songs that I have ever done before. "They were my main collaborators on my Red album. We did We Are Never Getting Back Together, I Knew You Were Trouble, 22, Shake It Off, Blank Space, Style, Wildest Dreams, Ready for It, Delicate." She added of the pair: "They're just geniuses". Taylor also talked about the album's artwork, which shows her wearing a jewelled costume under the water in a bath and confessed the picture represents her at the end of a concert night because she always ends with a soak in the tub. She explained: "This represents the end of my night... My show days are the same every single day, I just have a different city. And my day ends with me in a bathtub — not usually in a bedazzled dress... [The album represents] the life beyond the show ... I would say it's everything that was going on behind the curtain." [[nid:721382]]
