Swift says 'Showgirl' album reflects joy of recent tour
Swift appeared on the New Heights podcast hosted by her boyfriend, National Football League player Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason Kelce. "Showgirl" will be released October 3, the singer said on the episode aired on Wednesday.
"This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant," Swift said. "It just comes from like the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in my life."
She said that "effervescence" came through and promised some "bangers."
Swift has won 14 Grammys including an unparalleled four album of the year honours. "Showgirl" will be her 12th original album.
The Eras Tour, which featured music from throughout her two-decade career, concluded in December 2024 and grossed more than $2 billion. The singer said she jetted to Sweden between European tour dates to record "Showgirl."
She said her goal was to produce "melodies that were so infectious that you're almost angry at it" and lyrics that were "as vivid, crisp, focused and completely intentional."
The cover for the 12-track album features Swift floating underwater in a bejewelled bodice. She said the image represented the end of her night on tour. Swift went on to read out all 12 track names.
The title track is a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter. The tracks are: The Fate of Ophelia; Elizabeth Taylor; Opalite; Father Figure; Eldest Daughter; Ruin the Friendship; Actually Romantic; Wi$h Li$t; Wood; CANCELLED!; Honey and The Life of a Showgirl.
Travis Kelce said the "Showgirl" album "will make you dance" and was a contrast to Swift's last release, "The Tortured Poets Department". "Oh yeah," said Swift, who agreed that her music often reflected her feelings at the time. "Life is more upbeat."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
6 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Taylor Swift as a showgirl
With Taylor Swift, a new album unveils a new "era," and a new era dictates a new costume. This time, she embodies the dazzling spirit of a Las Vegas dancer for her upcoming album "The Life of a Showgirl". It's a far cry from the woolen overcoats and broderie-anglais dresses of "Folklore" (2020), or the copper baker boy hats of "Red" (2012). But on this record, Swift is interrogating an increasingly large part of her life — her experience as a world-famous pop star and lacquered performer, wrote Leah Dolan on CNN's 'Look of the Week'. In 2024, her "Era's Tour," which took place in 51 cities across 5 continents, became the highest-grossing tour of all time. On "New Heights," the podcast her boyfriend Travis Kelce runs with his older brother Jason, Swift said she wrote the album during the tour's European leg. "Literally living the life of a showgirl," said Travis Kelce. "It's the life behind it all, it's the life beyond the show," said Swift. On the cover of the record, the singer is dressed in a crystal embellished demi-bra with webs of jewels trailing down her torso and submerged in what appears to be a bathtub. In another image, she poses with her arms wide in another showgirl-inspired outfit covered in sparkling gems. But the sexed-up, glamorous costumes are juxtaposed with empty theatres and cold, green light, perhaps a nod to the quiet, lonelier moments after everybody has gone home. While the decision to expose more skin in this way is a new direction for Swift as an artist, she isn't the first performer to embrace the sartorial codes of this type of entertainer. In fact, she is in excellent company. Modern-day pop stars have long referenced the image of the showgirl. Typically dating back to late 19th century Parisian music halls, chorus girls, burlesque or fan dancers were defined by their glamorous, often revealing, matching outfits. The Las Vegas showgirl, which later became its own brand entirely, is now more closely associated with crystalline cage bras, diamanté panties and tall feather headdresses. Stars such as Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Mariah Carey have all taken turns dressing up in the iconic garb. Carey for her 2009 music video "I Stay in Love," Perry for "Waking up in Vegas" the same year and Beyoncé while performing at an entertainment resort in Atlantic City in 2012. Christina Aguilera's scene-stealing performance of "Lady Marmalade" in Moulin Rouge means she is now inextricably linked with showgirl styling. (She is also an executive producer on the theater show "Burlesque: The Musical" currently on show in London's West End). For her 2005 tour, Kylie Minogue performed at least four songs in a leotard dripping in crystals, a giant feather bustle and an enormous feather headdress. More recently Addison Rae, whose 2025 self-titled album made the charts in both the US and UK, donned a gem-encrusted cage bra for her "High Fashion" music video. Why have these pop stars been so drawn to the glittering facade of a showgirl? It could be the feminine styling, the makeup, the intricate costuming designed to captivate audiences and make the most of stage lighting. Or perhaps they feel an affinity to these hard-working dancers, outside of the obvious glitz and glamour: Their dedication, talent and grit. Last year, night after night, Swift performed for stadiums of people in high-octane outfits, drawing on a seemingly bottomless reserve of energy. It was a grueling schedule, perhaps rivalled only by that of a Vegas showgirl. Of the album's contents, Swift said: "It's what I was going through off-stage." No matter what happens in private, both understand the show must go on.
Express Tribune
17 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Is Taylor Swift's new song about Blake Lively?
Taylor Swift and Blake Lively, once one of Hollywood's most famous best friend duos, are reportedly no longer on speaking terms. The shift in their friendship comes at a time when Swift is preparing to release her highly anticipated new album The Life of a Showgirl, set for October, and speculation is mounting that one of its tracks may shed light on their current rift. According to People, a source close to the pair has revealed that the two have not been communicating in recent months. Their friendship, which dates back to 2014, first faced public scrutiny when Swift's name became tied to Blake Lively's legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Baldoni's team at one point alleged that Swift had influenced him to accept rewrites proposed by Lively, a claim later dismissed. Although Swift was eventually dropped from the case after a subpoena was withdrawn, her name had already become entangled in the ongoing feud. Swift's representatives argued at the time that her involvement was used merely to generate tabloid headlines rather than to address facts in the case. Now, attention has turned to Swift's upcoming single Ruin the Friendship, which appears on her new record. Fans online are speculating that the song is inspired by her deteriorating relationship with Lively. The timing of the track announcement, just as rumours of a fallout surfaced, has only fuelled further theories across social media. The friendship between the pop icon and the actress once seemed unshakable. Swift is godmother to Lively and Ryan Reynolds' children, and their daughter James famously featured on Swift's Reputation track Gorgeous, while all three of their daughters were name-checked on her album Folklore. While neither Swift nor Lively has directly commented on the state of their relationship, multiple sources suggest the two are not in the same place they once were. Whether Ruin the Friendship offers clues remains to be seen, but Swift's fans are already dissecting every lyric ahead of the album's October 3 release.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Swift says 'Showgirl' album reflects joy of recent tour
Pop superstar Taylor Swift said her forthcoming album, the upbeat "The Life of a Showgirl," was inspired by the joy she felt when she was performing around the world on her record-setting Eras Tour. Swift appeared on the New Heights podcast hosted by her boyfriend, National Football League player Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason Kelce. "Showgirl" will be released October 3, the singer said on the episode aired on Wednesday. "This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant," Swift said. "It just comes from like the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in my life." She said that "effervescence" came through and promised some "bangers." Swift has won 14 Grammys including an unparalleled four album of the year honours. "Showgirl" will be her 12th original album. The Eras Tour, which featured music from throughout her two-decade career, concluded in December 2024 and grossed more than $2 billion. The singer said she jetted to Sweden between European tour dates to record "Showgirl." She said her goal was to produce "melodies that were so infectious that you're almost angry at it" and lyrics that were "as vivid, crisp, focused and completely intentional." The cover for the 12-track album features Swift floating underwater in a bejewelled bodice. She said the image represented the end of her night on tour. Swift went on to read out all 12 track names. The title track is a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter. The tracks are: The Fate of Ophelia; Elizabeth Taylor; Opalite; Father Figure; Eldest Daughter; Ruin the Friendship; Actually Romantic; Wi$h Li$t; Wood; CANCELLED!; Honey and The Life of a Showgirl. Travis Kelce said the "Showgirl" album "will make you dance" and was a contrast to Swift's last release, "The Tortured Poets Department". "Oh yeah," said Swift, who agreed that her music often reflected her feelings at the time. "Life is more upbeat."
