Taylor Swift just gave her longest interview ever. Here's what we learned

San Francisco Chronicle​

3 days ago

Taylor Swift is back in the spotlight for the first time since wrapping up her record-breaking Eras Tour last year, and the internet is losing its mind.
The pop superstar made her podcast debut on Wednesday, Aug. 13, for an episode of 'New Heights,' hosted by her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
'This podcast got me a boyfriend ever since Travis decided to use it as his personal dating app about two years ago,' Swift quipped, referring to the football player shooting his shot on the show after attending an Eras Tour show in Kansas City.
During the nearly two hour-long episode — the Grammy winner's longest interview to date — Swift chatted with the Kelce brothers about everything from her first Chiefs game to post-tour hobbies like sewing, baking and watching football.
But for her fans tuning in around the globe, it was what she revealed about her forthcoming studio album, 'The Life of a Showgirl,' that was most exhilarating. Due out Oct. 3, Swift also unveiled her 12th studio album's art and tracklist.
Streaming live on YouTube on Wednesday, the episode drew more than 1 million viewers — enough to briefly crash the feed — and set a record for most concurrent views on the platform for a podcast.
The story behind how Taylor Swift secured her masters
After wrapping up the Eras Tour, the singer said that she and her team decided to approach the private equity firm Shamrock Capital, which owned her masters at the time, about if they'd be willing to sell.
'I'm in the business of human emotion. I would so much rather lead heart-first in something like this, rather than send lawyers or management in a big crew,' she explained.
So she deployed her family: 'I sent my mom and my brother, who I work with, to L.A.'
Their mission was successful, she confirmed in May, and Swift was able to purchase the rights to her first six albums.
She got teary-eyed opening up about the process for the first time on 'New Heights.'
'It's a couple months after the Super Bowl, I'm in Kansas City and I get a call from my mom. … She's like, 'You got your music,'' Swift recalled. 'I just very dramatically hit the floor for real. Honestly started bawling my eyes out, just weeping.'
She said she immediately went to tell Travis, who was in the other room playing video games.
'I started crying too,' the Super Bowl champ chimed in. 'You know I'm a crier.'
'The Life of a Showgirl' was written during the Eras Tour
During her days off in between three-and-a-half hour concert performances, Swift said she would meet up with collaborators Max Martin and Shellback to work on the new record. She previously worked with the two on '1989,' 'Reputation' and 'Red.'
'I would do like three shows in a row, I'd have three days off, I'd fly to Sweden,' she said, noting that she exclusively made the record in the Scandinavian country. 'I was physically exhausted at this point in the tour, but I was so mentally stimulated and so excited to be creating.'
She previously wrote and released her 11th studio album, 'The Tortured Poets Department,' while also on the Eras Tour.
The new album reflects the joy in her life
'My main goals were melodies that were so infectious that you're almost angry at it, and lyrics that are just as vivid but crisp and focused and completely intentional,' she said.
She added that she and her collaborators specially spoke about preserving the storytelling elements of 2020's 'Folklore.
Travis Kelce, who said he has already listened to the full album, teased that the new record is packed with 'upbeat, fun pop.'
'This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour,' Swift said. 'It just comes from like the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life, and so that effervescence has come through on this record.'
'The Life of a Showgirl' features only one guest artist
Near the end of the interview, Swift showed off the front and back cover of her forthcoming record, reading out the 12-song tracklist as the Kelce brothers reacted.
The big surprise: 'Espresso' singer Sabrina Carpenter is featured on the closing title track.
The former Disney star previously opened for select dates of Swift's Eras Tour.
Other 'The Life of a Showgirl' song titles include 'Elizabeth Taylor,' 'Father Figure' and 'CANCELLED!'
There will be no bonus tracks
Swifties know that the singer-songwriter has a penchant for treating fans with a variety of surprise material, whether it be the vault tracks off her re-recorded albums or the 31-song edition of 'The Tortured Poets Department,' titled 'The Anthology.'
This time around, however, there will be no bonus tracks.
'I tend to love to write lots and lots of music, so it's a temptation to release lots of music,' she admitted. But with 'The Life of a Showgirl', Swift said she 'wanted to do an album that was so focused on quality and on the theme and everything fitting together like a perfect puzzle.'
Taylor Swift is in her Sourdough Era
Now that her tour is over, Swift is enjoying some rare downtime and rediscovering her hobbies.
'The sourdough's taken over my life in a huge way. I'm really talking about bread 60% of the time,' Swift said. 'There are sourdough blogs. There's a whole community of us.'
She added that she's also been sewing baby clothes and blankets for Jason's young children.
NFL players and pop stars aren't that different
'On paper, we actually kind of have a very similar job,' Swift said of her and Travis' careers. 'Our job is to entertain people for three-plus hours in NFL stadiums. When I'm there, it's called a dressing room; when Travis is there, it's called a locker room.'
She and Travis bonded over their post-game/post-show rituals, with her beau joking that Swift may even do more recovery prep than him.