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Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl': A gay explainer to TS12
TS12 is upon us.
Disney+; Republic Records/Taylor Swift;
Taylor Swift in the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film; Temporary artwork by Republic Records and Collage by
Taylor Swift announced that her 12th studio album, titled The Life of a Showgirl, is coming soon. This will be the singer's first album since acquiring the masters ownership of her past discography — in other words, one can assume that she no longer has any reason to re-record those projects (that she now owns) through the Taylor's Version series of album re-issues, thus focusing more on new bodies of work.
As it is the case with anything that concerns Taylor Swift, even her most casual announcements are usually packed with references, Easter eggs, hints, and lore for Swifties and pop culture enthusiasts to go into hyperdrive. While not much has been disclosed yet, there's a lot to unpack already. Are you …ready for it?
Here's everything you need to know about Taylor Swift's .
What is The Life of a Showgirl release date?
Promotional (not final) artwork used for Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl.
Taylor Swift still hasn't disclosed when The Life of a Showgirl comes out, but the title has been revealed, and more information should be coming in at any moment.
Even though preorders for the upcoming album are available and include a shipping date set for Monday, October 13 for shipping, the official website also notes that this is not the official release date for the album, adding:
"Official release date to be announced."
How was the Taylor Swift new album announced?
Taylor Swift announced her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, during an appearance on the New Heights podcast hosted by her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, and cohosted by his brother, Jason Kelce.
A clip from this episode of New Heights features Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce sitting side by side, as well as Jason Kelce filming from a separate location.
"So I wanted to show you something," Swift started.
Jason reacted, "OK, what do we got?"
"We got, uh…" Swift went, grabbing something to show the camera.
Jason continued, "…a briefcase. Mint green, with T.S. on it. What's in it?"
"This is my brand new album, The Life of the Showgirl," Swift announced.
Jason went on to yell on the mic. Travis exclaimed: "TS12!"
While the announcement is pretty clear, straightforward, and doesn't leave too much margin for misunderstandings, it's worth noting that this is only a 20-second clip from the episode. In other words, fans are expecting to see an extended appearance from Swift in the podcast's new episode.
When does the Taylor Swift episode on the New Heights podcast come out?
Wondery
New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce.
This new episode of the New Heights podcast featuring Taylor Swift is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 13 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET on all podcast streaming platforms.
For instance, fans can listen and/or watch to New Heights on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or through Wondery.
Taylor Swift quietly created a playlist that hints at what fans can expect from The Life of a Showgirl.
Taylor Swift's official profile on Spotify quietly created a playlist titled, "And, baby, that's show business for you [heart on fire emoji]."
This playlist includes 22 songs from Swift's discography and seemingly hints at what fans can expect from The Life of a Showgirl. As of this writing — in just a few hours — the playlist has already crossed 100,000 saves. The songs included in this playlist are as follows:
"22" — Red"All You Had to Do Was Stay" — 1989"Bad Blood" — 1989"Blank Space" — 1989"Dancing With Our Hands Tied" — Reputation"Delicate" — Reputation"Don't Blame Me" — Reputation"End Game" — Reputation"Gorgeous" — Reputation"How You Get the Girl" — 1989"I Did Something Bad" — Reputation"I Knew You Were Trouble." — Red"King of My Heart" — Reputation"Message in a Bottle (Taylor's Version)" — Red (Taylor's Version)"New Romantics" — 1989"…Ready For It?" — Reputation"Shake It Off" — 1989"So It Goes…" — Reputation"Style" — 1989"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" — Red"Wildest Dreams" — 1989"Wonderland " — 1989
Which producers and songwriters is Taylor Swift collaborating with for The Life of a Showgirl?
from TaylorSwift
Taylor Swift seems to be hinting that The Life of a Showgirl will include collaborations with producer/songwriter Max Martin — one of the biggest pop music hitmakers of the 21st century — and Shellback, another incredibly successful songwriter involved in some of Swift's biggest pop hits.
Max Martin and Shellback are rumored to be collaborating with Swift on her 12th studio album because the aforementioned "And, baby, that's show business for you" playlist only includes songs that were made with one or both of them, as pointed out by fans in a social media Reddit thread.
Are Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift collaborating on The Life of a Showgirl?for The Recording Academy
Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff at the Grammy Awards.
The rumors and speculation involving Max Martin and Shellback as the potential main collaborators of The Life of a Showgirl have a noteworthy meaning behind them: For the past eight years, Taylor Swift has mainly collaborated with producer/songwriter Jack Antonoff for all of her new releases and re-issues.
Antonoff was the main producer/songwriter behind Swift albums such as 2017's Reputation, 2019's Lover, 2020's Folklore and Evermore, 2022's Midnights, and 2024's The Tortured Poets Department.
Antonoff was also a key figure in all four re-recordings of Swift's past albums (prior to the singer acquiring the masters ownership of her entire discography): 2021's Fearless (Taylor's Version), 2021's Red (Taylor's Version), 2023's Speak Now (Taylor's Version), and 2023's 1989 (Taylor's Version).
Should the Taylor's Version re-recordings be considered ahead of The Life of a Showgirl?
Technically, no — the war for the masters of Taylor Swift's past albums has now come to an end, and the singer has full ownership of them.
However, Elle reported that Swift's since-archived letter about buying back masters ownership of her discography included a sentence that read, "I was thiiiiiiiiiiiis close," which contains 12 "i"s.
Fans also noticed this pattern at the time and shared posts theorizing that the singer's 12th studio album would probably be released soon. They were right, ultimately, as The Life of a Showgirl has been announced just two and a half months after that letter was posted.
A timeline of Taylor Swift using 'locks' as a songwriting device in her past work.
Taylor Swift and Locks
A Tumblr fan page named @taylorswiftandx shared a comprehensive list of the word "locks" being used in song lyrics by Taylor Swift.
First and foremost, the outline notes that albums like 2006's Taylor Swift, 2008's Fearless (Taylor's Version), and 2020's Folklore do not have any mention of "locks." On the other hand, several Swift albums include lyrics that reference "lock" as a verb or a noun. The list shared on Tumblr can be seen "When Emma Falls In Love"
Lyrics: "Closes the blinds and locks the door"Song: "Begin Again"
Lyrics: " Turn the lock and put my headphones on / He always said he didn't get this song / But I do"Song: "All You Had To Do Was Stay (Taylor's Version)"
Lyrics: "Then why'd you have to go and lock me out when I let you in?"Song: "Look What You Made Me Do"
Lyrics: "You asked me for a place to sleep / Locked me out, and threw a feast"
Song: "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things"
Lyrics: "So why'd you have to rain on my parade? / I'm shaking my head and locking the gates"Song: "I Think He Knows"
Lyrics: "He'd better lock it down / Or I won't stick around"Song: "Cowboy Like Me"
Lyrics: " But that was all before I locked it down"Song: "High Infidelity"
Lyrics: "Lock broken, slur spoken / Wound open, game token"
Does The Life of a Showgirl have different versions?
Three physical versions of Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl available on the singer's website as of Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
Yes, there are three physical versions of Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl currently available for preorder: "The Life of a Showgirl Vinyl," "The Life of a Showgirl Cassette,", and "The Life of a Showgirl CD with Poster."
Swift's official website notes that this particular cover art for The Life of a Showgirl is temporary — not official artwork for the new album yet.
This promotional artwork uses two main colors: An Oxley background (HEX code: #799671) along with a pixelated lock illustration with Medium Vermilion tones (HEX code: #E3693C).
Editor's note: All details regarding physical copies of are courtesy of
The Life of a Showgirl Vinyl
The Life of a Showgirl Vinyl
Name: Portofino Orange Glitter Vinyl (translucent orange vinyl with gold glitter)
Shipping information: Before Monday, October 13, 2025. (Disclaimer: "This is not the release date, official release date to be announced.")
Purchase includes: "Portofino orange glitter vinyl (translucent orange vinyl with gold glitter)."
Disclaimers:
"Album artwork to be revealed at a later 4 per product is only available to customers using both a U.S. billing and shipping address for their of this product is a blurred digital rendering for pre pre-order purposes note due to the custom manufacture process, each vinyl unit may be slightly different in coloration."
Fans can preorder The Life of a Showgirl Vinyl on .
The Life of a Showgirl Cassette
The Life of a Showgirl Cassette
Shipping information: Before Monday, October 13, 2025. (Disclaimer: "This is not the release date, official release date to be announced.")
Purchase includes: "1 cassette shell (design and color to be revealed at a later date)."
Disclaimers:
"Album artwork to be revealed at a later 4 per product is only available to customers using both a U.S. billing and shipping address for their of this product is a blurred digital rendering for pre pre-order purposes only."
Fans can preorder The Life of a Showgirl Cassette on .
The Life of a Showgirl CD with Poster
The Life of a Showgirl CD with Poster
Shipping information: Before Monday, October 13, 2025. (Disclaimer: "This is not the release date, official release date to be announced.")
Purchase includes: "1 double-sided folded poster (approximately 19" x 9.5"). Each side features a photo of Taylor."
Disclaimers:
"Album artwork to be revealed at a later 4 per product is only available to customers using both a U.S. billing and shipping address for their of this product is a blurred digital rendering for pre pre-order purposes only."
Fans can preorder The Life of a Showgirl CD with Poster on .
This article originally appeared on Out: Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl': A gay explainer to TS12
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