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Everything Taylor Swift reveals about new album,​

Swift joined Travis and Jason Kelce's 'New Heights' podcast on Wednesday to reveal all.

By
Lauren Huff

Updated on August 13, 2025 11:05PM EDT
2Comments

Taylor Swift performs at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 16, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.

Taylor Swift performs at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 16, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.Credit:
Graham Denholm/TAS24/Getty
Taylor Swift just proved once again that, yes, she can still in fact make the whole place shimmer.


The 14-time Grammy winner peeled back the curtain on her glittery new album, The Life of a Showgirl, during an appearance Wednesday on the New Heights podcast, which is hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason.


Read on for everything we now know about the upcoming record.


When is Taylor Swift's new album coming out?​

Swift's 12-track The Life of a Showgirl album will debut Friday, Oct. 3.


Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl'

Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl'.
Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot

Who did Taylor Swift work with for The Life of a Showgirl?

The Life of a Showgirl is produced entirely by Swift with Max Martin and Shellback, who previously worked on the singer-songwriter's Red, 1989, and Reputation albums. Of working with the duo again, Swift shared, "This was the time where it felt like all three of us in the room were carrying the same weight as creators. Really special. It meant the world to me to have this creative experience where, like, we knew that we had to bring the best ideas we've ever had. And I know the pressure I'm putting on this record by saying that, but I don't care, because I love it that much. So proud of it. And it just comes from, like, the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life."


As for musical collaborations with other singers, the title song of the album features Sabrina Carpenter.


The album's stunning photography also marks a return to two familiar faces: fashion photogs Mert and Marcus, who previously worked with Swift on Reputation's photography. "So I called them up for this one, and I'm so happy with the way that the photos came out for this one," she explained. "And it just basically was like, I was so proud of the music and so excited about this project from a creative standpoint that I was just like, all hands on deck. We're going all out. This is a full send. I care about this record more than I can even overstate."


What does The Life of a Showgirl cover look like?​

The cover of the album features a sultry Swift dressed as — you guessed it — a showgirl, complete with a sequined bustier and bright magenta lips. There are four limited-edition "variants" of the album available on her website now, which come in the sparkly colors of orange, maroon, periwinkle, and silver. In order, their official titles are the "sweat and vanilla perfume edition," "it's frightening edition," "it's rapturous edition," and "it's beautiful edition." All come with various special posters, photos, and accessories.


Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl' cover

Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl' cover.
Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot

Why did Taylor Swift choose orange for a theme?​

Swift shared on the podcast that she chose the color orange as the main theme for the album because, "it feels like kind of energetically how my life has felt. And this album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this [Eras] tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant."


What is the tracklist for Taylor Swift'sThe Life of a Showgirl?​

The song titles in order are:


  1. "The Fate of Ophelia"
  2. "Elizabeth Taylor"
  3. "Opalite"
  4. "Father Figure"
  5. "Eldest Daughter"
  6. "Ruin the Friendship"
  7. "Actually Romantic"
  8. "Wi$h Li$t"
  9. "Wood"
  10. "Cancelled!"
  11. "Honey"
  12. "The Life of a Showgirl" featuring Sabrina Carpenter

Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl' album tracklist

Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl' album tracklist.
Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot

When did Taylor Swift record The Life of a Showgirl?​

The singer revealed that she (somehow?) found time while she was on tour in Europe to record Showgirl. "I just love it a lot. I love music," Swift shared. "I would be playing shows. I'd do, like, three shows in a row. I'd have three days off. I'd fly to Sweden, go back to the tour, and actually, like, working on this. I was physically exhausted at this point in the tour, but I was so mentally stimulated and so excited to be creating." The life of a showgirl, indeed.


Taylor Swift announces new album, 'The Life of a Showgirl' — here's everything you need to know
Taylor Swift performs onstage during Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at La Defense on May 09, 2024 in Paris, France.

Is Taylor Swift about to drop major news on Travis Kelce's podcast? Here are all the clues pointing to her 'next era'
Taylor Swift performs onstage during night four of Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at La Defense on May 12, 2024 in Paris, France.


What does The Life of a Showgirl sound like?​

As for the album's sound, Swift promised The Life of a Showgirl will be full of "bangers." Travis also added his two cents, telling viewers, "They're all 12 bangers. It's a lot more upbeat and it's a lot more like fun pop, like excitement. And so I think it's a complete 180 from a lot of the songs on Tortured Poets for sure."


As for Showgirl's theme, Swift said, "I would say it's everything that was going on behind the curtain," and her goals for the album are "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."


What surprise songs will Taylor Swift release?​

For those theorizing about a double album, think again. "There's no other songs coming," Swift said. "It's not like like, with The Tortured Poets Department, I was like... here's 31 songs. This is 12. There's not a thirteenth. There's not other ones coming," she clarified. But, she teased, "This is the record I've been wanting to make for a very long time."


 Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023

Taylor Swift performs during opening night of The Eras Tour at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023.
Kevin Winter/Getty
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What hints did she previously share about her new era?​

The information deluge comes two days after Swift whipped her fans into a frenzy on Monday, when the Swift-affiliated social media account Taylor Nation shared an Instagram post with 12 photos, using the caption, "Thinking about when she said 'See you next era…' ❤️‍ ."


Around the same time, the New Heights Instagram account shared a tease for an unexpected special episode with "a VERY special guest" set for Aug. 13 (13, of course, being Swift's favorite number). Jason could be seen wearing what looks like Swift merch, and all of this made fans speculate that the pop star would be the special guest.


A countdown on Swift's official website set to expire at 12:12 a.m. on Aug. 12 later confirmed this. At that time, Swift and the official New Heights socials jointly shared a clip of the singer on the podcast revealing the album — which was blurred out — and the title, The Life of a Showgirl, but nothing more. A "pre pre-order" for the album went up on TaylorSwift.com at the same time.
 
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