TS 12 is Coming!
Ok, it’s been about a week, and I can finally say I’ve sorta, kinda (not really at all) processed the announcement of Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. One thing about being a Swiftie — we stay getting fed. What other artist writes two albums while hosting the biggest world tour to date? Your pop fave could never! Side note: I can’t believe it’s only one album away from her lucky number, album thirteen!
You can truly call Taylor a “Mastermind” when it comes to dropping Easter eggs about future albums—and most of the time, these hints are impossible to catch until much later, once the album is actually released. The Easter eggs for The Life of a Showgirl first appeared during the European leg of The Eras Tour, with quite a few appearances of new orange outfits hinting at orange (and green) as the main colors for this era. At the final performance of The Eras Tour, Taylor foreshadowed The Life of a Showgirl era by walking through an orange door. The way her mind works is beyond me. Taylor’s clever little details are what set her apart from other artists of our generation. These Easter eggs are so consuming, and they’re part of what makes being a Swiftie so fun—and sometimes even rewarding.
In addition to the orange hints on tour, one thing I’ve always admired about Taylor’s music is how she foreshadows the vibe of the next era in tracks from her previous album. For example, “Clara Bow” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” from The Tortured Poets Department hint at The Life of a Showgirl, both exploring themes of the pressures of stardom and doing anything for her fans’ entertainment and needs despite obstacles.
Seeing the countdown on her official website was adrenaline-inducing—it felt almost like I hadn’t been a Swiftie since her debut album, lol! But each time Taylor announces something, it’s as exciting as the last. The community she brings together each era is truly unmatched and is something that will go down in history books. Every Taylor announcement makes me think, “Life is all about who you text when Taylor announces something”—that’s girlhood, after all!
Announcing her new album on her boyfriend’s football podcast was definitely unexpected and random—but then again, Taylor has never been predictable. She announced Lover on Instagram Live, The Tortured Poets Department at the Grammys, and even surprise-dropped Folklore in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. You truly never know what you’re going to get with Blondie—or with her marketing tactics.
It was strange hearing Taylor talk so casually for about an hour and forty-five minutes on Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, as she rarely does interviews anymore, let alone on a sports podcast—but I loved every minute! She discussed The Eras Tour, her relationship with Travis, her newfound love for football, reclaiming her masters (which of course made me emo), baking sourdough, personal moments with her family, and, of course, the creation of her new baby: The Life of a Showgirl. I’m especially excited that Max Martin and Shellback are producing alongside Taylor—they were behind 1989 and Reputation, two of her most reputable albums. There are fans speculating that The Life of a Showgirl might have a secret companion album titled The Death of a Star, with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner producing a more weary, synth-pop vibe—but only time will tell. New era, new theories!
In discussing the new era, Taylor described the album in one word: “intention.” The title track features Sabrina Carpenter, which is very on the nose, as Sabrina’s aesthetic is extremely showgirl-esque and her fame grew immensely over the past year and a half. Taylor also revealed the album cover—a beautiful shot of her in a bathtub—and explained that she chose it to mirror what life was really like backstage during The Eras Tour. In my opinion, this may be one of her best photoshoots to date—the visuals are giving, and mother is mothering!
I, along with millions of other Swifties, could not be more excited for this new era! Hearing Taylor talk about what she’s passionate about is inspiring; no one does it like her. She is wise beyond her years and a woman of many talents—from marketing and performing to writing lyrics, baking, and even giving advice.
Taylor is like a big sister and therapist all in one. One moment that really stood out in the podcast was when she said: “You should think of your energy as if it’s expensive, as if it’s a luxury item. Not everyone can afford it.” She honestly has a piece of advice for everything, and I can’t wait to see how this theme is conveyed through her lyrics in The Life of a Showgirl on October 3.