Taylor Swift announces her 12th studio album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’

Taylor Swift has revealed her next project, confirming that her 12th studio album will be titled “The Life of a Showgirl”. 

She announced it during an appearance on “New Heights”, the podcast hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce.

Speculation began earlier this week when a countdown clock appeared on Swift’s official website on Monday, August 11.

The timer reached zero at 12.12am ET (6.12am SAST) on Tuesday, August 12, leading to the launch of pre-orders for the album in vinyl, CD and cassette formats.

While no official release date has been confirmed, product descriptions indicate that physical copies will be shipped before October 13, hinting at an early October launch.

The official cover art and tracklist have not yet been revealed. Current pre-order listings show a placeholder design featuring a blurry mint green background with a glittery burnt-orange padlock. 

A note on the page explains that the design is for display purposes only and that full details will be announced at a later date. 

Swift is expected to reveal the real artwork during her “New Heights” podcast episode on Wednesday, August 13, at 7pm ET (Thursday, 1am SAST).

In a short clip posted on Instagram, Swift holds up a blurred copy of the record, telling the hosts, “This is my brand new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’”.

The album follows “The Tortured Poets Department” in 2024, which, according to Billboard, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and delivered the biggest opening week of her career.

The project also earned her another Album of the Year nomination at the Grammy Awards.

“The Life of a Showgirl” will be her first release since she regained ownership of her first six albums. 

Swift lost control of her master recordings in 2020 when they were sold to an investment group by Scooter Braun, a transaction reportedly worth over $300 million (about R5.46 billion). She was in the process of re-recording her album with a couple of “Taylor versions” singles already released. 

She later acquired the rights from Shamrock Capital, marking a turning point in her career and giving her full control over her past and future work.