There have been murmurs of a possible 12th studio album from Taylor Swift for a while now, but since The Tortured Poets Department was only released a little over a year ago — on April 19, 2024 — and the Eras Tour officially ended even more recently — on Dec 8, 2024 — many felt that it would probably take more time for another album to come to fruition. Well… now that Swift has officially announced her next album, fans know that’s not the case. So, with The Life of a Showgirl now on the horizon, it’s time to start theorizing and analyzing every little detail about it!
In case you somehow missed it, the announcement came via a teaser for the Aug. 13 episode of the New Heights podcast, hosted by Swift’s BF Travis Kelce and his brother Jason. In the teaser, Swift pulls out her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, from a mint green briefcase, with “TS” written in the same vibrant orange color that filled the inside of the briefcase (trust me, this detail is important — based on Taylor Nation’s Aug. 11 IG post teasing TS12, orange is going to be *the* color for this new era).
Swift is notorious for leaving clues for her most observant fans to pick up on, and this album rollout is no different. Within the first few hours since the album’s title reveal, social media went into a frenzy, with fans looking back over social media posts, music videos, and concert clips to see what clues there were that pointed to this new album and era all along, as well as signs of what could be next. Here are seven Easter eggs to get you ready for The Life of a Showgirl.
The Orange “Karma” Door
During the first 12 shows of the Eras Tour, there was an orange door that would descend at both the beginning and end of the song “Karma” for the dancers to enter and leave the stage, since this was the last song of the concert. However, this was eventually changed to just at the beginning of the song… until the last show of the tour, that is, when Swift exited the stage through the door, almost as if she was stepping into another era… an orange era, perhaps?
The “Bejeweled” Music Video
In the music video for “Bejeweled,” Swift appears with burlesque legend Dita Von Teese, while also dressed in a bedazzled showgirl get-up and posing like a pin-up model. Keep in mind, this music video was released in Oct. 2022, meaning she could have been hinting at a future showgirl era for years now — I mean, just how far out does she plan this stuff?
The “12” Necklace
DOES THAT NECKLACE SAY 12??????? DO WE NEED TO BE SCARED OF TS12 COMING WTF WAIT pic.twitter.com/FaV5PQRSxp
— shannon (taylor’s version) ❤️🔥 (@holygroundsound) September 22, 2024
When out on the town with bestie Gigi Hadid on Sept. 21, 2024, Swift was spotted wearing a gold chain necklace that featured two letters: “TS.” During the outing with Hadid, however, the necklace was flipped both right-side up and upside-down, almost as if Swift was sending a message, since the upside-down necklace looked surprisingly similar to the number 12… Was this a sign TS12 was coming soon?
The New Heights Podcast Background
While dissecting the announcement clip from the New Heights podcast, many fans noticed specific colors in the background. Obviously, the orange stood out, since that has already become the color of the new era. But, there were also red and white books scattered throughout the bookshelves, as well as many other books with specific names of artists, such as Basquiat and Chagall. Could these all be hints that fans can’t yet decipher?
The Spotify Playlist
Accompanying the album release announcement, Swift also shared a new Spotify playlist, titled “And, baby, that’s show business for you.” The playlist features 22 songs, all produced by pop hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback (who produced some of Swift’s most popular songs, including “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “22,” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”), hinting that Swift might have worked with them yet again for the upcoming album. Notably, Jack Antonoff, Swift’s longtime collaborator, seems to be absent from this little nod.
Also, many fans have pointed out that not only is “22” the first song on the playlist, but that there are 22 songs in total on the playlist. This has many guessing at the significance of this number in relation to the album, even believing that the album (or a single) will drop on a date including 22, like Aug. 22 or Sept. 22. This could also be a hint that the album will have a total of 22 songs.
The Sabrina Carpenter Photo
In the Aug. 11 post from Taylor Nation, a photo of Swift and Sabrina Carpenter was featured at the end of the photo carousel. Considering how Carpenter is tagged in this photo and no one else is featured in the photos besides Swift, many are speculating that this could be a hint that Carpenter will be a featured artist on the new album.
The Tortured Poet and the Showgirl
Looking back on the “Anti-Hero” music video, at about two minutes in, viewers see two Taylors — one dressed in white, the other in sparkly orange shorts and a striped top. Looking back, some think it was a pretty clear visual reference to her two albums that were to follow: the tortured poet and the showgirl, side by side.