Get in the car, it’s The Life of a Showgirl week. To celebrate the release of Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album on Oct. 3, Spotify is pulling out all the stops with a surprise pop-up in New York City. The immersive fan experience, which is open to the public from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 (from noon to 9 p.m. EST each day), features tons of photo ops for fans to enjoy. But even more exciting, the TLOAS pop-up has multiple Easter eggs for fans to discover.
It’s completely fitting for a Swift-themed event to feature hidden nods to her new album (and, spoiler, seemingly some new merch too). Swift is the indisputable queen of Easter eggs in the music world, and Swifties are well trained to search for, and decipher, clues at pretty much any given moment. “I love numerology, I love math stuff, I love dates, that stuff I find really fun,” Swift said about Easter eggs in her Aug. 13 appearance on the New Heights podcast. She’s also gone on record to say that she’s left hidden messages in her clothing, jewelry, and even public speaking engagements. Basically, anything and everything could be Easter eggs — you just have to look for them.
So naturally, fans began swarming to the pop-up in Manhattan as soon as it was announced so they could uncover the hidden (and not-so-hidden) gems for themselves. But if you can’t make it to NYC, don’t fret. Below, check out some of the most exciting Easter eggs from Spotify’s TLOAS pop-up (without too many spoilers about the event, in case you do plan to go).
Possible TLOAS Lyrics
In one area of the event, there’s a cryptic message written on a mirror: “Oftentimes, it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me.” Fans quickly put two and two together and figured out this is a lyric from the new album. The same phrase also appeared on a Spotify billboard in NYC.
But that’s not the only possible lyric teased at the event! Fans spotted the words, “I heard you calling,” on an ornament, as well as an envelope with the words “Happy Valentine’s Day,” written on it. And finally, there’s the “Keep it 100” that was written on a mirror, which was also teased during Swift’s New Heights appearance.
While there’s no confirmation that these are lyrics from TLOAS, nothing Swift-related seems to be done by accident, so it’s likely these have to do with the album.
Possible New Taylor Swift Merch
The activation is basically a series of rooms that show what it’s like to be Swift before, during, and after a show — and as such, there are tons of items strewn about the activation, from costumes to stage equipment. But some of the items actually look like merch… as in, fan merch that may soon be available to shop. Fans at the event spotted things like a T.S.-stamped duffel bag, a T.S. robe, T.S. slippers, and the T.S. vinyl case that Swift first showed on New Heights.
The Number 13
As per usual, the number 13 seems to be an Easter egg. Widely known as Swift’s favorite number, 13 popped up throughout the activation, seen labeled on the equipment cases (“Case 13”). Is this just a nod to Swiftie lore, or could it point to a secret thirteenth TLOAS song? (Swift has said the album only has 12 songs… but she’s fooled fans before.)
As with many Swift Easter eggs, it’s very likely that there are even more clues at the pop-up — which may seem like innocuous details now, until Swift reveals the truth about them once her new album drops… or even after that.
The Life of a Showgirl drops Oct. 3.