Have you googled “Taylor Swift” today? Google does something special, you should check it out. Obviously, it’s Taylor Swift Week around the world. She announced her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, and she appeared on the New Heights podcast, which is hosted by her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason. The pod came out on the 13th, because 13 is her lucky number – and this is her 12th studio album, so the first announcement came out on the 12th. On New Heights, Taylor revealed the album cover, and then later, she posted all four album covers on her social media. Incidentally, the album art got leaked days before all of these announcements, and Snake Nation is really mad about it.
What else about the album? Taylor told the Kelces that she recorded it during the Eras Tour, which explains the “showgirl” theme. Unlike her previous seven-ish albums, this one has not been produced by Jack Antonoff. Swifties have been begging her to work with other producers and she listened. She went back to Max Martin, whom she worked with back in the Red & 1989 eras. Martin is a major hitmaker, and when they worked together, they came up with “Blank Space,” “Style,” “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble” and on and on. If she made a super-radio-friendly album, I will enjoy it. TLOAS comes out on October 3.
Here’s the full New Heights episode with Tay. It’s over two hours long!! So obviously, I haven’t listened to/watched more than a few minutes. They cover a lot of information, she also talked about buying her masters and her father’s quadruple bypass and lots more.
Cover & IG courtesy of Taylor Swift’s IG. Screengrabs courtesy of New Heights YT.
She certainly is prolific. But who is this album about? Is it about her and being on top of the world?
Honestly, I kind of hope so. I’d love an album that wasn’t overshadowed by who each song is about or what certain lines refer to. She’s had a lot going on in her life that has nothing to do with romance, and maybe it’s time to explore that.
Her albums aren’t all about other people? She like every musician ever, writes songs about her life including relationships. Women seem so bitchy about Taylor VS, I don’t know, any guy or band? Such jealousy. Obviously. Either that or brainless. I go jealous but brainless works just fine.
She said it’s about her life during the tour and what goes on behind the curtains. Travis said it’s a banger and completely opposite of her Tortured Poets Department. Taylor said something like that’s because her life is brighter now. The cover art reflects how after the tour she would recover in a bath. One of her songs is titled Ophelia, so I expect the water imagery goes with the story of Ophelia too. I have never seen her be so open during an interview. It was really quite something.
@Val – Thanks for sharing that. She absolutely should be celebrating herself right now coming off an epic and historic tour. I’m curious to hear how that impacts her sound.
I have never watched an interview with her, and I found her delightful. It was awesome to watch Travis’s face, too. My God is he proud of her. I think team #fakerelationship HAS to throw in the towel now, right? He’s besotted, and she seems equally proud to be with him.
I assume it’s about going through a major breakup while touring, and her experiences of doing a global tour in general.
She already did the album about going through a major breakup while touring – this is the one about building a new relationship and a happier life also while touring.
She calls this album ‘effervescent’ in the podcast.
We’re gonna pretend it’s my 11yo daughter that is super duper excited, dancing around while pumping her TSWIFT playlist
Be proud of your taste in music. Taylor is an adult woman in her 30s with a lot of life experience. It’s okay for adults to listen to her music! I certainly do! AND I dance around to Taylor songs with my 11 year old niece.
Glad this site has finally come around to loving TSwift.
I like TS but I don’t like the cover, it’s not challenging or interesting in any way, but I guess most of her covers are like that.
BTW i think the album comes out October 3 not the 8th.
Taylor is a beautiful woman owning her sexuality with that cover and the photo drop supporting the album. Fuck tangerine tits! Who is ugly/not hot? I am so excited about this album and how she has dropped this publicly. Go Taylor!!!!! Swifties unite and fight the fascists and limp d!ck incels!!!!!
I love the cover with the outfit and being nearly submerged in water. It’s visually so interesting.
She said on the pod that the cover is supposed to represent how she feels after a show, when she gets into the bath and she’s exhausted but fulfilled or something like that.
My only real issue with the cover is the line that goes from her hair to the corner of her mouth. Is that supposed to be a water line to show that she’s underwater? I just…don’t think it’s necessary and looks weird. The sparkly bra is probably supposed to be pinched into the breast to make a point about the hurts and pains that can go into being a show girl. Usually when I see bathtubs with music, I think Fiona Apple which isn’t a bad reference to have.
1989 is my favorite so there’s a good chance I’m going to like some of the songs on this. I’ve haven’t ever really gotten into her other albums as much but 1989 I genuinely enjoyed across the board.
Same! She made this new one with Max Martin and Shellback, who she made 1989 with, so my hopes are high for an album with a similar high energy vibe.
I’ve always like a few songs from each album, minus the tortured poet’s one, but 1989 was the one that I liked the most songs from so I’m interested to hear it.
So excited for this album! I’m not a huge Red or 1989 fan but I love Reputation so I hope it has similar vibes.
I loved all of the covers — I recall the rail thin skinny friend collecting days and I like this Taylor much better — sis has done the work and looks confident and strong.
She is a prolific musical prodigy I’m here for whatever she gives us. Thank you for the gift of your music Taylor Swift we need it!
I’m almost 10 years older than Taylor, so I never got into her music until the last two years, when my young girls did. Some of it’s meh, some of it I really like. I haven’t heard Folklore and I’ve read it might be more my jam. All that to say, I enjoyed the hell out of the parts of the podcast that I watched yesterday. She had more of a sense of humor about herself than I expected, and to watch two men with Super Bowl rings throw confetti and scream when she revealed the album cover 😂 I can’t remember when in the past year I’ve enjoyed something so much.
You’ll probably end up liking Folklore the best! It, to me anyway, feels a lot more emotionally mature and introspective than some of her other albums. I still listen to it obsessively, 5 years later.
Welcome to the Renaissance by Taylor.
I wish her success, but she’s never done it for me.
I watched the Youtube video of the podcast last night and then I listened to the rest on Apple Podcasts. I’m not sure if there was a glitch in the video but the Youtube video ends awkwardly with Jason mid sentence. There’s a whole extra 15-20 minutes left (I learned via the comments on the Youtube) on Spotify which I don’t have but I was able to access it on my Podcast app on my phone. Apparently this is the most personal she’s ever been in an interview according to her fans. She and Travis held hands for a good portion of the video and he’s clearly so in awe of her and her talent and they are both clearly very in love. They are both ridiculously cute. Jason was a great interviewer.
Her father actually had a QUINTUPLE bypass which woah! And her mom had a knee replacement (or something like that) this summer so both her parents have been going through it. Travis’s dad also recently lost his partner so a lot been going on. Taylor also goes on a whole baking sourdough tangent, apparently that’s become her hobby now that she’s no longer on tour. It was a fun interview and I recommend setting time aside to watch/listen to the whole thing and not just watching select clips you’ll see online.
As for the album cover, in comparison to her other covers, while I may not love the color scheme (I don’t like orange), I think it goes with all the whole Showgirl theme and it’s visually interesting to look at. It’s different!
Youtube had a glitch which is why it ended like that. New Heights sent out a link that they’ve fixed it so I have the last 15 min pulled up to watch this morning.
This was the best interview I have EVER seen/listened to with Taylor Swift. I was smiling and kicking my feet the whole time. Jason asked the questions we all want to know the answers for, and THEY LET HER TALK. She had pauses to collect her thoughts, she had long long answers, and they did not interrupt or talk over her or make the questions about them, which is very different from a lot of podcasts with hosts/guests.
Seeing the three of them interact was just such a serotonin boost. I loved it so much. It was like watching a romcom or something. I’m happy she’s found a partner and family who are fans of her–all of who she is, and her incredible accomplishments and talents. It’s so neat to see, and I’m so happy for her. It feels unprecedented for her.
Abby I couldn’t agree more, that interview was fantastic. I will I have watched a couple of their podcasts and they are really good interviewers allowing who ever they speak to to really talk and give their POV, thoughts etc. This is just the one of the first I cared about since so many are football haha.
But as for this one, it is so nice to see men (big “masculine” men) be so excited and in awe of a woman and her accomplishments and ambitions. I also love how much you could tell these two families are intertwined. I mean she is working on a special sourdough for his daughters!!! I also really loved hearing her speak on the process of the masters recordings, why that mattered to her. And learning more about her album and just really her. She is a delight.
I also loved her comments about social media “think of energy as expensive.” It was great.
oh thanks for letting me know! I’m glad they fixed it. I am going to go re-listen/watch the last 15 minutes then because it is fun to see them on video.
I totally agree. The podcast was fantastic. Taylor is really thoughtful about her work and how she navigates fame.
I especially enjoyed the segment near the end when she talked about having to counter Jason’s assertion to his little girls that “cats are poison.” She said she thoroughly enjoyed introducing her girls to her cats and watching them figure out that their Dad had pulled a fast one because he doesn’t like cats.
It seems like she spends a lot of time with the Kelces, which is wonderful. Can you imagine Taylor Swift being your Aunt Tay?
Not a big fan of either but I like that they’re doing this together. It’s kind of sweet, actually.
Thats all I got.
I actually love the cover art. I feel like we haven’t seen Taylor Swift’s forehead in a decade!
I haven’t really enjoyed Taylor Swift since 1989 so I’m cautiously excited. I’m not exactly a superfan though. I appreciate her songwriting ability but her live vocals are kind of dodgy to me.
These covers and also many a fashion look I have seen her in – no one on her team can fit her breasts correctly in anything! How?? Why???
The costume doesn’t fit her and the styling isn’t that great. I think they could have done better for Taylor for these covers.
This will be a good gossip season🧡
So she’s drowning in her fame? Is that the message? Take a break, girl. People will like you more if you just go away for 5 minutes.
She’s relaxing and recovering in a bath after a long show. Considering all the records she’s breaking with the announcement video, I think people like her just fine right now.
She did take a break. And no the cover is suppose to be after she is off stage and in the tub to get her muscles to react. She also has a song tied to Ophelia so assuming you know Hamlet it probably a play on that as well.
This podcast video is the romcom I needed today. Watching as I work – they’re cute, have good chemistry, and it’s nice to have some light during THESE DARK TIMES.
Wouldn’t it be so amazing if the track CANCELED! Was the #uck you DT song? Probably isn’t but prophecy-ing is fun!
Is anyone else seeing Keri Russell in that album cover? Or is that just me?
Did she borrow Dita Von Teese Las Vegas costumes ??
I’m rather later to the Taylor party and have to admit that I do like her music, its catchy and easy to listen to. So will def check this out – she knows her audience and plays to them (just like Kylie Minogue).
I LOVE music, all sorts of music – all the way from cheesy europop to classical to alternative (NIN, Rammstein etc..) to celtic fusion (Runrig, Enya etc..) – I’ll listen to it. I had a phase where I listened to a lot of film score music.
Taylor and Beyoncé seem to be releasing back to back albums, and I’m just wondering what it’s all about?
Even if you are not a fan of Taylor Swift’s music, we can all appreciate that nothing and no-one upsets Trumpers and red pill incels more.
The fact that after 20+ years of insane levels of fame, Taylor remains a chatty, slightly nerdy and extremely NORMAL person with granny hobbies and a sourdough obsession is strangely heartening.