Taylor Swift Announces “The Life of a Showgirl” on New Heights: Everything We Know So Far

Taylor Swift just kicked off a brand-new era—and she did it on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast. In a 12:12 a.m. ET reveal on August 12, 2025, Swift unveiled her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, teasing blurred artwork, an orange-tinted aesthetic, and immediate pre-orders for fans.

Key takeaways (so you’re caught up fast)

Album title: The Life of a Showgirl (Swift’s 12th studio album).
Where she revealed it: A teaser clip for her August 13 appearance on New Heights with Travis & Jason Kelce.
Timing: Clip posted at 12:12 a.m. ET on August 12; full episode premieres August 13.
Pre-orders: Live now; listings state items ship before October 13, 2025 and that date is not the release date.
Formats: Vinyl, CD + poster, and cassette; Portofino orange glitter vinyl; artwork “to be revealed later.”
Visuals: Orange era cues everywhere; even NYC’s Empire State Building glowed orange in celebration.
Context: This is her first new era since publicly confirming she now owns her masters—a milestone in May 2025.

The reveal: a mint-green briefcase, a blurred cover, and a winking “12:12”

In the midnight clip, Swift opens a mint-green briefcase and pulls out the new vinyl while the cover stays blurred—a classic Swift move to fuel theories without spoiling the surprise. The teaser landed ahead of her August 13 guest spot on New Heights, marking her first on-mic sit-down with Travis Kelce since their relationship became public.

Release plans: pre-order now, release date TBA

Head straight to her store and you’ll find multiple versions up for grabs. Each listing clearly notes “Ships before 10/13/2025” and “THIS IS NOT THE RELEASE DATE—OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED.” Translation: the clock is ticking, but the calendar day isn’t public yet.

Formats and variants (confirmed so far)

Standard Vinyl — Portofino orange glitter (translucent with gold glitter)
Standard CD — with poster
Cassette — classic Swift collectible
All with artwork to be revealed later, and all clearly branded to this new orange-coded era.

The look and feel: welcome to the Orange Era

Swift’s eras are color stories, and this one screams orange—from the pre-order palette to city-scale moments like the Empire State Building lighting up in orange to mark the reveal. Expect more visual breadcrumbs as we inch toward the official release date and the cover unveil.

Why New Heights matters for this announcement

Choosing Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast isn’t just cute—it’s strategic storytelling. Swift aligning a major artistic reveal with a platform tied to her relationship doubles as a thesis for the era: performance, spectacle, public-facing love story—aka, the life of a showgirl. The teaser also nods to her penchant for symbolism (that 12:12 timestamp for album #12).

Masters owned, era unlocked

This is Swift’s first fresh chapter since confirming in May 2025 that she reacquired the master recordings to her first six albums. That ownership changes the business backdrop for everything she releases next—and it’s hard not to read Showgirl as a victory-lap title: center stage, on her terms.

What’s still unannounced (and what fans are guessing)

Release date: Not yet public. Watch the store disclaimers and the podcast drop for clues.
Tracklist & collaborators: No confirmations as of publication; any producer talk is fandom speculation until Swift says otherwise.
Cover art: Deliberately blurred for now—expect a timed reveal with more easter eggs.

FAQs

When is The Life of a Showgirl actually coming out?
No official date yet. Listings only promise shipping before Oct. 13, 2025 and explicitly say that isn’t the release date.

Where did she announce it?
In a 12:12 a.m. ET teaser for her August 13 appearance on New Heights—the Kelce brothers’ podcast.

What editions can I buy right now?
Vinyl (orange glitter), CD + poster, and cassette; artwork reveal to come.

Is the orange theme official or just fan theory?
It’s baked into the reveal visuals and even amplified by the Empire State Building lighting; safe to call it a theme of the era.

How to prep for the Showgirl era

Lock your pre-order so you don’t miss first-run variants.
Watch the New Heights episode for deeper context.
Track official channels for the cover and tracklist reveal—Swift drops clues fast.