The Life of a Showgirl As We Know It

She’s reclaiming the color orange. Just 12 weeks after Taylor Swift bought back her masters, she’s already planning her next album. In the words of Jason Kelce “ARGHHHH!!!!!” On August 13, Jason and Travis Kelce had a very special guest on a very special off-season episode of their podcast, New Heights, where Swift revealed The Life of a Showgirl will be out on October 3.

Below, what we know about The Life of a Showgirl so far, including the album cover, alternates, track list, collaborators like Sabrina Carpenter, and whatever this shiny bug is about. Sounds fabulous.

October 3, 2025. You know, 10 + 3 = 13. As for how she’s going to have this many vinyls ready in two months, she’s a multihyphenate, don’t you remember? She’s not just a showgirl but also a magician, making an album appear out of thin air.

Swift is posed dramatically in a pool of green water, just barely staying above water to preserve her smokey makeup look. The photo is shattered and collaged around her like broken glass with the album title italicized in orange glitter. And because she’s her, there’s four other sparkly variations available for purchase on vinyl. That’s show business.

The Eras Tour dancers are showgirls, too, after all! Following a second countdown on August 21, another alternate vinyl cover dropped for preorder. Dancers Taylor Banks, Sydney Moss, Tori Evans, and Audrey Douglass pose next to their showboss, Swift. Technically, it’s Swift’s first album cover with other people on it. What’s a showgirl without her girls?

On August 18, Swift dropped two limited edition vinyl pressings for Showgirl called “The Shiny Bug” edition, one in Wintergreen & Onyx Marbled vinyl and the other in Violet Shimmer Marbled vinyl. But why is she talking about shiny bugs? Because Swift loves symbolism, we have to look at one of the shiniest bugs out there, a jewel beetle, specifically the Scarab beetles, which represent the cycle of life, death, and rebirth in Ancient Egypt — similar to how Swift is trying to seperate her past work from this new album, she wants a rebirth post-Eras tour. One of Swift’s muses, Elizabeth Taylor, wore shiny bug jewelry as Cleopatra in her 1963 film and even had a golden scarab art piece in her home — maybe this is an homage to Swift and Taylor’s similar relationship to media regarding their personal life.

Wood. And a bunch of other showbiz-adjacent titles hinting at themes of public and personal pressure.

1. The Fate of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin The Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. CANCELLED!
11. Honey
12. The Life of a Showgirl (ft. Sabrina Carpenter)

Wait, are Swifties beating the “delusional” allegations? Sabrina Carpenter, who opened for much of the Eras Tour while promoting her own hit album, Short ‘n’ Sweet, will feature on the titular Track 12, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Couldn’t be more fitting.

Max Martin and Shellback produced the entirety of Showgirl with Swift herself. Along with the album announcement, Swift dropped a Spotify playlist titled “And, baby, that’s show business for you,” featuring only her songs produced by the duo. That includes the Reputation era bangers “End Game” and “Delicate” as well as 1989 classics “Bad Blood” and “Blank Space.” Travis Kelce will be streaming.