As Taylor Swift enters her The Life of a Showgirl era, it’s evident that her fans are right behind and beside her.

Swift, 35, dropped her 12th LP on Friday, October 3, where the 12 song-album quickly broke records across Apple Music, Spotify and other streaming platforms.

“Tonight all these lives converge here. The mosaics of laughter and cocktails of tears, where fraternal souls sing identical things,” Swift wrote via Instagram in the early hours on Friday in celebration of her new body of work. “It’s beautiful. It’s rapturous. It is frightening.”

She continued, “I can’t tell you how proud I am to share this with you, an album that just feels so right. A forever thank you goes out to my mentors and friends Max [Martin] and Shellback for helping me paint this self-portrait. If you thought the big show was wild, perhaps you should come and take a look behind the curtain … The Life of a Showgirl is out now.”

Swift collaborated with Martin, 54, and Shellback, 40, on Showgirl in 2024 — all in between European concerts of her record-breaking Eras Tour.

“One thing about this album that I think is really exciting is that, oftentimes when I make a record, we then take all this time to plan out how we’re going to put it out,” Swift said during a Friday interview on the U.K.’s Hits Radio station. “There’s a little lag time between when I made it and when it enters the world. Oftentimes, your life can change drastically between that point and this other point.”

The pop star added, “With this one, the coolest part is that it is absolutely the place that I am in my life. The music matches the moment I’m in. It’s so much easier to come in here [for an interview] and talk about the music that completely, accurately reflects what’s going on in my life.”

Much of Swift’s life off the Eras stage included her romance with NFL star Travis Kelce, whom she started dating in summer 2023. Kelce, 35, who proposed in August, is even the inspiration for Showgirl songs “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Opalite,” “Honey,” “Wish List” and “Wood.”

“I keep listening to this album,” Kelce, 35, teased of the record during an August episode of his “New Heights” podcast. “I know she mentioned [on our show] that it’s gonna be a lot more pop beats and everything, but it’s still so poetic and her melodies and her references and stuff. I think ‘Opalite’ might be my favorite though. At least right now, every time it comes on, I always catch myself [vibing].”

Kelce was among the first listeners of The Life of a Showgirl, with Swift revealing on BBC Radio 1 on Friday that she’d play him the tracks “as soon as [she would] come back” from the recording studio.

“I’d just play it for him, and I knew that this was the kind of album that he was going to love the most,” Swift told the BBC’s Greg James. “He’s so supportive of all of it, but he’s a real vibes guy.”

Keep scrolling for all of the records that The Life of a Showgirl has already broken:

Sales

• iTunes’ Biggest Album of 2025 based on first-day sales worldwide
• First and Only Female Artist Surpass 1000 Million RIAA Certified Album Units
• $35 million in ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s “Release Party of a Showgirl” global screenings

Streams

• Apple Music’s Biggest Album of 2025 by first-day streams worldwide
• Apple Music’s Biggest Song of 2025 by first-day streams worldwide for “The Fate of Ophelia” 
• Spotify’s Most-Streamed Album in a Single Day in 2025
• Spotify’s Most-Streamed Song in a Single Day in Platform History for “The Fate of Ophelia”
• Amazon Music’s Most-Streamed Album of 2025 in Its First 24 Hours

The Life of a Showgirl is out now.

Happy New Music Friday! The weekend is here, which means Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, is finally here and ET has got it covered!

Taylor shared a series of behind the scenes photos when the album dropped and shared, “Tonight all these lives converge here. The mosaics of laughter and cocktails of tears where fraternal souls sing identical things and it’s beautiful. It’s rapturous. It is frightening. I can’t tell you how proud I am to share this with you, an album that just feels so right. A forever thank you goes out to my mentors and friends Max and Shellback for helping me paint this self portrait. If you thought the big show was wild, perhaps you should come and take a look behind the curtain…”

Earlier this week, Taylor celebrated good news with RIAA announcing that Taylor has become the first and only female artist in history to surpass 100 million RIAA Certified album units.

Also this week, Spotify celebrated Taylor’s new album by inviting fans into a 3-day immersive activation, “The Life of a Showgirl: A Spotify Experience,” in New York City ahead of the release. Fans were able to step into the life of a showgirl, capture photo moments, hunt for Easter eggs, and also got a first look at lyrics from the album. Today, Spotify announced Taylor’s album became its most streamed album in a single day in 2025 so far.

Swifties will be celebrating Taylor’s new album this weekend with the release of TAYLOR SWIFT | THE OFFICIAL RELEASE PARTY OF A SHOWGIRL, which will be shown on thousands of movie theatre screens in the U.S. October 3 through October 5. Fans will see the exclusive world premiere of the music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” along with behind the scenes footage from the music video shoot, brand new lyric videos, and Taylor’s never before seen personal reflections on songs from her new album. Get ready to dance as Taylor said, “Dancing is optional but very much encouraged.”

And we can’t forget about all the different vinyl editions. Taylor shared that she was so happy with her photo shoot and wanted her fans to have as many images from this album era. She chose a high gloss finish which she has never before and wanted this album to feel really luxurious. Taylor said, “The vinyl packaging, the CD packaging, the photographs, the photo cards, it’s all just something I’m very proud of and it took a lot of time to put together, a lot of concentration, a lot of organization but hopefully it pays off, I hope the fans are happy.”

For her 12th album, Taylor reunited with producers Max Martin and Shellback and delivered twelve “bangers” as she called them during her “New Heights” appearance in August. She shared, “This is the record I’ve been wanting to make for a very long time.” Now, let’s break down some of our favorite lyrics!

“The Fate of Ophelia”
Taylor references Ophelia from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” but instead of a tragic fate, she was saved. She told Hit Radio that she has a fixation on Shakespeare characters and that this is a love song she is proud of. Travis also dropped an Easter egg from his post back in July when he wrote “Had some adventures this offseason, kept it 100.”

And if you’d never come for me
I might’ve drowned in the melancholy
I sore my loyal to me, myself and I
Right before you lit my sky up

You dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia
Keep it 100 on the land, the sea, the sky

“Elizabeth Taylor”
Oftentimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me
All the right guys promised they’d stay
Under bright lights, they withered away but you bloom
Portofino was on my mind
And I think you know why

“Opalite”
Travis shared on “New Heights” that this is his favorite song on the album which Taylor confirmed during her Capital Breakfast interview. She explained that opal is Travis’ birth stone and she has always loved that stone. She told Hits Radio that this song was so fun to write and how we think certain moments in our lives are major setbacks but actually catapult you forward in growth, wisdom and perspective.

I had a bad habit of missing lovers past
My brother used to call it eating out of the trash

It’s alright
You were dancing through the lightning strikes
Sleepless in the onyx night
But now the sky is opalite
Oh oh oh oh my Lord
Never met no one like you before
You had to make your own sunshine
But now the sky is opalite

“Father Figure”
Taylor interpolated George Michael’s “Father Figure” into her song. George Michael Entertainment thanked Taylor for including George in such a special moment. During her BBC Radio 1 interview, Taylor said this song was fun to write and is proud of the line I can make deals with the devil because my d*ck’s bigger and she also told Magic Radio that she wrote this song in character.

“Eldest Daughter”
But I’m never gonna let you down
I’m never gonna leave you out
So many traitors, smooth operators
But I’m never gonna break that vow
I’m never gonna leave you now

“Ruin The Friendship”
This is not about a broken friendship but about a loved one she lost in high school. She shares regret for not pursuing her friend at the time.

Would’ve been the best mistake
Should’ve kissed you anyway

When I left school, I lost track of you
Abigail called me with the bad news
Goodbye and we’ll never know why

“Actually Romantic”
Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face
Some people might be offended
But it’s actually sweet all the time you’ve spent on me
It’s honestly wild all the effort you’ve put int
It’s actually romantic

“Wi$h Li$t”
Taylor confirmed this might be her favorite song! She told Heart Breakfast that this was the last song she made for the album — it is a dreamy and romantic song and details things people aspire to have in their lives and she shares what she would want like wanting to settle down and start a family! When asked if she thinks she achieved the line bring me a best friend who I think is hot, Taylor said “100%! Look what I got!” and held up her engagement ring to the hosts.
I made wishes on all the stars, God please bring me a best friend who I think is hot. Thought I had it once, twice, but I did not. 

I just want you
Have a couple kids, got the whole block lookin’ like you

Got me dreamin’ ’bout a driveway with a basketball hoop
Boss up, settle down, got a wish list
I just want you

“Wood”
All of that bitchin’ wishing on a falling star
Never did me any good
I ain’t got to knock on wood
It’s you and me forever dancin’ in the dark
All over me, it’s understood
I ain’t got to knock on wood

Forgive me, it sounds cocky
He ah-matized me and opened my eyes
Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see
His love was the key that opened my thighs

“CANCELLED!”
Good thing I like my friends cancelled
I like them cloaked in Gucci and in scandal
Like my whiskey sour and poison thorny flowers
Welcome to my underworld where it gets quite dark
At least you know exactly who your friends are
They’re the ones with matching scars

“Honey”
You can call me honey if you want because I’m the one you want
You give it different meaning because you mean it when you talk

“The Life of a Showgirl” featuring Sabrina Carpenter
Taylor opened about this song during her Magic Radio interview about how the song is about meeting one of your idols who warns you against following in their footsteps because they want to be honest of how hard this industry is, but you do it anyway. She also opened up about how she was physically exhausted during the Eras Tour and needed to be emotionally and mentally stimulated, which led her to start writing this new album.

I’d sell my soul to have a taste of a magnificent life
That’s all mine but that’s not what showgirls get, they leave us for dead

The Life of a Showgirl – Taylor Swift
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify

Taylor Swift has embraced being a showgirl, for better or worse. On Oct. 3, the singer released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, which reunites her with collaborators Max Martin and Shellback for a rumination on fame, love, and her career. Nowhere is this clearer than on the title track, which features her friend and Eras Tour opening act, Sabrina Carpenter.

In “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift tells the story of a showgirl named Kitty, who was constantly underestimated by critics but made a fan out of her. “They gave her the keys to this city, then they said she didn’t do it legitly,” she sings. (Yes, she made “legitly” a word.) But when she meets Kitty at the stage door, she receives a stern warning about what lies beyond the onstage glitz and glamour.

“The more you play, the more that you pay,” she sings on the chorus. “You’re softer than a kitten, so, you don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe, and you’re never gonna wanna.”

Carpenter comes in on the second half to tell Kitty’s backstory, imbued with some of her signature cheeky humor (aimed at men, of course). But at the end of her verse, in a Swiftian twist, Carpenter reveals herself to be a showgirl who followed in Kitty’s footsteps and has already seen the dark side of fame. “But that’s not what showgirls get,” she sings. “They leave us for dead.”

Swift centers the narrative back on herself in the bridge, trading horror stories with Carpenter as she learns what it takes to be a showgirl. “I’m married to the hustle,” she sings. “Now I know the life of a showgirl, babe, and I’ll never know another.” And unlike her mentor Kitty, she has no regrets. “Wouldn’t have it any other way,” she concludes. “Thank you for the lovely bouquet.”

Taylor & Sabrina’s “The Life Of A Showgirl” Lyrics

Read the full lyrics to Swift and Carpenter’s collaboration below.

Her name was Kitty

Made her money being pretty and witty

They gave her the keys to this city

Then they said she didn’t do it legitly

I bought a ticket

She’s dancing in her garters and fishnets

50 in the cast, zero missteps

Looking back, I guess it was kismet

I waited by the stage door

Packed in with the autograph hounds

Barking her name

Then glowing like the end of a cigarette

Wow, she came out

I said, “You’re living my dream”

Then she said to me

Hey, thank you for the lovely bouquet

You’re sweeter than a peach

But you don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe

And you’re never, ever gonna

Wait, the more you play, the more that you pay

You’re softer than a kitten so

You don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe

And you’re never gonna wanna

She was a menace

The baby of the family in Lenox

Her father whored around like all men did

Her mother took pills and played tennis

So she waited by the stage door

As the club promoter arrived

She said, “I’d sell my soul to have a taste of a magnificent life,

that’s all mine”

But that’s not what showgirls get

They leave us for dead

Hey, thank you for the lovely bouquet

You’re sweeter than a peach

But you don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe

And you’re never, ever gonna

Wait, the more you play, the more that you pay

You’re softer than a kitten so

You don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe

And you’re never gonna wanna

I took her pearls of wisdom

Hung them from my neck

I paid my dues with every bruise

I knew what to expect

You wanna take a skate on the ice inside my veins

They ripped me off like false lashes

And then threw me away

And all of the headshots on the walls

Of the dance hall are of the bitches

Who wish I’d hurry up and die

But, I’m immortal now, baby dolls

I couldn’t if I tried, so I say

Thank you for the lovely bouquet

I’m married to the hustle

And now I know the life of a showgirl, babe

And I’ll never know another

I am hidden by the lipstick and lace

Sequins are forever and now I know the life of a showgirl, babe

Wouldn’t have it any other way

Thank you for the lovely bouquet

Hey Kitty

Now I make my money being pretty and witty

Thank you for the lovely bouquet

Thank you for an unforgettable night

We will see you next time

Give it up for the band, and the dancers

And of course, Sabrina

I love you, Taylor

That’s our show, we love you so much

Goodnight!

Taylor Swift
‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Album Drops!!!

Published October 2, 2025 9:29 PM PDT

TS12 is almost upon us. On Aug. 12, Taylor Swift announced the release of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. The singer unveiled her new album on her official website, posting a three-hour countdown ending right at 12:12 a.m. ET.

On Instagram, Swift also shared a clip of her announcing the album’s title on boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason’s New Heights podcast. As fans previously suspected, Swift will appear on the next episode to talk about her new project. The episode will be posted on Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. ET, with the date and time matching both Swift’s lucky number 13 and Travis’ Kansas City Chiefs number 87.

In the teaser, Swift shows the Kelce brothers the album cover — which was censored — signaling that she might make her grand reveal during the podcast. “This is my brand new album, The Life of a Showgirl,” she proudly declared, which made Jason scream. “TS12!” Travis yelled in response.

Fans can now pre-order The Life of a Showgirl on Swift’s official store, where the album cover is also kept protected with a stock image of a lock. The official release date will also be announced at a later date, though Swift’s store states that the vinyl, CD, and cassette will ship before Oct. 13, which means that the likeliest release date is Friday, Oct. 10.

TS12 Easter Eggs

Swift has been laying Easter eggs pointing to her 12th album for months, starting at the 2025 Grammys, where she wore a pair of ruby earrings with exactly 12 stones. In May, she wrote a letter proudly announcing that she now owns the masters of her first six albums, and spelled the word “this” in the first paragraph with exactly 12 i’s.

In the days leading up to her announcement, Swift’s official fan account, Taylor Nation, shared exactly 12 orange Eras Tour looks on social media, captioning the post, “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…,’” along with a flaming heart emoji. Swifties took this as confirmation that Swift’s 12th album was imminent, and the era’s color would be orange, as fans have long expected.