TS12 ’The Life of a Showgirl’ Album Breakdown: Taylor Swift Podcast Appearance, Album Track Analysis & Literary Connections

2025-08-14

“And baby, that’s show business for you!❤️‍🔥” Taylor Swift just announced TS12, "The Life of a Showgirl," on the New Heights Podcast, releasing October 3rd! Join us for an emergency bonus episode as we break down the album announcement, analyze the track list through our literary lens, and discuss what this new era means for Taylor's artistic evolution. From Shakespearean references in "The Fate of Ophelia" to the millennial energy of releasing on October 3rd (it's Mean Girls day!), we dive deep into the themes, collaborators, and visual storytelling of this highly anticipated al...

“And baby, that’s show business for you!❤️‍🔥” Taylor Swift just announced TS12, "The Life of a Showgirl," on the New Heights Podcast, releasing October 3rd! Join us for an emergency bonus episode as we break down the album announcement, analyze the track list through our literary lens, and discuss what this new era means for Taylor's artistic evolution. From Shakespearean references in "The Fate of Ophelia" to the millennial energy of releasing on October 3rd (it's Mean Girls day!), we dive deep into the themes, collaborators, and visual storytelling of this highly anticipated album.

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Mentioned in this episode:

William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Elizabeth Taylor Biography

Mean Girls (2004)

New Heights Podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce

Max Martin and Shellback Collaborations Playlist

Britney Spears, Circus Album

Cindy Sherman Photography

& Juliet Musical (Max Martin songs)

E31: Show and Tell - Shakespeare

E81: Show and Tell - Female Artists

E55: Rhetorical Questions Episode (Are You Ready For It)

***

Episode Highlights:

[00:27] Emergency bonus episode announcement

[03:30] First reaction to album cover reveal

[16:30] "The Fate of Ophelia" Shakespeare discussion

[26:00] How long has she be writing this album?

[33:00] Taylor's View of the Eras Tour

[46:00] Clowning for a hot second

[50:00] See you October 3rd!

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This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

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