Taylor Swift has officially released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, now streaming worldwide.
The 35-year-old pop star’s latest record, produced with longtime collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, dropped at midnight ET (5am UK time) on Friday, 3 October, and is already expected to dominate global charts, as fans scramble to unpack the meaning behind her lyrics.
Swift’s previous album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024), broke industry records within hours, and early signs suggest this release could follow suit.
Read The Independent’s review of The Life of a Showgirl.
This new record comes after Swift announced her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and after she bought back the rights to master recordings of her first six albums.
Swift has also made a number of rare TV and radio appearances to promote the record, including The Graham Norton Show on the BBC and interviews on Capital and Heart’s breakfast radio shows.
Friday evening also marks the launch of The Official Release Party of a Showgirl in cinemas, which will feature the world premiere of the music video for the single “The Fate of Ophelia”, along with behind-the-scenes footage and lyric videos.
Follow live updates below:
The hidden meaning in Taylor Swift’s lyrics on ‘The Life of a Showgirl’
Taylor Swift to return to Graham Norton Show to discuss new album
Taylor review – Channel 4 tries hard to unravel the myths, but Swift’s emotional fortress holds firm
George Michael Estate thanks Taylor Swift for incorporating classic song on new album
Key Points
- Taylor Swift review, The Life of a Showgirl: As compelling as she’s ever been – the star, the ringmaster and the circus all in one
- Will Taylor Swift tour her new album?
- How critics are reacting to Taylor Swift's new album
- Tune into a special Swift-themed episode of the Good Vibrations podcast!
- Taylor Swift to make UK radio and TV appearances - here's the schedule
Our verdict on the new Taylor Swift album
07:01 , Kevin PerryThe pop artist’s 12th record contains some of her more outrageous songs, suggesting she feels confident enough at this point in her career to go as rogue as she fancies.
Read our Life of a Showgirl review here:
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is full of gratifying twists – review
Taylor Swift shares love for UK fans and London
06:32 , Kevin PerryThe hidden meaning in Taylor Swift’s lyrics on ‘The Life of a Showgirl’
06:02 , Kevin PerryFans have been busy unpacking the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl. Here’s what’s been discovered so far:
The hidden meaning in Taylor Swift’s lyrics on The Life of a Showgirl
Taylor Swift fans blush over sexual 'Wood' lyrics
05:30 , Kevin PerryThe ninth track onThe Life of a Showgirl is replete with sexual innuendos about how her fiancé Travis Kelce’s love changed her life.
“Forgive me, it sounds cocky / He ah-matized me and opened my еyes / Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see / His love was the key that opened my thighs,” Swift sings in the post-chorus.
Many of Swift’s fans were shocked by the explicit nature of the lyrics, which is not something Swift was known for previously.
“I guessed he’d be packing but ma’am control yourself,” one fan joked on X.
Read more:
Taylor Swift fans blush over sexual lyrics about Travis Kelce in ‘Wood’
'I am so tired' Taylor Swift won't be touring anytime soon
05:00 , Kevin PerryDon't miss our special Swift-themed episode of the Good Vibrations podcast!
04:08 , Kevin PerryThe latest episode of our esteemed music editor Roison O’Connor’s excellent podcast features Professor Stephanie Burt, who was described by The New York Times as "one of the most influential poetry critics of [her] generation", and in 2024 made headlines around the world when she offered a class at Harvard University titled "Taylor Swift and Her World".
Episode 19: Taylor Swift special ft Professor Stephanie Burt
Why fans think ‘Actually Romantic’ is a Charli XCX diss track
03:07 , Kevin PerrySwift opens her new song “Actually Romantic” with the lyrics: “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave.”
Is that a dig at Charli XCX? We investigate here:
Taylor Swift fans convinced new song ‘Actually Romantic’ is a Charli XCX diss track
Taylor Swift got the perfect gift from Jordan North and Sian Welby
02:36 , Kevin PerryMadridistas delighted with football club mention in 'Life of a Showgirl'
02:06 , Kevin PerrySpanish football club Real Madrid gets a shout-out on “Wi$h Li$t,” the album’s eighth track, which underscores Swift’s wish to remain grounded amid the glitz, glamour, and wealth of fame.
“They want it all, they want a contract with Real Madrid, they want that spring break that was f***in’ lit, and then that video taken off the internet, they want it all,” Swift sings on the track.
The club celebrated the mention with a picture of midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni with headphones on, with the caption, “NOW PLAYING: @taylorswift13 - Wi$h Li$t (2025).”
🎧 NOW PLAYING: @taylorswift13 - Wi$h Li$t (2025) pic.twitter.com/4mHCXcnRVh
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 3, 2025
Taylor Swift reveals Travis' 'favourite' track on new album
01:33 , Kevin Perry50 Cent happy just to be mentioned
00:53 , Kevin Perry
Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson is name-checked on Swift’s new song “Ruin The Friendship”, on which she sings: “But as the 50 Cеnt song played / Should've kissed you anyway.”
Jackson is delighted to be referenced, tweeting: “Taylor Swift s*** is popping right now, she shout me out, she don’t shout you out. LOL THIS IS FOR BIG TIMERS ONLY! wait I’m the only shout out on the whole album.”
George Michael's estate thanks Taylor Swift for interpolating song on 'The Life of a Showgirl'
00:04 , Kevin PerryGeorge Michael’s estate have issued an official response to her reference to his hit “Father Figure” on her new album:
George Michael Estate thanks Taylor Swift for incorporating classic song on new album
Swift says she's 'excited' to plan a big wedding
23:31 , Kevin PerrySwift says she hasn’t started planning her wedding yet, but suggests she’s preparing quite the lavish bash.
Read more here:
Taylor Swift has cheeky three-word response to being asked when her wedding will be
Swift says not owning her masters 'pissed me off so much'
23:23 , Kevin PerryNorton notes that Swift’s music video for “Bad Blood” was a nod to Tron (fellow guests Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith star in sequel Tron: Ares).
He then congratulates her for the fact that she now owns the video again - it was one of the many pieces of her work that she had to buy back, along with her masters.
“I have this policy where I do not respond to rage baiting, people who want to provoke me in a multitude of ways,” says Swift. “I don't respond to stuff, but this pissed me off so much that I that I did say what was going on in my life, which was that all of the music I had made for my first six albums was sold out from under me.
“I had been trying to buy them for a very long time. I didn't think I should be given them. I know that they're worth money. I wanted to buy them at a premium, was willing to, but was never given the opportunity to.
“So I ended up re-recording and re-releasing four of those six albums, and I think that that was a huge part of why I was able to get them back. The fans really got behind them and championed this entire cause. I could not be more grateful. I still can't believe it happened.”
Swift jokes she should have 'invested in beads'
23:06 , Kevin PerryReflecting on the atmosphere at her Eras Tours shows, Swift said: “I would hear all these stories about people making friends. The whole friendship bracelet thing was pretty beautiful too, where people would make friendship bracelets and they would trade them with each other, and they'd meet each other.
“It was kind of a sweet thing that the fans did on their own. We didn't market this. This wasn't a thing that we did, or else I would have invested in beads!”
Swift calls new album her 'secret passion project'
23:00 , Kevin PerryReferring to writing and recording The Life of a Showgirl while on her record-breaking Eras Tour, Swift said: “I was writing it during the European leg, which was last summer.
“It was actually the craziest schedule that we had on the European tour, so I was more physically exhausted than usual because it was a three and a half hour show.
“It's all in heels. I was starting to sort of get sick and kind of worn down, and so I thought: I really need something to spark up my imagination and creativity, and hopefully that will fuel my physical exhaustion.
“And it did, because I would do like three shows, and then I would fly to Sweden and make three songs, and then do three shows. And it was having that little secret passion project behind the scenes that was that really helped me not ever hit a wall on that tour.”
Swift teases 'fun' poem easter egg
22:55 , Kevin PerryOn Graham Norton, Swift teases that each new variant of the vinyl release of The Life of a Showgirl contains a different poem.
“I love creating vinyls that are completely unique inside and just doing different things,” she said. “There's also a poem on the inside vinyl flap, and there's different poems on each variant. And if... no, I'm not going to tell about that!”
Referring to her dedicated fans, she added: “They'll figure that out. There's something about the poems that's fun.”
Tune in now! Swift's on 'Graham Norton'
22:47 , Kevin PerrySwift just took her place on the famousThe Graham Norton Show couch and was immediately complimented on her “new bit of finger jewelry."
"The hardware upgrade?" she retorted.
Read more here:
Taylor Swift dazzles Graham Norton Show with Travis Kelce engagement ring
Taylor Swift shares love for UK fans and London
22:30 , Kevin PerryNot long now: When is Taylor Swift on 'Graham Norton' tonight?
22:01 , Kevin PerrySwift is set to discuss her engagement and her new album on The Graham Norton Show in less than an hour.
The UK talk show airs on BBC One at 10:40 pm local time. American viewers can tune in on AMC+ at 5:40 pm ET/2:40 pm PT.
Swift will be joined on Norton’s famous red couch by Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Domhnall Gleeson and Lewis Capaldi.
'I am so tired': Swift says she won't be touring again anytime soon
21:30 , Kevin PerryCharli XCX's label wade in to 'Actually Romantic' discourse
21:01 , Kevin PerryOver on TikTok, Atlantic Records have posted clips of Charli XCX dancing under the slogan “Everything is actually romantic”.
They captioned the post: “no thoughts just Charli XCX being iconic”
@atlanticrecordsuk no thoughts just @Charli XCX being iconic
♬ original sound - Letterboxd
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship timeline
20:24 , Kevin PerryTravis Kelce has been a significant muse for Swift on her latest album. Here’s a look back at how their fairytale relationship has developed:
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship timeline as couple announces engagement
Taylor Swift dazzles Graham Norton Show with Travis Kelce engagement ring
20:01 , Kevin PerryPhotos have emerged from Swift’s taping of tonight’s episode of The Graham Norton Show, showing her in a black dress with a bedazzled halter top neckline, complete with her side-swept bangs and a coral-colored lip.
The “Karma” singer wore a simple diamond bracelet on one wrist as her left hand showed off her engagement ring from her fiancé, Travis Kelce.
See the pictures here:
Taylor Swift dazzles Graham Norton Show with Travis Kelce engagement ring
Swift sheds light on 'Actually Romantic' meaning
19:31 , Kevin Perry
Amid the discussion over whether “Actually Romantic” is intended as a diss track about Charli XCX, Swift has offered some insight into the song’s meaning.
Speaking on Amazon Music’s Track by Track version of the album, she says: "'Actually Romantic' is a song about realizing that someone else has kind of had a one-sided adversarial relationship with you that you didn't know about.
“And all of a sudden they start doing too much, and they start letting you know that, actually, you've been living in their head rent free and you had no idea."
"It's presenting itself as them sort of resenting or having a problem with you, but taking that and you just accepting that as love, and you just accepting it as attention and affection. How flattering that someone has made you such a big part of their reality and you didn't even think about this. It's actually pretty romantic if you really, really think about it."
Taylor Swift fans convinced new song ‘Actually Romantic’ is a Charli XCX diss track
18:59 , Kevin PerryOne of the most talked-about songs on Swift’s new record is “Actually Romantic”, which opens with the pointed lyric: “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave.”
We delve into reactions to the track here:
Taylor Swift fans convinced new song ‘Actually Romantic’ is a Charli XCX diss track
Greg James taken aback by Taylor Swift wedding revelation
18:31 , Tom MurrayBBC Radio 1 Breakfast show host Greg James was taken by surprise when Taylor Swift invited him to her forthcoming wedding to Travis Kelce.
James was interviewing the star on Friday when he joked he’d like to play catch with Kelce and for him to also “do a wrestling move on me into a pool.”
“That’s gonna happen as soon as he sees you at our wedding,” Swift said in response.
James appeared to be taken aback by the wedding invite revelation. “Am I coming?” he asked. “Obviously,” Swift confirmed.
Read more:
Greg James taken aback by Taylor Swift wedding revelation during Radio 1 interview
Food freebies announced to celebrate 'Life of a Showgirl'
17:52 , Tom MurrayA whole host of companies are rolling out special promotions and limited-time deals to cash in on Swift’s new album release.
For instance, Wendy’s is offering free fries today with any $5 purchase.
The chain suggests pairing the fries with its “Era-inspired” sauces, including the new orange-colored Scorchin' Hot sauce that matches the hue of the new album cover.
Other companies joining in the celebration for the new album include Baked by Melissa, with its Showgirl Cupcake Launch. The limited-edition pack of 12 vanilla cupcakes features six that are teal-colored and six that are orange-colored, also to match the album cover.
Meanwhile, Uber Eats is joining in on The Life of a Showgirl release celebration by offering 12 percent off select orange-colored items on the app through Sunday, in addition to $12 off Uber Comfort rides using the promotional code SHOWBIZ.
Find a list of all the deals on offer here:
Wendy’s is giving away free fries to celebrate Taylor Swift’s new album
Taylor Swift occupies 15 of the Top 20 spots on Apple Music in the US
17:37 , Tom MurrayThe Life of a Showgirl is currently dominating streaming charts in the US.
'The Life of a Showgirl' sets Spotify record
17:15 , Tom MurrayIt took just 11 hours for Swift’s new album to break the Spotify record for most-streamed album in a single day so far in 2025.
Video: Taylor Swift reveals Travis' 'favourite' track on new album
17:06 , Tom MurrayWhen is Taylor Swift on 'Graham Norton' tonight?
16:22 , Tom MurraySwift is set to discuss her engagement and her new album on The Graham Norton Show tonight.
The UK talk show airs on BBC One at 10:40 pm local time. American viewers can tune in on AMC+.
Swift will be joined on Norton’s famous red couch by Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Domhnall Gleeson and Lewis Capaldi.
Taylor Swift fans blush over sexual 'Wood' lyrics
15:41 , Tom MurrayThe ninth track onThe Life of a Showgirl is replete with sexual innuendos about how her fiancé Travis Kelce’s love changed her life.
“Forgive me, it sounds cocky / He ah-matized me and opened my еyes / Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see / His love was the key that opened my thighs,” Swift sings in the post-chorus.
Many of Swift’s fans were shocked by the explicit nature of the lyrics, which is not something Swift was known for previously.
“I guessed he’d be packing but ma’am control yourself,” one fan joked on X.
Read more:
Taylor Swift fans blush over sexual lyrics about Travis Kelce in ‘Wood’
Madridistas delighted with football club mention in 'Life of a Showgirl'
15:15 , Tom MurraySpanish football club Real Madrid gets a shout-out on “Wi$h Li$t,” the album’s eighth track, which underscores Swift’s wish to remain grounded amid the glitz, glamour, and wealth of fame.
“They want it all, they want a contract with Real Madrid, they want that spring break that was f***in’ lit, and then that video taken off the internet, they want it all,” Swift sings on the track.
The club celebrated the mention with a picture of midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni with headphones on, with the caption, “NOW PLAYING: @taylorswift13 - Wi$h Li$t (2025).”
🎧 NOW PLAYING: @taylorswift13 - Wi$h Li$t (2025) pic.twitter.com/4mHCXcnRVh
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 3, 2025
George Michael's estate thanks Taylor Swift for featuring song on 'The Life of a Showgirl'
14:58 , Tom MurraySwift’s new album features a song titled “Father Figure,” which includes an interpolation of Michael’s 1987 hit of the same name.
In a statement posted to Michael’s official Instagram account, his estate said: “We were delighted when Taylor Swift and her team approached us earlier this year about incorporating an interpolation of George Michael’s classic song ‘Father Figure’ into a brand new song of the same title to be featured on her forthcoming album.
“When we heard the track we had no hesitation in agreeing to this association between two great artists and we know George would have felt the same. George Michael Entertainment wishes Taylor every success with The Life of a Showgirl and ‘Father Figure’.”
Read more:
George Michael Estate thanks Taylor Swift for incorporating classic song on new album
Capital FM hosts gift Taylor Swift 'opalite' cat and sourdough
14:27 , Tom MurrayWhy fans think ‘Actually Romantic’ is a Charli XCX diss track
13:47 , Tom MurraySwift opens the track with the lyrics: “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave.”
She later sings: “High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me. Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face…”
While cryptic, fans believe that this is Swift’s rebuttal of Charli’s song “Sympathy is a Knife” from her critically acclaimed 2024 album Brat.
In that song, Charli sings: “Don’t know if I’m spiralling. One voice tells me that they laugh. George says I’m just paranoid. Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show. Fingers crossed behind my back. I hope they break up real quick.”
Charli is married to George Daniel, the drummer in The 1975. In 2023, Swift had a brief but much-publicised relationship with the group’s frontman Matty Healy, who fans think was referenced numerous times on her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department.
Read more:
Taylor Swift fans convinced new song ‘Actually Romantic’ is a Charli XCX diss track
Video: 'I am so tired': Taylor Swift tells Greg James she won't be touring
13:26 , Tom MurraySwift says new song 'Opalite' is Travis Kelce's favourite
12:55 , Roisin O'ConnorSwift revealed on the show that her dad is “excited” about the song, which is about her fiance, the American football star Kelce, who she got engaged to earlier this year and whose birth stone is opal.
The 14-time Grammy winner told Norton: “My dad is very excited about Opalite, and it is Travis's favourite.
“Growing opals in a lab is an interesting metaphor for making your own happiness; to rise above the trials and tribulations and be happy you did things on your terms.”
In the song, Swift says that she “had a bad habit of missing lovers past” before singing “now the sky is Opalite” in the chorus and adding “oh my god, never made no-one like you before” to a Fleetwood Mac-style soft rock backing.
Taylor Swift excited for 'fun' task of planning her wedding
12:28 , Press AssociationTaylor Swift has revealed to Graham Norton that she wanted to finish promoting her new album before the “fun” task of planning her wedding to the NFL star, following the announcement of their engagement in August.
She said in her appearance on the show, which airs tonight: “He really crushed it in surprising me. While we were talking on his podcast, he had a complete garden built out the back of his house to propose in. He went all out - 10 out of 10.”
On Thursday evening, Swift wore a little black dress with a jewel-encrusted halter neck and her engagement ring, which the PA news agency understands to be an Old Mine Brilliant Cut.
Sitting alongside the singer this time were Peaky Blinders screen star Cillian Murphy, Tron: Ares actors Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith, Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi.
Swift's new record is expected to top charts around the world and the singer said she recorded it while in Europe on the Eras Tour, reuniting with producers Max Martin and Shellback.
The Life Of A Showgirl features 12 songs, with fellow US pop star Sabrina Carpenter joining the title song as the only collaboration.
It is Swift's first album since she announced her engagement to Kelce, also 35, in an Instagram post in August that was captioned: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
The Graham Norton Show airs on Friday at 10.40pm on BBC One.
Nicki Minaj is a fan of the new album...
11:47 , Roisin O'ConnorOh Taylor #WOOD was EXACTLY what I needed tonight. Thank you.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) October 3, 2025
Taylor Swift aimed for 'perfection' with new album
11:26 , Jacob StolworthyTaylor Swift told Magic Radio Breakfast:
“With this album I was very specific about the vision for it being a short, concise, almost in my mind I had the perfect album as an idea. Perfection is unobtainable, we know that conceptually it's a problematic thing to think about perfect. But I meant perfect in the idea that each song has a place, it can't be swapped out with anything else it fits perfectly together.
“So that's when I knew that we had made, in my mind, the perfect album for this moment in my life was when we wrote ‘Wi$h Li$t’ because it really does get me , it's really emotional and it's a very accurate stance of where I am in my life and it was a feeling of we're done now.”
Swift’s latest album is released to a wildly varied reception from critics
10:28 , Jacob StolworthyIncredibly mixed reactions to Swift’s 12th album so far.
The Independent went with four stars (in my review), but The Guardian has handed it a withering two stars, with critic Alexis Petridis bemoaning her “punching down” on songs such as “Actually Romantic” and singling out the “clanging misstep” that is “Wood” (I called this one of Swift’s most outrageous songs, which it is).
The Times has gone with four stars, stating that Swift sounds “at her happiest and most fun”. The Telegraph has given the album three stars, saying it “lacks the drama of her earlier music”.
Our verdict on the new Taylor Swift album
10:10 , Jacob StolworthyThe pop artist’s 12th record contains some of her more outrageous songs, suggesting she feels confident enough at this point in her career to go as rogue as she fancies.
Read our Life of a Showgirl review here:
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is full of gratifying twists – review
The hidden meaning in Taylor Swift’s lyrics on ‘The Life of a Showgirl’
09:43 , Roisin O'ConnorFans are busy unpacking the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, here’s what’s been discovered so far:
The hidden meaning in Taylor Swift’s lyrics on ‘The Life of a Showgirl’
Taylor Swift on social media
09:21 , Roisin O'ConnorSpeaking to Capital Radio, Swift says: ‘I am really not much of a scroller at all, I don't have the apps on my phone or else. It's really effective right? They know what I want to see and they're going to show it to me so I'd rather just spend like those hours doing something else or baking.
‘I have a lot of hobbies and I didn't really have as many hobbies when I spent a lot of time scrolling. It's been so much fun mandating a different relationship with social media when there's so much of any type of opinion about me, it's like, don't put that in my brain.'
Taylor Swift reveals the advice Stevie Nicks gave her
09:02 , Roisin O'ConnorSpeaking about the Eras Tour on Capital Radio this morning, Swift said:
‘It was a blast, it was so fun but it was also so many other things - when you're on tour for two years and every night is a three and a half hour show.
‘I think one of my favourite things like anyone, a mentor has said, Stevie Nicks always said, when it came to anything in her personal life, she was like, ‘just don't threaten my show’. Don't get sick, don't let any outside noise in to your head, focus on only this one thing.'
Taylor Swift on her fiancé Travis Kelce
08:49 , Roisin O'Connor‘He's a blast. He's just the most fun person, life of any party, even when it's just us. That’s the goal, isn't it? Find a best friend who you think is hot.’
VIDEO: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce engagement with stunning floral photoshoot
08:40 , Roisin O'ConnorTaylor Swift review, The Life of a Showgirl: As compelling as she’s ever been – the star, the ringmaster and the circus all in one
08:22 , Roisin O'Connor“Life is more upbeat,” Taylor Swift responded when her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, described the sound of her 12th album as such. Yet as the pop titan is wont to do, The Life of a Showgirl still contains plenty of surprises that will wrongfoot any Swifties expecting sunshine and rainbows.
Having completed Eras, the biggest tour in music in history, and shattered a few more industry records, Swift has seemingly raised the bar higher than any other artist can hope to reach – at least this decade. So what next? In the case of this album, her answer seems to be to go as rogue as she fancies. Sonically, this is one of Swift’s most experimental albums, one where she flits between Stevie Nicks-indebted pop-rock (“Opalite”), the Folklore-meets-Reputation backdrop of “Honey” – with its stuttery beats, fuzzy Hammond organs and cascading piano notes – and even Jackson 5 funk on the innuendo-ridden “Wood”, the most outrageous song she’s ever released. In theme, too, she is giddy and in love one moment, pen sharpened and ready to draw blood the next.
Read the full review:
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is full of gratifying twists – review
Taylor Swift on whether her friend Ed Sheeran will sing at her wedding
08:11 , Roisin O'ConnorSwift tells Capital Radio:
‘I mean it would be hard to keep him from it I think! That's the thing he's like 'I'm always being asked to sing at weddings' and you're like 'Ed if there's a stage you know that you'll be on it!' He knows what people want and he wants to give people what they want. That's the fun thing about our friendship is we both love performing and we love writing and we love singing. It's actually not that hard to talk either of us into performing at anything!'
Taylor Swift appears on Capital UK breakfast show
08:03 , Roisin O'ConnorJordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby are interviewing Taylor Swift on Capital UK’s breakfast show.
“I’m in exactly the same spot when I made this record so it feels very accurate to my life experience right now, which is very cool.”
“I’m so proud of it... it was really exciting to make it because it felt like we had all gone out into the world and honed our skills... hopefully bigger and better and stronger,” she said of reuniting with Max Martin and Shellback.
She’s just introduced the first song on the album, “The Fate of Ophelia”.
The hidden meaning in Taylor Swift’s lyrics on ‘The Life of a Showgirl’
08:01 , Maria ShermanTaylor Swift's latest musical offering has arrived, immediately setting her devoted fanbase on a meticulous hunt for hidden 'Easter eggs'.
The pop superstar's 12th studio album is reportedly replete with clever clues and subtle references, a signature element of her artistry.
These intricate hints, drawing from her public life and extensive discography, range from the tantalisingly opaque – designed to fuel myriad fan theories – to more concrete allusions.
The hidden meaning in Taylor Swift’s lyrics on ‘The Life of a Showgirl’
Taylor Swift to make UK radio and TV appearances - here's the schedule
07:51 , Roisin O'ConnorTaylor will be joining Capital Breakfast on Friday 3 October at 8am for one of a few UK radio interviews, just hours after her new album The Life of a Showgirl was released.
The radio station will also be playing the entire album in full live on air later today from 6pm.
At 8pm, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl will premiere in UK cinemas - fans are wondering if Swift might surprise them in a local cinema...
Then at 10.40pm she’ll be a guest on the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show, alongside fellow stars including Irish actor Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith. Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is this episode’s musical guest.
Speaking to BBC Radio’s Greg James, Swift said she wanted to do things that people wouldn’t expect to do, such as appearing on Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast to announce her new album.
She also invited Greg to her upcoming wedding to Travis, and brought him some homemade sourdough.
“I have such uncomplicated feelings of joy about it,” she said of the new record, contrasting it to the “twisty” anxious feelings she felt upon releasing 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department.
She says she’s proud that the album “has teeth to it”, as well as addressing her relationship with Travis. Also, she addressed the predictions that her writing might “dry up” if she was happy, compared to the more “tortured” relationships of her past, and said that she was relieved to find this was not the case.
VIDEO: Watch Jason Kelce tear up as Taylor Swift talks about brother Travis Kelce
07:47 , Roisin O'ConnorTaylor Swift shares statement on 'The Life of a Showgirl'
07:32 , Roisin O'Connor“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... “
A BBC 5 Live chat...
07:12 , Roisin O'ConnorIf you were tuned into BBC 5 Live, you might have heard my dulcet (husky, broken) tones talking about Taylor with the show’s lovely morning hosts. I forgot I might get asked about a prospective tour: honestly, I think fans are in with a good chance of some kind of live experience, certainly nothing on the scale of the Eras tour, but possibly something more compact that focuses on the songs from The Life of a Showgirl. A Las Vegas residency, perhaps?
Sign up to The Independent's Now Hear This newsletter for the inside track
07:02 , Roisin O'ConnorMy weekly Friday newsletter goes out at 8am UK time - if you sign up now you’ll get today’s issue! Some extra Taylor Swift bits for you, plus a preview of what’s coming up with features and interviews over the weekend.
Swift's latest album is released to a wildly varied reception from critics
05:34 , Roisin O'ConnorIncredibly mixed reactions to Swift’s 12th album so far.
The Independent went with four stars (in my review), but The Guardian has handed it a withering two stars, with critic Alexis Petredis bemoaning her “punching down” on songs such as “Actually Romantic” and singling out the “clanging misstep” that is “Wood” (I called this one of Swift’s most outrageous songs, which it is).
The Times has gone with four stars, stating that Swift sounds “at her happiest and most fun”. The Telegraph has given the album three stars, saying it “lacks the drama of her earlier music”.
Taylor Swift to return to Graham Norton Show to discuss new album
05:32 , Roisin O'ConnorThe first time Swift has been on the BBC chat show since 2022...
Taylor Swift unveils The Life of a Showgirl
05:15 , Maroosha MuzaffarTaylor Swift wrote on X: “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... The Life of a Showgirl is out now.”
Tonight all these lives converge here
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) October 3, 2025
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… pic.twitter.com/jIEG65ptR6
Taylor Swift review, The Life of a Showgirl: As compelling as she’s ever been – the star, the ringmaster and the circus all in one
05:07 , Maroosha MuzaffarPop artist’s 12th record contains some of her outrageous songs, suggesting she feels confident enough at this point in her career to go as rogue as she fancies:
Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ is full of gratifying twists - review
Swift releases her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl
05:01 , Maroosha MuzaffarTaylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, has arrived and is now available to stream globally.
Released at midnight ET (5am UK time) on Friday, 3 October, the record reunites Swift with hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback.
Industry watchers expect it to storm the charts, much like her 2024 release The Tortured Poets Department, which smashed records within hours of its debut.
Swift’s album promises ‘infectious’ hooks and ‘crisp’ lyrics
04:45 , Maroosha MuzaffarTaylor Swift’s upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl promises “infectious” hooks and “crisp, vivid” lyrics.
“There’s [going to be] a joy in The Life of a Showgirl that we have wanted to see from Taylor for years,” Liz Duff, the Toronto-based host of the pop culture podcast Late Night Scrolling Canada, was quoted as saying by CBC.
Swift also teamed up again with producers Max Martin and Shellback, in what critics are already calling “most exciting pop collaboration of 2025”.
30 minutes to go!
04:30 , Roisin O'ConnorHalf an hour and Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl will be out in the world.
VIDEO: Travis Kelce reveals alternative Taylor Swift proposal location
04:16 , Roisin O'ConnorTune into a special Swift-themed episode of the Good Vibrations podcast!
03:01 , Roisin O'ConnorDid you know I have a podcast? It’s called Roisin O’Connor’s Good Vibrations and it airs fortnightly across all good streaming platforms.
This Friday’s episode features my guest, Professor Stephanie Burt, who was described by The New York Times as "one of the most influential poetry critics of [her] generation", and in 2024 made headlines around the world when she offered a class at Harvard University titled "Taylor Swift and Her World".
Her new book, Taylor's Version, is inspired by that course and offers in-depth critical studies of Swift's body of work for a wider audience. As Swift releases her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, Professor Burt tells me about how she first became drawn to Swift's songwriting and why she believes it's possible to make comparisons between her work and the poetry of Alexander Pope or William Wordsworth. She also picks her favourite Swift songs (currently) and unpacks "the two sides" of Swift: the relatable and aspirational.
Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department review: Irresistible, country-hued tales of relationships past and present
02:32 , Roisin O'Connor
Taylor Swift’s country-hued tales of bad boys & good girls are irresistible – review
Taylor Swift review, Midnights: Her darkest and most cryptic album yet
02:02 , Roisin O'Connor
Midnights is Taylor Swift’s darkest and most cryptic album yet - review
VIDEO: Taylor Swift at the 2025 Grammys
01:30 , Roisin O'Connor'Taylor Swift is engaged to the all-American Travis Kelce, and it makes so much sense'
01:02 , Roisin O'Connor
Why Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s all-American romance makes so much sense
VIDEO: Taylor Swift delivers surprise performance at Travis Kelce's concert
Friday 3 October 2025 00:47 , Roisin O'ConnorGeorge Michael Estate thanks Taylor Swift for incorporating classic song on new album
Friday 3 October 2025 00:37 , Kevin PerryThe estate of the late pop icon George Michael has issued a statement thanking Swift for interpolating one of his classic songs into her new album:
George Michael Estate thanks Taylor Swift for incorporating classic song on new album
What Swift said about buying back her masters
Friday 3 October 2025 00:04 , Roisin O'Connor“Hi. I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow. A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wishes for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news,” Swift, 35, wrote in a digital note shared to her website in May, when she revealed she’d bought back the master recordings to her first six albums.
“All the times I was thiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. But that’s all in the past now. I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words,” she continued.
Full story:
Taylor Swift reveals she’s bought back master recordings in emotional statement
VIDEO: Travis Kelce reveals alternative Taylor Swift proposal location
Thursday 2 October 2025 23:40 , Roisin O'ConnorTaylor Swift promises just 12 songs on 'The Life of a Showgirl'
Thursday 2 October 2025 23:18 , Roisin O'Connor“It's not like The Tortured Poets Department where I was like: ‘Here's a data dump of everything I thought or felt in two or three years. Here’s 31 songs.’ This is 12,” Swift said. “There's not a 13th, there's not a 14th, there's not other ones coming.”
Swift’s decision comes after she received some criticism for the lengthy tracklists of recent albums such as last year’s The Tortured Poets Department, the “anthology” edition of which ran for 35 songs, including four acoustic versions.
COMMENT: 'Taylor Swift is engaged to the all-American Travis Kelce, and it makes so much sense'
Thursday 2 October 2025 23:02 , Roisin O'ConnorI wrote this piece in August after Taylor and Travis announced their engagement - on why her engagement to the all-American sports star makes so much sense.
Why Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s all-American romance makes so much sense
VIDEO: Watch Jason Kelce tear up as Taylor Swift talks about brother Travis Kelce
Thursday 2 October 2025 22:45 , Roisin O'ConnorTune into a special Swift-themed episode of the Good Vibrations podcast!
Thursday 2 October 2025 22:43 , Roisin O'ConnorDid you know I have a podcast? It’s called Roisin O’Connor’s Good Vibrations and it airs fortnightly across all good streaming platforms.
This Friday’s episode features my guest, Professor Stephanie Burt, who was described by The New York Times as "one of the most influential poetry critics of [her] generation", and in 2024 made headlines around the world when she offered a class at Harvard University titled "Taylor Swift and Her World".
Her new book, Taylor's Version, is inspired by that course and offers in-depth critical studies of Swift's body of work for a wider audience. As Swift releases her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, Professor Burt tells me about how she first became drawn to Swift's songwriting and why she believes it's possible to make comparisons between her work and the poetry of Alexander Pope or William Wordsworth. She also picks her favourite Swift songs (currently) and unpacks "the two sides" of Swift: the relatable and aspirational.
Out now!
Taylor Swift to return to Graham Norton Show to discuss new album
Thursday 2 October 2025 22:32 , Roisin O'ConnorTaylor Swift will return to The Graham Norton Show next month to discuss her new album, The Life of a Showgirl.
The singer will appear on the second episode of the new series of the BBC talkshow, where she will appear alongside actors Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Domhnall Gleeson.
Talking about her 12th studio album, the 35-year-old will make her first appearance on the red sofa since 2022, in an episode that also featured U2’s Bono, Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne and former England footballer Alex Scott.
Read The Independent's review of 'The Tortured Poets Department'
Thursday 2 October 2025 22:16 , Roisin O'ConnorTaylor Swift’s country-hued tales of bad boys & good girls are irresistible – review
Taylor Swift prepares to release her 12th album
Thursday 2 October 2025 21:54 , Roisin O'ConnorTaylor Swift is poised to release her new record, The Life of a Showgirl.
“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and and vibrant,” she said during her appearance on fiance Travis Kelce’s podcast.
“It just comes from like the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life. That effervescence has come through on this record, and like, as [Kelce] said... bangers.”
She added that the album will stand alone without bonus tracks, confirming: “There's no other songs coming.”
Everything Taylor Swift has revealed so far about The Life of a Showgirl
