Taylor Swift has revealed that her label had no idea she was working on a new album until it was completed.
The US pop star, 35, released her 12th studio record The Life of a Showgirl on 3 October.
Appearing on BBC Radio 2 with Scott Mills, she spoke about how she wanted to keep the new music as under wraps as possible until she was ready to share it.
"The label didn't know at all until the record was done, and we had made, and we'd shot all of the art, we'd done everything,” she said.
"We do keep that close to the vest because I think it's fun to surprise them, honestly, it's really fun.”
She added: "We do a lot of things in-house, my team, so I think it's easier for them when the label can really just focus on what they have to do in terms of distribution, we have an amazing team that do that."
The “Elizabeth Taylor” singer said she was able to keep things a secret thanks to her friends, who “do not snitch”, as she disclosed that they heard The Life of a Showgirl a year ago.
She joked that she would make a good spy as she had become highly adept at entering and exiting buildings unseen, having famously used a cleaner’s trolley to get onto the stage at her concerts.
"Just put me in a garbage can and roll me. I don't care honestly no... I can fit in like a purse,” she said.
The full interview will be aired on Radio 2’s Breakfast Show on Monday 6 October.
Swift’s album features 12 songs, including the single “The Fate of Ophelia”, “Opalite” and “Eldest Daughter”, which fans have interpreted to be about her relationship with fiance Travis Kelce.
She confirmed during her appearance on The Graham Norton Show on Friday that the track, “Opalite,” is dedicated to Kelce, whose birthstone is an opal.
“My dad is very excited about ‘Opalite’, and it is Travis’s favourite,” she told her host. “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.”
“The Life of a Showgirl might be one of her most uneven records, but she’s as compelling as she’s ever been – the showgirl, the ringmaster and the circus all in one,” The Independent’s four-star review said.
The pop star will follow her UK media appearances with a visit to Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show on 6 October and Late Night with Seth Meyers on 8 October.
Additional reporting by Press Association.
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