Taylor Swift's album launches explained as she announces TS12 on Travis Kelce's podcast

Even before The Life of a Showgirl, new record releases have always been about right place and time for American singer

Taylor Swift has revealed the name of her new album, Life of a Showgirl, the follow up to 2024's The Tortured Poets Department. AP

It seems that Taylor Swift gives as much thought to announcing her albums as crafting the songs themselves. They aim to galvanise her fan base and induce a mini pop-culture moment, while also acting as subtle cues towards the album's themes. TS12, or The Life of a Showgirl as we now know it is called, is no different.

The title of her upcoming 12th album was revealed in a promotional clip for her appearance on partner and NFL footballer Travis Kelce's podcast, New Heights. In one clip from the episode, which will be released in full on Thursday morning, Swift takes out a deliberately blurred version of the colourful album cover.

Fans are already speculating and interpreting meaning in every step of the announcement. Does the vibrant colour palette allude to the glitz and glamour of being a pop star, or is the choice of platform a hint that it could be an album about her relationship with Kelce?

When will The Life of a Showgirl be released?

There is no confirmed release date for the album yet. However there is a The Life of a Showgirl vinyl record, CD and cassette available to pre-order on Swift's website. The website states that the items will be shipped before October 13, with the disclaimer "this is not the release date, official release date to be announced".

Swift typically has a two-month lead time between announcement and launch. A favourite fan theory release date is October 3, which has been deduced using show dates that Swift wore orange and green (the new album's associated colours) during the Eras Tour.

If it is October 3, that would be 52 days between announcement and release – in the past, she has had between 54 and 97 days lead time (not counting her pandemic albums and re-releases). It also avoids a clash with her friends Sabrina Carpenter and Ed Sheeran, who are bringing out new albums on August 29 and September 12 respectively.

To date, three of Swift's albums have been announced in August and released in October − Red, 1989 and Midnights.

With the album-associated hashtag #TS12 instantly trending, Swift has once again shown that, more than a huge billboard or massive advertising campaign, an effective album announcement is all about the right place and time. Her memorable album launches of the past are evidence of that.

Speak Now (2010)

'Speak Now' by Taylor Swift.

Announcement to release time: 97 days

By the time she was ready to release her third album, Swift had already announced herself as a prodigious singer-songwriter with a knack for writing about relationships with clarity and, at times, acidic wit.

Perhaps she knew she had a great album on her hands because Speak Now was the first record she would go on to announce personally, this time as part of a live stream reveal − very literally speaking to her fans. The moment suited the music, with the release being one of her most intimate albums to date.

Red (2012)

Announcement to release time: 70 days

That approach work so well for Speak Now that Swift returned online to herald Red, a fun and boisterous break-up album that set the stage for the pop star she was to become.

On a Google Hangouts live chat, she announced the album as well as premiering the lead single We Are Never Getting Back Together.

1989 (2014)

Announcement to release time: 70 days

Swift turned it up a notch when revealing the details of blockbuster album 1989. As well as a Yahoo live stream, sponsored by US broadcaster ABC, the American singer invited fans to a select-number of online listening events described as “secret sessions.”

The bold approach was in sync with the overall message of the album, one of a talented artist turned global pop star.

Reputation (2017)

'Reputation' by Taylor Swift.

Announcement to release time: 79 days

One of her most audacious media roll-outs to date, the act began when Swift suddenly erased all of her social media content before unveiling the album’s cover art on Instagram.

The seemingly brash nature of the decision, which caused a fan frenzy, is linked to the confrontational nature she would take on in Reputation, an album where she deconstructs the trials and tribulations of fame.

Folklore and Evermore (2020)

Announcement to release time: 1 day (each)

Released during the pandemic, with all major pop tours halted indefinitely, Swift released the two sister albums with no real media build-up.

Folklore was announced on her social media channels 16 hours before it was available to stream, while Evermore was also announced the night before its release.

Both approaches were meant to complement the freewheeling nature of their recording process and meditations on time, regrets and seizing the moment.

Midnights (2022)

Announcement to release time: 54 days

After more than a decade of announcing projects online, Swift took to the stage to reveal Midnights as part of her acceptance speech for Video of the Year at the 2022 MTV Music Awards.

A well-oiled promotional machine, the project was confirmed on social media alongside dark and broody images befitting the album’s nocturnal themes as soon as her speech was done.

The Tortured Poets Department (2024)

Announcement to release time: 75 days

Swift went one better for The Tortured Poets Department by letting the world know about the impending album at the Grammy Awards when receiving the Best Pop Vocal Album award for Midnights.

It was a giant industry flex that laid the groundwork for her blockbuster Eras tour.