Taylor Swift sings about Travis Kelce romance on The Life Of A Showgirl
Taylor Swift performing on stage at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in 2024 (PA)
Taylor Swift sings about her romance with NFL star Travis Kelce on her highly anticipated 12th studio album .
The album, expected to top charts around the world, dropped at 5am in Ireland, with many Swifties likely setting early alarms to be among the first to hear it.
The record features 12 tracks including , which fans have speculated could be about her fiance Kelce, whose birth stone is opal.
It sees the 35-year-old sing that she “had a bad habit of missing lovers past” before singing the song’s cheery “now the sky is Opalite” chorus, before adding “oh my god, never made no-one like you before” to a Fleetwood Mac-style soft rock backing.
is Swift’s first record since she announced her engagement to NFL star Kelce, and also the first since she revealed in May that she had regained control over her back catalogue.
, the fifth song on the track list, which is always the most significant song on Swift’s albums, sees the star sing: “I’m not a bad bitch, and this isn’t savage, but I’m never gonna let you down” to a slow piano track, before confessing “when I said I don’t believe in marriage that was a lie”.
, which opens the album and is expected to be its first single, also has Swift singing about a character called Ophelia being “the eldest daughter of a noble man”.
sees the star take a swipe at an unnamed character, which fans have speculated could be a fellow musical artist, with the lyrics: “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave.”
sees Swift sing about prom and school days to a smooth bassline, with the chorus “it was not an invitation, should’ve kissed you anyway”.
The stomping title track, which features pop singer Sabrina Carpenter, sees the pair trade vocals before singing its “you don’t know the life of a showgirl” chorus together.
, most likely named after the actress, follows in a long history of her songs referencing other famous people.
The electronic track sees Swift sing “all the right guys promised they’d stay” before later adding: “Hollywood hates me, only as hot as your last hit baby”.
Her debut album featured track , about the famous country singer, while her most recent album featured , named after the silent film actress who rose to fame in the 1920s.
She has also penned tracks about socialite Rebekah Harkness ( ), Ethel Kennedy ( ), as well as numerous romantic partners, including John Mayer, Harry Styles, Joe Jonas, Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor Kennedy.
In a post on Instagram, the pop superstar said she was “so proud” of the new record which she described as a “self portrait”.
Swift said: “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…”
Swift previously said she recorded it while in Europe on the , reuniting with producers Max Martin and Shellback.
The singer last worked with the Swedish duo in 2017 on her album but has since favoured collaborations with Jack Antonoff and The National’s Aaron Dessner.
Swift will appear on the Capital Breakfast show shortly after the album is released, joining the programme with hosts Jordan North and Sian Welby at 8am.
She will also appear on on Friday evening, alongside Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy, actors Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith, and Irish star Domhnall Gleeson.
It follows 2024’s , which was released in the middle of her record-breaking .
Friday night will also see the launch of in cinemas, which features the world premiere of the music video for the single , as well as behind-the-scenes footage, lyric videos from the album and “cut-by-cut explanations” of what inspired the music.
The 89-minute film will be screened in cinemas around the country, with fans flocking to multiplexes to celebrate the new music together.
Many screenings are already sold out, including at the landmark Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, where showings at 8.15pm and 8.45pm are already at capacity.
Swift will follow up her UK appearances with a visit to Jimmy Fallon’s in the US on October 6.
She will also appear on on October 8, serving as the sole guest in an episode billed as the “TAY/kover”.
Swift announced her new album on the podcast, hosted by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Kelce and his brother Jason, who formerly played for the Philadelphia Eagles.
