EXCLUSIVE: All the Signs Taylor Swift Secretly Collaborated With Huge Singing Star on New Album Before Bombshell Announcement
Fans spotted clues that Taylor Swift planned a major collaboration for her upcoming album.
Aug. 20 2025, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Taylor Swift has told pals she's been "bursting into tears of joy" over the arrival of her upcoming 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, which will arrive in the coming weeks – and RadarOnline.com can reveal some of her joy is down to her working with a huge A-list music star on the record.
The pop star, 35, who wrapped her record-breaking 149-date Eras Tour last December, announced the album during her appearance on the New Heights" podcast, recorded with boyfriend Travis Kelce, 35, and his brother Jason, 36.
Swift revealed exclusive details about her new album 'The Life of a Showgirl' during a podcast appearance.
'The Life Of A Showgirl' Details
Swift also revealed the upcoming album's track list.
"This is my brand new album The Life of a Showgirl," she said in the clip, posted at 12:12 with the caption: "Tay's 12th album is called… ."
The record follows 2024's The Tortured Poets Department, the year's best-selling album, and is rumored to mark a return to the pop sound of 1989 and Reputation.
The announcement comes after years of cryptic hints – known among fans as "Easter eggs" – leading many to believe the album would feature Sabrina Carpenter, 25.
Swift swapped her online branding to orange and kept the album cover hidden with an orange padlock on her website.
What Were The Clues?
Fans spotted clues linking Sabrina Carpenter to the album.
Fans pointed to a string of moments linking Carpenter to the project, including Swift wearing orange during night 12 of her European tour in Lyon last June, a 12th-page orange outfit in her Eras Tour Book and a post from Swift's management showing 12 orange tour looks, ending with an image of her on stage with Carpenter in New Orleans last October.
At that concert, Swift pretended to call Carpenter before inviting her to perform by saying, "Put on some clothes and come down to the stadium."
Carpenter appeared to reference the moment recently, sharing a picture of laundry with the caption: "Go put on some clothes!"
In another previous clue to her involvement in Swift's new album, the singer posed in Miami's Hard Rock Stadium last October beside a sign for section "A12" – a number fans link to August 12.
Swift changed her online branding to orange for the reveal.
Swift first portrayed a showgirl in her 2022 Bejeweled video, which also featured burlesque icon Dita von Teese.
She has previously said she enjoys planting clues years in advance, telling The Tonight Show in 2021: "Can I hint at something three years in advance? I think I'm going to try to do it."
Billboards in New York and Nashville pointed to a Spotify playlist of 22 Swift songs produced with Max Martin and Shellback – both contributed to the new album.
The album will be released on October 3.
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Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, praised her stamina and called her beautiful in a new interview.
Swift is said to have finished the record earlier this year and filmed a music video in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Kelce opened up about their relationship in British GQ, saying, "Whenever I'm with her, it feels like we're just regular people. When there is not a camera on us, we're just two people that are in love."
The NFL tight end compared her touring stamina to his game-day demands.
"You're doing a show for three hours with a lot of energy. That is arguably more exhausting than how much I put in on a Sunday, and she's doing it three, four, five days in a row," he said.
"She's beautiful. She's up there making everyone feel at ease."
