Taylor Swift’s fans are famous for finding hidden clues, or “Easter eggs,” in everything she does. From song lyrics to album art, nothing escapes their sharp eyes. Lately, many have been guessing about her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” But not all their ideas are on the money, according to Swift herself.
The 35-year-old superstar joined Elvis Duran on his iHeartRadio show on Friday, October 3. She admitted that some fan theories are way off base. “There are definitely theories that are not based on anything close to reality,” Swift explained. Still, she enjoys the detective work. “But, you know what? There are some that are really fun when they figure them out.”
Swift recently dropped her twelfth studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” also on Friday, October 3. Fans immediately began their deep dives. One particular puzzle took them a while to crack. “Just yesterday, someone realized that if you line up all the song titles from this album in order,” Swift shared, “in the center of the frame, the shape of the tracklist is the same as the ‘Eras Tour’ stage.” She confirmed that one was real, and it was a blast to watch them solve it.
However, not every fan theory holds up. “Some people thought that, somehow, sourdough bread was part of all this,” Swift joked. She was talking about her love for baking. “I bake, I love to bake, [but] it has nothing to do with my music. It’s just a hobby I obsess over. There is no [song about bread].”
Swift finds it heartwarming that her fans care so much. She explained that her “Easter eggs” always point to new art, like upcoming lyrics or projects. This connection wouldn’t be possible without their deep interest in her music, something she truly feels honored by.
Swift wrote “The Life of a Showgirl,” a 12-song album, while she was on the European leg of her record-breaking “Eras Tour” in 2024. This period was also a special time for her. She was deeply in love with her current fiancé, Travis Kelce. The 35-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end proposed in August. He became the inspiration for several songs on “Showgirl,” including “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Honey,” “Opalite,” “Wish List,” and “Wood.”
“My music is… the art of catharsis,” Swift said on Friday. She often writes heartbreaking songs about pain. But once she finishes them, she can move past those feelings. “It’s almost like saying something and then being able to move on. Over time I’ve learned to approach writing in terms of this character, story or fiction.”
But “Showgirl” felt a bit different. Swift shared in a separate interview on British station Hits Radio that she’s still in the same bubbly mood she was in when recording it a year ago. “Something that I find really exciting about this album is that, often when I make a record, then we take a lot of time to plan how we’re going to release it,” she explained. “A lot of times your life can change drastically between that point and another. With this one, the best thing is that it captures exactly the moment of my life where I am.”
“The Life of a Showgirl” is now available everywhere.