Taylor Swift has reunited with legendary Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback for her new album The Life of a Showgirl, with all 12 tracks written and recorded in Stockholm
Taylor Swift is ready to make the whole place shimmer (again), and this time she’s bringing back two familiar Nordic hit-makers to help her do it. During a surprise appearance on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce, and less than a year after wrapping The Eras Tour the singer announced that her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, is dropping on October 3rd.
Since Swift had released her last record, The Tortured Poets Department merely a year ago, the idea of a new record from the pop star was something not many fans had seriously considered as a possibility. However, following a cryptic Instagram Story of 12 orangehued photos, captioned, “Remember when I said see you next era…” the Swifties immediately went into detective mode.
Max Martin and Shellback. Photo: Photo by David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images
Within minutes, theories were running rampant, some claiming a disco dream-pop record was surely on its way, while others declared a rock reinvention was in store. But the real plot twist? A long-awaited reunion with Swedish super-producers Max Martin and Shellback, the masterminds behind some of pop’s biggest hits including 'Shake it off', ' …Ready for it?', and 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'.
The 12-track record was born between stops on the European leg of Swift’s The Eras Tour, with the singer flying to Stockholm after three gruelling nights of stadium shows to write and record. “I was physically exhausted,” she admitted. “But so mentally stimulated and so excited to be creating.” "We were the ingenues and Max was the mentor” Swift explained on the New Heights podcast. “This was the first time where it felt like all three of us in the room were carrying the same weight as creators.”
Taylor Swift with Max Martin and Shellback in 2014, recording ‘Style’ for Taylor’s fifth studio album '1989'.
Photo: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
In her most concise release since her record-breaking pop debut 1989, the album is set to give listeners a look behind the curtain and go beyond the glitz and the glam of Swift’s life the past two years. With the same collaborators who helped her first break into the genre over a decade ago, The Life of a Showgirl promises a return to bulletproof pop.
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is available for pre-order now and will be available on all platforms October 3rd.