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THE RUNDOWN
- A countdown has appeared on Taylor Swift’s website, counting down to 2:12 pm (12:12 ET)
- Swift will appear on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast New Heights on Wednesday
- She has been teasing a new album release all day, with fans expecting her new era to start
Update: Taylor Swift has officially announced her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, on Travis Kelce’s podcast.
Taylor Swift fans are back in their element, diving into full sleuth mode. On Monday, Taylor Nation, the singer’s official management team, shared 12 slides of Swift in varying shades of orange with the caption, “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…’ 
.”
Hours later, her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast teased a “VERY special guest” for August 13 (Swift’s famously lucky number) set against a matching sparkly orange backdrop. The Kelce brothers wore Swift merch, Republic Records joined in with fiery-heart emojis, and the coordinated clues quickly set the internet alight. Later that day, the podcast’s Instagram account added fuel to the fire by commenting, “Whole place is about to shimmer 
”, a reference to Swift’s song ‘Bejeweled’.
Then, just hours later, the Kelce brother dropped a teaser that confirmed Swift is officially going on their podcast this Wednesday (likely released on our Thursday). “That’s such a nice colour on you,” Swift saysto Travis in the video, presumably talking about his blue hoodie. “Yes, I know it’s the colour of your eyes, sweetie,” he jokes back. “We’re about to do a fucking podcast!” Swift says. In the video, she’s also wearing orange lipstick, adding to the theme of the day.
Naturally, Swifties are betting on a major announcement: her 12th studio album, the re-release of her debut album, or vault tracks from Reputation (Taylor’s Version). Whether it’s music, film, or something entirely unexpected, the colour palette, date symbolism, and Easter eggs all suggest one thing—Taylor is on the cusp of her next era.
If this is indeed Swift’s 12th studio album, it will mark her first release since regaining ownership of her masters. In May, Swift revealed in an open letter on her official website that she now owns her entire discography, following a years-long battle that began when her music was sold without her consent to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2020. While she has since released Taylor’s Version editions of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989, a second rendition of Reputation never materialised.
In that same letter, Swift explained that revisiting Reputation posed unique challenges. “I know, I know. What about Rep TV? Full transparency: I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of it. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it,” she wrote.
“There will be a time (if you’re into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch. I’ve already completely re-recorded my entire debut album, and I really love how it sounds now. Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about. But if it happens, it won’t be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.”
As with all things Taylor Swift, the recent clues could amount to nothing—but where’s the fun in that? With her newfound creative freedom and a string of meticulously placed hints, it feels as though the stage is set for her next move, and perhaps the dawn of a new era.
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