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Orange glitter, “The Great Gatsby,” theatrical, punchy, magical, mysterious and speakeasy — these are some of the words Syracuse University students used to describe Taylor Swift’s upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”

“This album feels like a victory lap,” SU sophomore Sara Woodside said.

Swift will release “The Life of a Showgirl” on Friday. The album is Swift’s 12th, referred to by some fans as TS12. It’ll have 12 songs, a diversion from Swift’s tradition of releasing bonus tracks or even a double album, she said during a podcast announcement.

The past few years have been more of a marathon than a race for Swift — she completed The Eras Tour, released a double album, re-recordings of past albums (Taylor’s Version) and purchased the master recordings to all of her music. The new album “feels like turning a new leaf,” Woodside said.

The work is Swift’s shortest in over a decade with a runtime of around 40 minutes, and includes only one feature: Sabrina Carpenter on the album’s title track. When Swift announced the album on fiance Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce’s podcast, she said she focused on quality over quantity in the album.

At the end of her last show on The Eras Tour, Swift exited the stage through an orange door instead of taking her usual exit down an elevator lift, one of her infamous “Easter eggs.”

“I kind of wanted to give a little, subliminal hint to the fans that I may be leaving The Eras Tour era, but I was also entering a new era,” Swift said on the podcast episode.

The title “The Life of a Showgirl” is very literal. On the podcast, she shared that she was working on the album while on tour in Europe. Swift was literally living the life of a showgirl, Travis said.

Jenna Makuen, a junior psychology major, predicts the content of the album will reflect that constant on-the-go lifestyle Swift has kept up for the past two years.

“She’s just had to grapple with emotions and breakups and life experiences while performing in front of 50,000 people every night,” Makuen said. “And, of course, she wrote an album about that.”

Swift produced the album alongside Max Martin and Shellback, two creatives she hasn’t collaborated with since the 2017 release of “Reputation.” In past albums, Swift has collaborated with Jack Antonoff.

Senior public relations major Maria Keenan is excited for the pop music influence Martin and Shellback are expected to bring to the new album, along with the influence of a happy relationship.

“She hasn’t put out like an upbeat album in quite a long time,” Keenan said. “The last one was ‘Tortured Poets,’ which is one of her saddest albums ever, so it’s just been a long time since we’ve gotten pop-y Taylor.”

Swift recently announced her engagement to the Kansas City Chiefs’ star via Instagram, stirring up emotions for many fans who have followed her romantic journey through years of love songs. Keenan said since she’s been engaged to Travis, Swift seems happier.

Kelce’s prominent place on Swift’s social media reflects a turning point for her, sophomore Marley Mills said. Mills is curious to see how Swift’s lyrics will reflect finding her life partner. She’s noticed that songs like “So High School” — that fans presume to be about Travis — are more peppy than songs about past boyfriends.

Out of the 12 tracks on the album, Woodside is most curious about the one featuring Sabrina Carpenter. Swift doesn’t always include a title track, but Woodside said she enjoys seeing what the artist chooses to do with them when they’re included.

Mills said she’s anticipating the title track because she hasn’t been loving Carpenter’s work lately. She’s curious to see how her favorite artist will combine with one she isn’t as head over heels with.

“I feel like that one song is going to set the tone for the album,” Mills said.

Though the production and vibe of Swift’s music may be shifting with this album, Swift said on the podcast that one thing she didn’t want to change was her lyrical storytelling. That’s good news for Makuen, who said no matter what kind of music Swift releases, she’ll always pay the most attention to the lyrics.

Makuen is most excited to hear “The Fate of Ophelia” because she loves Swift’s references to things like Shakespeare or Greek mythology in songs like “Cassandra.” To fully understand the layers of meaning in Swift’s music, Makuen said she sometimes has to do some research.

“folklore” is Makuen’s favorite album, the first where Swift departed from her classic pop and country sound and focused on more poetic lyrics. She said she’ll always find Swift’s music relatable.

Swift has garnered a reputation as a genre-bender, bridging indie, country, pop and folk influences throughout her career, Mills said. She said she often repeats to Swift naysayers that if they don’t like her music, they just haven’t listened to enough of it.

“There’s always a song for any story in your life or any experience in your life,” Makuen said.

Woodside said Swift’s music connects to universal experiences like girlhood and growing from a teen to a young adult. Those themes “never go out of style,” she said (pun intended).

For many fans, a new album from Swift isn’t just 12 more songs to add to their playlist. It marks a new development in the life of an artist who, in many ways, has grown up with them.

Woodside was born in 2006, the same year Swift started releasing music. She’s also from Pennsylvania, Swift’s home state. She remembers watching music videos for the “Red” album with her older sister and mom and having dance battles in their kitchen. “evermore” soundtracked her high school experience, writing essays with it on repeat.

“I’ve never lived in a world that wasn’t at least a little bit consumed by Taylor Swift,” Woodside said.

Also a Pennsylvania native, Makuen remembers becoming a Swift fan at 11. She used to play Swift’s music in her CD player and memorize the lyrics for hours on end. Now, Makuen is a songwriter herself. When she started, she said she always tried to write like Swift did. She described Swift as a light in her life.

Mills’ childhood nanny introduced her to Swift; she and her sister used to drive home from school listening to “Picture to Burn” and “Our Song.” Mills said she’s been listening to Swift as long as she can remember, making her a fan of 19 years.

“I know it’s corny, but she’s not even like an artist to me,” Makuen said. “She’s part of me.”

As Swift has moved through eras of life with them, fans are excited to see what the artist’s next era will bring. Swift’s process of releasing a “Taylor’s Version” of her older albums has been an all-consuming era in itself, Woodside said.

Fans will gather for listening parties on Friday, like one at Marcus Syracuse Cinema. Mills said, along with attending that release party, she’ll be listening to the album while getting ready with friends for a sorority event that night.

Woodside doesn’t have classes on Friday, so she plans to dedicate the day to appreciating the new album.

“I have my cardigan to put on,” she said, referencing Swift’s branded cardigans. “But I think I’m just sitting to listen to it by myself in my room with my headphones. And probably listen to it again and again and again.”

Published on October 1, 2025 at 11:12 pm
Contact Charlotte: cprice04@syr.edu