Originally appeared on E! Online
This is something special, something sacred.
George Michael—who passed away in 2016 at the age of 53—is getting a posthumous music credit on Taylor Swift’s forthcoming 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl.
As was suspected upon the release of the track list, Taylor’s “Father Figure” will act as an homage to George’s 1987 song of the same name, Billboard has learned. But instead of directly sampling the beloved song, Taylor’s version will interpolate the original into her new edition.
Before the news was officially confirmed, George’s former partner of 13 years Kenny Goss gave his stamp of approval. As Kenny told TMZ in August, he thinks the late singer would be proud of the homage, and though George had never met Taylor, Kenny imagined he would’ve been a fan of the Midnights artist.
But while Taylor has kept the curtain closed on the specific details of The Life of a Showgirl, in true Taylor fashion she has left a trail of Easter eggs.
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In fact, in the days leading up to the album’s Oct. 3 release, lyrics were revealed during a Spotify pop-up event. Written on a mirror at the event, and featured on a Times Square billboard, were the words, “Oftentimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me.”
But to which of the album’s 12 songs the refrain belongs, fans will have to wait.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images & Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Otherwise, both Taylor and her fiancé Travis Kelce have promised The Life of a Showgirl will be a large departure from its moody predecessor The Tortured Poets Society.
As the Kansas City Chiefs player gushed during Taylor’s Aug. 13 appearance on his New Heights podcast, “I’ve been fortunate enough to hear every single song on here so I know they’re all 12 bangers. It’s a lot more upbeat and it’s a lot more fun pop, excitement.”
And on where Taylor drew inspiration from to create that lively and upbeat feel? Her Eras Tour, the epic year-and-a-half-long colossus that the Grammy winner described as “so exuberant and electric and vibrant.”
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
In her own words, Taylor said The Life of a Showgirl won’t be a “data dump” like TTPD, but rather a specific selection of only a dozen songs so she could keep “the bar really high.”
“It just comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life,” Taylor continued, “so that effervescence has come through on this record.”
For a look back at the way Taylor teased her 12th album, read on.
Taylor Swift Put Up a Countdown Clock
Taylor Swift wouldn’t have had a countdown clock on her website ticking down to “12 AT 12:12 AM ET,” set against a glittery orange background, for no reason.
Taylor’s Version of an Elaborate Album Tease
On Aug. 12, 2024, Taylor was photographed in a matching plaid miniskirt and cropped jacket—but there was nothing clueless about it.
As pointed out by super-sleuth Kristen (@perfectlyfine89), not only could it be construed that Taylor is making very purposeful eye contact with the camera, but also the orange and green print of her outfit matches the color palette of the cover of The Life of a Showgirl, which Taylor revealed exactly one year later on Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast.
In an episode teaser posted at 12:12 a.m. ET on Aug. 12, 2025, Taylor picked up a mint-green briefcase emblazoned with “T.S.” in orange and pulled out the cover of what will be her 12th studio album. Blurred for now, but obviously green and orange.
Of course, Taylor is pretty mad about plaid, and she also wore a tartan print to the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards—where she said the fateful words “my boyfriend Travis.”
Did Taylor Swift Subtly Reveal the Release Date of The Life of a Showgirl?
The Life of a Showgirl is already available to preorder from Taylor’s website, which notes that whatever hard copy you desire—vinyl, CD or cassette—will ship before Oct. 13.
Fair enough, Taylor’s connection to the number 13 well-established. But, as Kristen also noticed, Oct. 3 (a.k.a. 10-3) not only adds up to 13, it’s both National Plaid Day and National Boyfriend’s Day. See above.
Orange You Glad the Fans Are Always On It?
Hindsight is always 20/13 in the Taylorverse. On the morning of Aug. 11, the official Taylor Nation social accounts posted a carousel of 12(!) pics showing Taylor onstage in a variety of orange ensembles, captioned, “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…”
Travis Kelce’s Key Assist
Travis and Jason made a half-hearted trick play when they teased a “VERY special guest” on a “special episode” of New Heights—dropping Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. ET, mind you—including what to even amateur Swifties was obviously a silhouette of Taylor in the post.
New York Hearts Taylor Swift Right Back
The top of the Empire State Building was preemptively lit up orange in honor of the occasion. The official X account for the New York City landmark posted a photo of the color-coordinated building on Aug. 11 at 1:45 p.m. ET, captioned, “See you next era.”
Low-Hanging Orange Fruit
A TikTok from Oct. 18, 2024, her first Miami show of the Eras Tour, showed Taylor standing in front of section A12 (Aug. 12, album 12?!) at Hard Rock Stadium.
Then she proceeded to wear a glittery orange bodysuit when she declared, “Miami, we are so back!” and then a green skirt and orange bustier during the 1989 portion of the concert, not to mention a very show girl-esque white feathery costume as she belted “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”?
Her way of saying that her next album was finished and this is what it looks like?
To be fair, orange and green are also the official Miami Hurricanes colors—but hey, two things can be true at the same time.
Spotted on Spotify
There’s already a Spotify playlist prophetically titled “And, baby, that’s show business for you,” featuring the now emblematic orange T.S. initials against a green background.
There are, ahem, 22 existing Taylor songs, all produced by Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback (a.k.a. Karl Johan Schuster), bolstering fans’ speculation that she wrote the entirety of The Life of a Showgirl while on tour in Europe and these two helped her pull it off.
Did You Catch These Possible Variants?
Fans noticed that the background of the New Heights podcast featured multiple boxes in orange, red, white and purple bearing her initials “T.S.”—hinting at possible variations of the album or more music to come.
Let’s Applaud These Lady Gaga Collab Rumors
Taylor herself liked a fan theory on X (formerly Twitter) that pointed out how Lady Gaga released her song “Applause” 12 years to the day on Aug. 12 when Taylor announced Life of a Showgirl. The significance? Taylor had used “Applause” as her lead-in song before opening the Eras Tour each night, along with Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me.”
Taylor liked a fan’s post that hinted at a possible Gaga collab: “Is this just the most insane coincidence or like is she clinically insane.”
Get a Taste of This Sabrina Carpenter Theory
Swifties began speculating Sabrina Carpenter may be involved on Life of a Showgirl after she appeared in the 12th slide of a photo gallery from Taylor Nation teasing the next era. Not to mention, Sabrina unveiled a message on her website with the date Aug. 12.
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