Taylor Swift announced her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, on August 12, 2025, at 12:12 am. The new LP is the follow-up to The Tortured Poets Department, released in April 2024 as a double album. While Swift has not unveiled the release date for the upcoming album, it is currently available for "pre pre-order."For those wondering how to do it, visit the singer's official website - www.taylorswift.com. On homepage, select the preferred format - The Life of a Showgirl is available for purchase as a cassette, vinyl, or CD "while supplies last." After this, click on "Add to Cart" and "Go to Checkout." Enter the required details and confirm the order. However, due to huge demand, the website currently shows an hour-long queue for the "pre pre-order" just minutes after the announcement. The pop culture X page @PopBase posted about the queue, attaching a screenshot of an estimated wait time of 68 minutes to check out.Since Taylor Swift has yet to unveil the album's artwork, the product's cover art is currently blurred behind an orange lock on a mint green background, with a note stating:"Album artwork to be revealed at a later date."All pre-orders will reportedly be shipped before October 13; however, the website notes that the mentioned date is not the release date. The website enforces a four-product limit per customer, and the "pre pre-order" is solely available for U.S. customers.The vinyl, priced at $29.99, is described as "PORTOFINO ORANGE GLITTER VINYL (translucent orange vinyl with gold glitter)." Meanwhile, the cassette costs $19.99 and the CD is priced at $12.99. The CD also includes "1 double-sided folded poster (approximately 19” x 9.5”). Each side features a photo of Taylor."A screenshot of Taylor Swift's official website (Image via taylorswift.com)An overview of Taylor Swift's upcoming albumTaylor Swift's fans, collectively known as Swifties, speculated about the possibility of her 12th studio album after the singer's website ran a countdown for 12:12 am ET on August 12. As soon as the timer ran out, a video clip of Swift's upcoming appearance on her boyfriend Travis Kelce's show, New Heights, was uploaded on the podcast's Instagram handle.Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at The Eras Tour in London, UK (Image via Getty Images)In the clip, Taylor Swift, can be seen sitting next to her boyfriend Jason Kelce. She tells him that she wants to show him something while holding a briefcase. She then takes out the blurred vinyl album from a mint green case, saying:"So I wanted to show you something. This is my brand new album, The Life of a Show Girl."This podcast episode is scheduled to air on August 13, 2025 and Swift may talk about the album in depth during the show.Meanwhile, the singer has also curated a new playlist on Spotify to herald the new album, which is advertised on billboards in New York City and Nashville, and includes 22 of the singer's songs from her older albums, such as Red, Reputation, and 1989.Swifties have instantly noticed that the playlist, titled And, baby, that’s show business for you, contains songs which are all produced by Max Martin and Shellback. This has led many netizens to wonder whether these tracks are part of the upcoming album.Spotofy billboard featuring in NYC and Nashville (Image via X/@TSUpdating)Taylor Swift, known for leaving Easter eggs and puzzles for her fans, has not commented on any speculation as of writing this article.The Life of a Showgirl comes on the heels of Taylor Swift finally regaining ownership of the masters of her first six albums following her years-long dispute, which began in 2019. In May 2025, the singer announced the news to her fans, adding that she was able to buy back her masters from Shamrock Capital for an undisclosed amount, as reported by Billboard.While Swift had released "Taylor's Version" for four of the six albums, she added that she had no current plans to release the re-recorded versions of her debut album or her 2017 album, Reputation, after purchasing the masters.