Superstar Taylor Swift's latest studio album, 'The Life of a Showgirl,' arrives Friday with a promotional blitz that includes midnight sales at Target stores, a release party at movie theatres around the globe and pop-up experiences in New York and Los Angeles.
The release follows 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Swift's 11th studio album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and sold the equivalent of 8 million albums in the United States, according to Luminate, a firm that tracks music sales.
"She occupies a very rare position in today's fragmented music landscape: she is an active superstar with a massive and loyal fan base," said Tatiana Cirisano, vice president of music strategy for MIDiA Research.
These passionate followers, who self-identify as "Swifties," help the artist break through the fragmented music landscape, and rise to the top of the charts, said Cirisano.
"So few can get such a massive number of people listening to the same thing at once. So, it would surprise me a lot if the new release did not reach her usual level of success," she said.
Swift has been building anticipation for the new album since 11 August, when she posted a countdown on her website that kept fans waiting until 12:12 a.m. ET on 12 August, when she revealed the name of her 12th album 'The Life of a Showgirl.'
The next day, Swift appeared on the 'New Heights' podcast hosted by her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jason Kelce. The Top-10 rated sports and pop-culture podcast provided a friendly platform for Swift to talk about her forthcoming album, which she said had been inspired by the joy she felt while performing around the world on her record-setting Eras Tour. The 13 August episode has surpassed 23.4 million views on YouTube.
Swift has emerged as a cultural and economic force. Her globe-trotting Eras Tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time, surpassing $2 billion in ticket sales by the time it concluded in December 2024, according to Pollstar, a trade publication that tracks the concert industry. That figure does not include the boost to hotel and Airbnb rentals, restaurant tabs and merchandise sales.
Academics have said Swift rivals other pop icons, such as Elvis or Michael Jackson, in terms of her cultural impact, whether it's driving tune-in to NFL gamesor leading voter registration drives.
Business partners have been eager totap into the phenomenon that's been dubbed "Swiftonomics."
AMC Theatres announced plans to distribute 'The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,' an 89-minute film that features the first music video from the album, 'The Fate of Ophelia,' behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the music video, and Swift's reflections on songs from the album. The film will be in limited release, from Friday through Sunday, in more than 50 markets.
Retailer Target plans to open some stores at midnight Friday to sell a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the album with a "gold shimmer," and three CDs featuring exclusive album and poster art.
Music streaming service Spotify opened a three-day pop-up in New York City on Tuesday, to let Swift fans step into the world of the album, with song lyrics hidden among displays that included a dressing room and other trappings of a concert tour. On Friday, TikTok opened its own 'Life of a Showgirl' installation in Los Angeles.
Taylor Nation, the artist's promotional team, released a schedule of promotional appearances to tout the new album, including stops on 'The Graham Norton Show' on Friday, 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on Monday and 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' on Wednesday.
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Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to reopen transport connections, including railways and roads, marking a rare step forward in efforts to normalise ties despite lingering disputes, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.
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The Philippines says it has completed its search and rescue operations following on powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake, killing 73 and injuring more than 200.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Scientist and global activist Jane Goodall, who turned her childhood love of primates into a lifelong quest for protecting the environment, has died at the age of 91, the institute she founded said on Wednesday.
U.S. federal prosecutors urged a judge on Tuesday to sentence Sean "Diddy" Combs to more than 11 years in prison this week following the hip-hop mogul's conviction on prostitution-related charges.
Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and country music star Keith Urban have separated after 19 years of marriage, various news outlets reported on Monday, citing unidentified sources.
Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani unveiled the last collection personally worked on by its late designer and founder, at Brera art museum in the heart of Milan on Sunday.
Sean "Diddy" Combs is due to appear in court on Thursday for a hearing over his bid to set aside a jury's verdict finding the hip-hop mogul guilty on prostitution charges but clearing him of more serious counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.
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