Taylor Swift Reveals How She Convinced Max Martin To Produce Showgirl
“I think that’s what locked it in.”
Taylor Swift is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and most musicians would do anything to work with the 14-time Grammy winner. Her most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl, reunites Swift with two of her previous collaborators, Max Martin and Shellback, who worked with her on tracks like “Shake It Off” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
The last time the three were in the studio all together was for 2017’s Reputation, and in an exclusive clip at Spotify’s The Life of a Showgirl pop-up in New York City, Swift revealed what she did to convince Martin to team up with her again in 2024. “I remember Max always used to say to me, you have to come tour in Sweden,” said Swift. “It just took forever for me to actually get to play in Sweden, and the first time I play there, it's these three sold out nights [on the Eras Tour in May 2024] of just crazy crowds. They were such an amazing crowd and Max was gonna be there and I just was like so proud that I finally did the thing he wanted me to do for so long.”
That was not really an Easter egg to fans as much as trying to woo Max back to the table.
To celebrate Martin being in the crowd for her first time playing in Sweden, Swift put together a “Max Martin Medley” to play during her surprise song set on May 19. The mashup included “Message in a Bottle,” “How You Get the Girl,” and “New Romantics.” While Swifties picked up on the production connection between the tracks, the pop star revealed that the selections were made for an ulterior motive. “That was not really an Easter egg to fans as much as trying to woo Max back to the table,” Swift admitted.
Over the years, Martin has worked with artists like Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, and Katy Perry, and knowing how busy the record producer is, Swift said, “I just wanted to do that to let him know that I was so excited about the idea of us working together again.”
It obviously worked, because according to Swift, “I think that's what locked it in.” The Life of a Showgirl is co-produced by Martin and Shellback. The two, along with Swift, share writing credits on all of the songs.
When Swift first announced the 12-track album on Aug. 12, the singer also released a playlist on Spotify with Martin-produced songs like “22” and “Style.” Swifties can give it a listen before they enter the new Showgirl era on Oct. 3.
