Wait, Was Taylor Teasing The Life Of A Showgirl During The Eras Tour?

As Taylor Swift enters her shiny new era, one Folklore lyric feels especially prescient: “I gave so many signs.” Yes, Swift’s sudden announcement of her 12th album The Life of a Showgirl was a surprise, but looking back, she’s been subtly hinting at the album’s themes and aesthetic for a few years. Leave it to the Easter egg mastermind to perfectly set the stage for her glitziest era yet without anyone even realizing it.

While there had been some rumors among fans about Swift preparing to release a new album, nobody predicted the glamorous title. Sure, there was speculation that the new record would have an orange color scheme, which turned out to be true, but it wasn’t until The Life of a Showgirl’s announcement that superfans were able to fully realize all of the teasing details Swift had included in her recent tour, videos, and appearances that hinted at this new collection of music.

From referential choreography to very intentional wording, here are all the clues Swift had given us about her showgirl era.

1. The A12 Easter Egg

Nothing is just a coincidence in Taylor Swift’s world. Back in October 2024, the pop star celebrated her Eras Tour returning to the United States by posting a video strutting into the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. At the time, nobody paid attention to the “A12” sign prominently featured on the seats, but now, fans are interpreting it as an early clue that Swift was signaling a big announcement on Aug. 12 — which we now know as the day she revealed The Life of a Showgirl’s title.

2. The Eras Tour Book

Every Swiftie assumed The Eras Tour Book that Swift published in November 2024 would be filled with Easter eggs, but one of the biggest ones didn’t make sense until now. When describing her Tortured Poets Department set from the Eras Tour, Swift noted that the segment included “a showgirl’s dressing room routine.”

And of course, the big hint that fans had previously caught was the last page of the book, in which Swift wrote “See you next era” on an orange background, teasing Showgirl’s signature color.

3. The Orange Door

Ever since the Eras Tour ended in December 2024, Swifties have been trying to figure out why the singer intentionally exited the stage through a large projection of an orange door. At long last, the decision makes sense — she was walking into her next era and pointing to its orange coloring.

4. The Tortured Poets March

You’d have to be a truly dedicated historical cinephile to pick up on how Swift’s “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” choreography was secretly teasing her 12th album’s title. Now that the name is revealed, fans are amazed that Swift marching with her band in all white closely resembles a scene from the 1933 movie The Life of a Showgirl.

5. The “Anti-Hero” Wardrobe

Some fans believe that Swift already had her Showgirl aesthetics in mind back when she released her first Midnights single in 2022. The video for “Anti-Hero” seems to forecast both Swift’s 11th and 12th albums with two of the singer’s roles, as one version of her is morose and dressed in white (signifiers of Tortured Poets), while her disapproving perfectionist doppelgänger is wearing all orange (the color of The Life of a Showgirl).

6. The Grammys Entrance

Sometimes, the universe just has a way of making things go Swift’s way. Fans have pointed out that when Swift walked on the Grammys stage in February, her backdrop was the exact color of orange that is now associated with The Life of a Showgirl.

7. The Masters Letter

Even when she’s penning one of the most important notes of her professional career, Swift can’t help but sneak Easter eggs into her writing. When the singer announced the reclamation of her masters back in May, she wrote that she always felt the legal move was “thiiiiiiiiiiiis close” to getting done. Fans quickly picked up on the 12 “i”s as a hint that Swift was preparing to announce her 12th album.

Even more, the glittery background for the letter has also been revealed to be a big Easter egg, teasing the sparkly aesthetic of The Life of a Showgirl.