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Tag: Taylor Swift

  • Taylor Swift shares details of 12th album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’

    Taylor Swift shares details of 12th album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’

    Taylor Swift has revealed her forthcoming album The Life of a Showgirl, scheduled to drop on October 3, will feature 12 songs, including a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter on the title track. The album will also contain a rendition of George Michael’s 1987 classic Father Figure. 

    Swift disclosed the tracklist and cover art during a guest appearance on New Heights, the podcast hosted by her partner Travis Kelce and his brother, former NFL player Jason Kelce. She explained that the album was composed and recorded in Europe while she was on tour for the Eras Tour, the first concert series to exceed $1 billion in revenue and to earn over $2 billion in total across 21 months.

    As for the album’s concept, Swift mentioned that it encapsulates her experiences from two years spent touring. In contrast to her last album, The Tortured Poets Department, which comprised 31 songs and included a surprise second release, she assured fans that this time there won’t be any extra material. “This is the record I’ve dreamed of creating for a long time,” she shared with the Kelces.

    The tracklist for The Life of a Showgirl includes: The Fate of Ophelia, Elizabeth Taylor, Opalite, Father Figure, Eldest Daughter, Ruin the Friendship, Actually Romantic, Wi$h Li$t, Wood, Cancelled!, Honey, The Life of a Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)

    This album also signifies the comeback of Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback, who have previously collaborated with Swift on Red, 1989, and Reputation. She acknowledged their influence on some of her most iconic songs, like Shake It Off and Blank Space. 

    There has been speculation among fans that some of the new songs may touch on Swift’s relationship with Kelce, which became public in 2023. Swift stated that each song on the album was deliberately chosen, with no additions or omissions, to preserve a cohesive theme.

    In the period leading up to the announcement, Taylor Nation – a branch of Swift’s official marketing team, Taylor Nation, shared 12 images from the Eras Tour on Instagram, followed by a countdown timer on Swift’s official website. The site temporarily went down before returning to provide initial information about the project.

    Swift’s last release, The Tortured Poets Department, broke numerous streaming records, including 300 million Spotify streams in a single day and surpassing one billion in just five days.

  • Taylor Swift delivers final performance in record-breaking ‘Eras’ tour

    Taylor Swift delivers final performance in record-breaking ‘Eras’ tour

    Taylor Swift took the stage in Vancouver on Sunday for the final show of her record-shattering “Eras” tour, a cultural phenomenon that has easily become the highest-grossing musical tour in history.

    The globe-spanning event kicked off in the US state of Arizona on March 17, 2023.

    Sunday’s show in Canada was the 149th Eras performance, following stops in cities ranging from Buenos Aires to Paris and Tokyo.

    Swift appeared on stage at a sold-out BC Place stadium shortly before 8:00 pm (0400 GMT) and told the crowd “it’s feeling like a pretty cool night to be in Vancouver,” according to the Vancouver Sun newspaper.

    Swift’s camp has not publicly released ticket revenue numbers for the tour but the widely cited trade magazine Pollstar has estimated the figure at more than $2 billion. 

    That smashes the record previously held by Elton John’s pandemic-interrupted “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour,” which sold an estimated $939 million in tickets over 328 shows spread across five years.

    Beyond the concerts, Swift’s presence in venue cities has supercharged local economies.

    Her second-last tour stop was Toronto, where she performed six shows over two weekends.

    She generated an additional Can$282 million ($199 million) in economic activity in Canada’s largest city, tourism promotion organization Destination Toronto estimated.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended one of the Toronto shows with his family.

    Last year, before the announcement that Eras would include Canadian stops, Trudeau issued a public appeal urging Swift to come.

    “I know places in Canada would love to have you. So, don’t make it another Cruel Summer. We hope to see you soon,” Trudeau posted on X in July 2023, referring to a hit song from Swift’s 2019 album, “Lover.”

    Not all the political attention Swift attracted during Eras was positive.

    Shortly after the US presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in September, Swift endorsed the Democrat for president.

    That triggered an all-caps Trump post on the Republican former president’s Truth Social platform that simply said, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT.”

    – ‘Super Bowl suspense’ –  

    Eras also earned sterling critical acclaim, with reviewers praising Swift’s stamina and energy through shows that have averaged just under four hours.

    The New York Times called opening night in Glendale, Arizona, a “master class.” The Vancouver Sun called Friday’s show, her third last, “spectacular.”

    A setback came in Vienna this summer when three shows were cancelled after authorities arrested a man in connection with an Islamist attack plot.

    And tragedy struck when a fan died from heat exhaustion during a show in Rio de Janeiro in November last year.

    Unprecedented ticket demand led to frustration for many fans and forced Ticketmaster initially to scrap presale plans.

    Eras also included a “will she, won’t she” moment of suspense that transcended the world of pop music.

    The question was whether Swift had enough time after finishing a show in Tokyo on February 10 to make it to Las Vegas in time for kickoff at football’s Super Bowl to see her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, play for the Kansas City Chiefs.

    It is rare for a non-football storyline to dominate discussion ahead of America’s premier sporting event.

    But concern about Swift’s schedule was so acute that the Japanese embassy in Washington issued a statement affirming she would “comfortably” make the game. 

    From a private box, along with Kelce’s mother, Donna, Swift chugged a beer and watched the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers as more than 200 million TV viewers watched her.

  • Taylor Swift got police escort to London gigs after Austria terror plot

    Taylor Swift got police escort to London gigs after Austria terror plot

    US star Taylor Swift got a special police escort for her London concerts after an alleged suicide attack plot led to the cancellation of three performances in Vienna.

    Culture Minister Lisa Nandy denied the singer was given preferential treatment, after reports she had a motorbike escort usually reserved for senior members of the royal family and politicians.

    Her denial comes with the new Labour government under attack for accepting free gifts, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was given six tickets to the Swift concert.

    Starmer, who attended the concert with his wife Victoria, announced last week that he had repaid thousands of pounds worth of gifts including the concert tickets.

    But Nandy said the police escort, first reported by The Sun newspaper, was not the result of pressure from senior politicians.

    “I utterly reject that there’s been any kind of wrongdoing or undue influence in this case,” she told Sky News television.

    The interior minister, Yvette Cooper, would not have insisted “any individual got the top level of private security arrangements. That is an operational matter for the police, not for the government,” she said.

    Other Labour politicians who enjoyed free tickets for the “Eras” tour shows included Education Minister Bridget Phillipson, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Nandy herself.

    The Swift tour wrapped up its European leg in August in London following dates across a dozen countries.

    The last month of the Europe tour, however, was marred by the thwarted Austria attack, with authorities there revealing that an Islamic State sympathiser was planning a deadly attack at a concert in Vienna.

    Three suspects were detained and all three August concert dates in Vienna were cancelled after an investigation conducted with the help of US intelligence.

    According to The Sun report, Swift’s mother and manager threatened to axe the London shows in August unless she received the police escort.

    It alleged that the Met Police agreed after “personal interventions from Cooper and Khan”, stressing that any cancellation would be “economically damaging and embarrassing”.

    The Swift tour had been forecast to boost the UK economy by almost £1 billion ($1.3 billion), Barclays bank said in a study entitled “Swiftonomics”.

    London’s Metropolitan Police told AFP the force was “operationally independent” with decisions taken on the basis of a “thorough assessment of threat, risk and harm and the circumstances of each case”.

  • Taylor Swift endorses Kamala, internet reminds her of silence on Gaza genocide

    Taylor Swift endorses Kamala, internet reminds her of silence on Gaza genocide

    Taylor Swift on Wednesday repeated her call for fans to register to vote in the US presidential election as she accepted MTV’s top Video Music Award.

    Swift won the Video of the Year for “Fortnight,” which also featured Post Malone, and thanked her loyal Swifties for bestowing her with the fan-chosen award, which she took home for the third straight year.

    “To the fans, I’m always trying to figure out a way to say thank you to you for making my life what it is,” Swift, who directed the video, said onstage.

    “If you are over 18 please register to vote for something else that is very important,” she added.

    The 34-year-old international megastar’s call follows her endorsement of Kamala Harris in the minutes after the previous evening’s presidential debate between the Democratic hopeful and Republican Donald Trump.

    “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift said in a lengthy Instagram post in throwing her support behind the Democratic nominee.

    Criticism by the Internet

    However, netizens lambasted her for not criticizing Israel for the past year despite her activism against oppression all around the world and especially against government policies. Some reminded her of supporting a candidate who is pro-genocide, implying Kamala’s pro-Israel stance.

    Here are the reactions X (formerly Twitter)

  • ‘I’m ready to be a mom’: Taylor Swift teases fans

    ‘I’m ready to be a mom’: Taylor Swift teases fans

    Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce’s romance is heating up. Sources say the pop superstar is eager to start a family.


    Taylor is taking a nearly two-month hiatus after wrapping off the European leg of her successful Eras Tour. She will resume concerts in October.

    Rumors are circulating that she is ready to take her relationship with Travis to the next level and wants to become a mother.


    Insiders told a celebrity magazine that Travis is planning to propose soon after the Eras Tour ends in December. Some sources even believe that Taylor will return to the stage with a big ring on her finger for her final shows.


    “She’ll come back with a big ring on her finger for the final dates before taking next year off to have a baby,” one source said.


    Another person close to Taylor shared, “She’s focused on starting a family and is eager to have a baby as soon as her tour finishes.”


    According to another source, “She wants a few children before she’s 40. Travis has only known her on tour, so she’s excited to be a football wife for a while. Once the tour is done, she feels ready to start a family and knows Travis is the one she wants to do that with.”


    It’s worth noting that Taylor and Travis first made headlines for their romance last summer. Friends of the couple have confirmed that their relationship is serious, and marriage may be on the horizon.

  • Taylor Swift ready to shake up Europe

    Taylor Swift ready to shake up Europe

    Having shaken four continents, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour finally brings the biggest pop culture icon of the century to Europe from Thursday, starting with a four-night run in Paris.

    Swift has broken almost every record in music, and her sixth tour is no exception.

    The Eras Tour, which began in March 2023, is already the first to sell more than $1 billion in tickets, and is expected to more than double that by the time it concludes in Vancouver this December.

    Swifties in Paris are especially excited to hear songs off her new album, “The Tortured Poets Society”, being performed for the first time.

    Many critics have derided the 31-track album as bloated and mediocre – “a rare misstep” in the words of British music mag NME.

    Such blasphemy leaves her devoted fanbase seeing red –- Paste magazine felt the need to keep their damning review anonymous, knowing all too well how her fans would react.

    But a few bad reviews are unlikely to lead to a cruel summer for Swift – the album sold 1.4 million copies on its first day and broke every streaming record going, reaching a billion streams on Spotify within five days.

    Some 42,000 people will see Swift in Paris before she heads on for dates in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria.

    Many are travelling a long way – around one in five of the Paris audience is coming from the United States, according to the La Defense Arena where she is performing.

    ECONOMIC JUGGERNAUT

    The 34-year-old’s tour remains a money-making machine beyond the wildest dreams of promoters and venues.

    Research group QuestionPro estimated that last year’s US dates generated $5 billion for the country’s economy. The US Travel Association said the figure may have exceeded $10 billion when hotel rooms, restaurants and other indirect sales were included.

    The La Defense Arena says it has doubled the previous record of merchandise-sellers across its dates.

    The mere mention of a London pub, The Black Dog, on her new album was enough to send a swarm of Swifties to its doors this month, potentially saving the struggling boozer.

    Fans tracked it down after realising it lay close to the home of British actor Joe Alwyn, with whom Swift had a six-year relationship that ended last summer.

    Swift’s tell-all dissections of her love stories have been the fuel powering her global domination, and fans have been pouring over “The Tortured Poets Department” for cryptic clues about Alwyn, her short-but-dramatic fling with Matty Healy (lead singer of The 1975), and her current beau, American football star Travis Kelce.

    “There is something in her music that captures the adolescent desire for a poetic existence, charged with passion, danger and love,” said Satu Hämeenaho-Fox, author of “Into the Taylor-Verse”.

    Soukeyna, a 16-year-old fan travelling up from southwest France for opening night, said Swift gives her “the feeling of being part of a community”.

    “She’s a complete artist who writes her own words, and you really have to listen to the lyrics and understand them, which is something unique,” she added.

  • Asim Azhar refutes claims of copying Taylor Swift

    Asim Azhar refutes claims of copying Taylor Swift

    Singer-songwriter Asim Azhar has caught the attention of fans and followers alike with a bold move on social media. In anticipation of his upcoming debut album, Azhar has wiped clean his Instagram profile, deleting all previous posts and unfollowing everyone. The unexpected action has left fans puzzled but intrigued, sparking speculation about the reasons behind the digital cleanse.

    When asked about it, Azhar explained that he wants to start a new chapter in his music career. “This debut album is a big step for me, and I wanted a fresh start,” he told a fan who was confused about the changes.


    One person on Instagram said Azhar copied Taylor Swift’s style on social media. Azhar replied, “Many other artists have done similar things before her worldwide.” He added, “But yes, I love her too,” showing he’s not bothered by the comment. Azhar’s clear response showed he’s straightforward and not afraid to admit he’s a fan of other artists.

    Azhar’s reply shows how tricky it can be to handle social media in the music world. It’s normal for artists to get ideas from famous stars like Swift. But they also need to find a balance between showing respect and being original.

  • Singapore denies paying Taylor Swift millions to not perform anywhere else in the region

    Singapore denies paying Taylor Swift millions to not perform anywhere else in the region

    Singapore said Monday its grant to Taylor Swift for her concerts in the city was nowhere near as high as speculated, following media reports that the superstar was offered millions of dollars per gig.

    Around 300,000 people from Singapore and around the region are expected to attend the six sold-out shows that began March 2 — but some neighbours were not happy about being left off The Eras Tour.

    Some, including reportedly the Thai prime minister, have said that Swift was paid millions to keep her from performing anywhere else in the region.

    “There has been some online speculation as to the size of the grant. I can say that it is not accurate and not anywhere as high as speculated,” Singapore’s culture minister Edwin Tong told parliament.

    “Due to business confidentiality reasons, we cannot reveal the specific size of the grant or the conditions of the grant.”

    Tong added that the “economic benefits to Singapore are assessed to be significant and outweigh the size of the grant”.

    Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had reportedly said, citing a concert promoter, that Singapore offered Swift up to US$3 million per concert if she did not play anywhere else in Southeast Asia.

    A lawmaker in the Philippines also criticised Singapore, reportedly saying this was not “what good neighbours do”.

    Tong played down the role the grant may have played in convincing Swift to perform only in Singapore.

    “Promoters of top artists will do their own calculation and assess where they want to perform and for how long,” he said, citing Singapore’s location and infrastructure as key factors.

    Since the end of pandemic curbs, a number of top artists have performed in Singapore, including Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Blackpink and Harry Styles.

  • Swifties swoon as Taylor Swift wins record fourth best album Grammy, beating Frank Sinatra

    Swifties swoon as Taylor Swift wins record fourth best album Grammy, beating Frank Sinatra

    Taylor Swift made Grammys history Sunday by winning her fourth Album of the Year prize, the most of any artist – the crowning moment of a night of electric performances and breakthrough wins.

    In taking home the honor at the 66th annual Grammys in Los Angeles, Swift surpassed the likes of Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder, industry greats she previously had been tied with.

    It’s a cherry on top for the 34-year-old, who is already one of music’s blockbuster stars.

    “For me, the award is the work,” Swift said, who earlier in the night announced she would drop a new album on April 19. “I love it so much.”

    “It makes me unbelievably blown away that it makes some people happy who voted for this award too.”

    Swift however lost two other top prizes she was up for.

  • Republicans in America think Taylor Swift, Beau conspiring for Biden to get re-elected

    Republicans in America think Taylor Swift, Beau conspiring for Biden to get re-elected

    You knew Taylor Swift was influential, but Republicans are now crediting the singer with James-Bond-villain-level powers in a wacky conspiracy theory claiming the singer’s romance with NFL star Travis Kelce is really a plot to rig the Super Bowl and get President Joe Biden reelected.

    The relationship between the pop powerhouse and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has gripped the nation for weeks, with TV cameras repeatedly panning from the field during the team’s surging NFL season to a cheering Swift in the stands.

    Fascination peaked this weekend when the Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens to book their berth in February’s Super Bowl and, in the midst of celebrations, Swift descended onto the field to kiss Kelce, fresh from playing one of the best games of his life.

    It’s not much of a fairytale for Republicans in America.

    Right-wingers — who, like their leader Donald Trump, increasingly see conspiracy theories under every stone — detected not a love story but a deep-state psychological operation against the American people and the November presidential election.

    Fox News hosted a discussion with a former FBI agent asking: “Is Taylor Swift a Pentagon asset?”

    A Trump media booster, Laura Loomer, told her more than 800,000 followers on X, the former Twitter, that “The Democrats’ Taylor Swift election interference psyop is happening in the open.”

    And Vivek Ramaswamy, a failed Republican presidential candidate now fully behind Trump’s bid for a second term, suggested there is a plot to boost Biden through a faked Swift-Kelce relationship and a rigged Chiefs victory in the Super Bowl.

    “I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple,” he wrote on X. “Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months.”

    A major pro-Trump broadcast personality, Mike Crispi, said it all even more clearly: “EVERYONE knows Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is fake and the Super Bowl is rigged. You’re a whacko at this point if you DON’T believe it.”

    Swift will appear on stage at the Super Bowl halftime show, he said, and endorse Biden.

    The nutty furor has roots in long-running hatred on the right for Swift, who is not only a global entertainment megastar but openly liberal and against Trump. She endorsed Biden in his successful 2020 bid to unseat Trump and flexed her muscles again last September by urging fans to register to vote -tens of thousands did.

    Kelce, something of a legend for his outsized personality off the field and heroics during games, has become an unlikely target of the right himself after promoting Covid vaccines and, now, for being the boyfriend of an even bigger female celebrity.

    The saga has already veered into distinctly dark territory. AI-faked pornographic images made to look like Swift got millions of views on X before being removed last week.

    And things may get weirder.

    The Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on February 11 and the right-wing media-sphere is lining up behind the Californians – even though their team represents one of the most liberal cities in the world.

    “I know we’ve all been roasting your city for years,” posted Rogan O’Handley, a hard-right personality with 1.3 million X followers.

    “For 2 weeks, 99% of America will be 49ers fans but in return you MUST defeat the Chiefs,” he wrote. If they don’t, Biden will get reelected and “WW3 will likely follow.”