Taylor Swift’s ‘Life Of A Showgirl’ Hits Number 1 On Apple

Topline

Taylor Swift’s newest album “Life Of A Showgirl” soared to Number 1 on Apple Music charts after shattering pre-save records, as the billionaire artist weaves her engagement to Travis Kelce, industry battles, and possible pop rivalries, into her most self-referential album yet.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 23: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO STANDALONE PUBLICATION USE (NO SPECIAL INTEREST OR SINGLE ARTIST PUBLICATION USE; NO BOOK USE)) EXCLUSIVE ACCESS. Taylor Swift is joined on stage by Travis Kelce (R), during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Wembley Stadium on June 23, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management )

Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Key Facts

Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, “The Life Of A Showgirl” released Friday at 12 a.m. EST and is trending at #1 on Apple Music’s “Top Album” chart, with all tracks occupying the top 12 spots.

Eight of Swift’s 12 albums are currently in Billboard’s Top 100, a surge tied to the anticipation of the new release.

Spotify announced on Monday that Swift’s album became the most pre-saved in its history, surpassing five million pre-saves.

The previous title-holder was Swift herself, with her 2024 album “The Tortured Poets Department.”

On Tuesday, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that Swift became the first and only female artist to surpass 100 million RIAA Certified Album Units in an Instagram post.

Does Swift Talk About Travis Kelce On ‘life Of A Showgirl’?

Yes. The album is filled with playful nods to her fiance, Travis Kelce, whom she announced her engagement to in August 2025. On the opener, “The Fate of Ophelia” Swift begins with “I hear you calling on the megaphone/You want to see me all alone,” a likely reference to Kelce first asking her out publicly on the “New Heights” podcast. Later in the track, she adds, “Keep it one hundred,” echoing the caption Kelce used in his first Instagram post with her. On “Elizabeth Taylor,” she writes, “All the right guys promised they’d stay / Under bright lights, they withered away, but you bloom,” which fans interpret as a contrast between past break ups with Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy, who faces public scrutiny, and Kelce, who thrives under the pressure. “Opalite” directly references Kelce’s October birthstone, in which Swift sings: “Oh my lord, never met no one like you before / You had to make your own sunshine / But now the sky is opalite.” On his podcast, Kelce called it his favorite track. In “Eldest Daughter” Swift recalls their first near encounter in Kansas City with the line, “When you found me, I said I was busy, that was a lie,” a nod to Kelce’s attempt at giving Swift a bracelet with his number on it. “Wood,” the album’s most provocative track, includes word-play such as “Redwood tree” and “his love” being “the key that opened my thighs.” Meanwhile, “Wi$h Li$t” and “Honey” imagine a future together, including the possibility of a “couple kids,” according to the NY Post.

What Does Swift Say About Charli Xcx On The Album?

Among the most dissected tracks is “Actually Romantic,” which many listeners interpret as a pointed swipe at Charli XCX. Swift describes a rival singer-songwriter who “wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face,” and labels her “boring barbie,” a mix of jabs which fans connect to Charli’s 2024 track “Sympathy Is A Knife” and her ties to Matty Healy, Swift’s ex and Charli’s husband’s bandmate. Even the title has parallels to Charli’s album “True Romance” and her recent song “Everything is Romantic”, according to Teen Vogue.

What Other References Does Swift Make On Her New Record?

Swift has long drawn from literature, from Romeo and Juliet in “Love Story” to The Great Gatbsy in “Happiness.” On her latest album, she returns to Shakespeare with “The Fate of Ophelia” referencing Hamlet’s tragic heroine who descends into madness after her father’s death and drowns in a brook. The mood darkens further on “Father Figure,” a searing critique of exploitation in the music industry. What begins with a man’s empty promises soon reveals itself as betrayal, with Swift singing, “Your thoughtless ambition sparked the ignition on foolish decisions which led to misguided visions/That to fulfill your dreams/You had to get rid of me.” Many listeners interpret the track as a reference to Scott Borchetta, the Big Machine Record founder who first signed Swift in Nashville and infamously sold her first six albums to Scooter Braun, according to Teen Vogue.

Key Background

Swift partially announced her 12-track album “The Life of a Showgirl” on the “New Heights” podcast hosted by her fiancé Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, revealing she recorded much of it in Sweden while flying between “Eras Tour” dates. The album was produced with longtime collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, marking their first full project together since “Reputation” in 2017. The release builds on her historic run in 2024 when the “Tortured Poets Department” set Spotify records for 300 million streams in a single day and became the most-streamed album in its first week. The album’s success secured her position as Spotify’s Global Top Artist for a consecutive year given she logged 26.6 billion streams.

What To Watch For

Swift’s first-week sales. 1.9 million first-week sales made “The Tortured Poets Department” Swift’s biggest debut ever, while “1989” followed with $1.3 million and “Reputation” and “Red” each opened at 1.2 million, according to the BBC.

Forbes Valuation

$1.6 billion. That’s how much we estimate Taylor Swift is worth. The artist became a billionaire in October 2023, thanks to the earnings from her “Eras Tour” and the value of her music catalog. Her fortune includes nearly $800 million amassed from royalties and touring, plus a music catalog worth an estimated $600 million and some $110 million in real estate.