ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Sometimes online, there's a main character everyone is talking about - someone or something that the internet has decided it's obsessed with. Well, when she's not working on putting together ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, our producer, Mia Venkat, is often online figuring out who that character is, and she is here to tell us. So Mia, hit it. Who is it this week?
MIA VENKAT, BYLINE: OK, Ari, I hope it's obvious to you, but this week, it has to be Taylor Swift and her fan base, the Swifties (ph).
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "...READY FOR IT?")
TAYLOR SWIFT: (Singing) Are you ready for it?
SHAPIRO: Of course, because of the "Tales Of A Showgirl" or "The Last Showgirl" or "White Showgirl"...
VENKAT: (Laughter).
SHAPIRO: ...Or whatever that's called.
VENKAT: "The Life Of A Showgirl." Right. She had...
SHAPIRO: "Life Of A Showgirl," that's it. Right, right, the new album coming out.
VENKAT: The new album announcement - so as a Swiftie myself, I'll attempt to bring the most unbiased reporting to this segment.
SHAPIRO: OK, good luck.
VENKAT: But, like you said, she announced this week that she has a new album called "The Life of A Showgirl" and that it's coming out October 3. She says it's about her life on the Eras Tour, a look behind the curtain, and it sounds like it's going to be pretty poppy and upbeat. But there's a few reasons why this is the main character this week.
SHAPIRO: Go. Why?
VENKAT: First, the whole announcement was teased out over several days. On Monday morning, her social media team began throwing out hints. Also that morning, the "New Heights" podcast teased that they're going to have a special guest on their episode dropping wednesday.
SHAPIRO: Oh, that's the podcast that her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, hosts.
VENKAT: That's right. Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce, host this podcast. Obviously, Taylor Swift was the special guest, and...
SHAPIRO: It broke the internet.
VENKAT: Yeah. That's right. So leading up to the podcast on Wednesday, Swifties drove themselves crazy with theories. I saw fan concept art for what the album would look like or song title ideas, possible themes, featured guests. And all along, Swift is adding teasers to her website. Her Swifties did a full forensic analysis of every facial expression Taylor has ever made, every word she's ever uttered...
SHAPIRO: (Laughter).
VENKAT: ...Just trying to figure out what exactly was going to be in this album.
SHAPIRO: God forbid they should actually wait until the album comes out or wait five days for her to reveal the cover and the track list as she did.
VENKAT: OK, it was barely two days. And why would they do that, Ari, when they can just do this?
SHAPIRO: Sure.
VENKAT: Here's Swiftie Katie Ink (ph) on TikTok, breaking down the different books on the shelf behind Swift in the announcement video, looking for clues there.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KATIE: Why is everybody misinterpreting all of Taylor Swift's easter eggs? First off, there are so many fine art and design influences in all of these books. Rothko is the red and black in the background behind that T-S. He's known for art that gives big feeling. There's Chagall, Lissitzky, Malevich, Ruth Asawa. It's midcentury design meets theater. "Life Of A Showgirl" - hello?
SHAPIRO: Does she call him Chagall? It's Chagall.
VENKAT: OK, don't get all Ari Shapiro with this.
SHAPIRO: Shocker, this album is going to have big feelings. Newsflash - big feelings on the Taylor Swift album.
VENKAT: In a way that Taylor has never done - but I have to say, another reason it was such a big week for the Swifties is because of this two-hourlong podcast video.
SHAPIRO: Right.
VENKAT: Like, we're in this era where huge stars, like Swift and Beyonce, don't really let us in like this anymore with these interviews. And this was a two-hour interview, getting to watch her talk about her life, interact with her boyfriend, in a way that Swifties hadn't seen before. She even talked a bit about how her mom and her brother helped negotiate the deal earlier this year to buy back the master recordings for Swift's first six albums.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "NEW HEIGHTS")
SWIFT: She was like, you got your music, and I just very dramatically hit the floor for real. Like, honestly, just started...
TRAVIS KELCE: It's been a long time coming.
SWIFT: ...Bawling my eyes out.
VENKAT: In 24 hours, that episode had 13 million views on YouTube, which was not lost on her fans, who know that Swift's lucky number is 13.
SHAPIRO: OK, but now they have to wait until October for the actual album to come out. So are the conspiracy theories flying?
VENKAT: They're flying, and let me tell you, the Swifties are not well, but we will find a way through (laughter).
SHAPIRO: At least they've got that two-hour podcast to watch and rewatch and rewatch again. Although I feel like I should mention, Taylor Swift did do an interview with this program, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, back in 2014, and feels to me like it might be time for her to make a return visit, just putting that out there.
VENKAT: Listen, if the Swifties are one thing, they are a powerful fan base. So...
SHAPIRO: Get on it, Swifties. NPR's Mia Venkat. Thanks, as always.
VENKAT: Thanks, Ari.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I CAN DO IT WITH A BROKEN HEART")
SWIFT: (Singing) 'Cause I can do it with a broken heart. I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday every day. I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me like the plague. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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