As she ushered in a new era to cheers from her fawning boyfriend Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift told fans: ‘We try to keep it decent.’
But that didn’t stop Swifties from taking a sharp inhale when they saw the pop megastar, lounging in a bathtub while draped in jewels, on the cover of her upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl.
The burlesque-style album art is a far cry from the girl-next-door image portrayed in her earlier eras.
The Daily Mail has learned that her new look is not about being ‘explicit’ – rather, it is a mark of maturity, championed by Kelce, 35, who has reportedly made her feel ‘safe’ enough to explore this next chapter.
‘Travis treats her with so much dignity and respect, and it has allowed her to explore a sexier side of herself safely,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘She couldn’t do that before because she didn’t feel as safe with other men as she does with Travis.
‘She is also aware that she is maturing and trusts that her fans will follow her through all parts of her personality, but she won’t be doing anything too explicit.’
The burlesque-style album art is a far cry from the girl-next-door image portrayed in her earlier eras
The Daily Mail has learned that her new look is not about being ‘explicit’
And there is no denying the profound impact NFL tight end Kelce has had on Swift, 35.
‘Travis is a confidence booster to whomever he surrounds himself with,’ said a second insider.
‘His teammates see it, his friends and family see it and obviously Taylor sees it. She has so much confidence in herself, but Travis reiterates this to her.’
Swift announced her 12th album on Wednesday during her podcast debut on Kelce brothers show New Heights, where she gave unprecedented insight into her life and relationship. The pair discussed how they first met back in 2023 and their life away from prying eyes – namely, Swift’s newfound sourdough baking hobby.
Like the proud boyfriend he seems to be, Kelce threw confetti in the air and declared, ‘We got TS 12 baby!’ as Swift held up the 12-track vinyl, the cover of which shows the pop star in a pool of water wearing only jewels.
Shot by famed photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, who worked with Swift on the artwork for her 2017 album Reputation, another photo sees Swift suggestively biting her finger as she poses in nude fishnets and a barely-there bejeweled lingerie. Other pictures depict Swift as the titular ‘showgirl’, with one showing the singer sprawled out across two chairs with her head thrown back.
The album, Swift revealed, is about ‘everything that was going on behind the curtain’ while on the road for her record-breaking Eras Tour.
‘I’m so proud of it, and it just comes from, like, the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life, and so that effervescence has come through on this record,’ she said, smiling at Kelce as he hugged the vinyl.
‘I wanted the album to feel the way my life felt, and this completely matches the way that my life has felt.’
‘Travis treats her with so much dignity and respect, and it has allowed her to explore a sexier side of herself safely,’ an insider told the Daily Mail
‘She couldn’t do that before because she didn’t feel as safe with other men as she does with Travis’
The album, Swift revealed, is about ‘everything that was going on behind the curtain’ while on the road for her record-breaking Eras Tour
But our source insists that her new era – though a marked difference to the modest looks of tours past – won’t usher in a dramatic deviation from what fans know and love.
It ‘won’t be a drastic sway from what we are familiar with,’ they noted.
‘She isn’t going to be bumping and grinding, but she also isn’t going to be wholesome as apple pie.’
Though, Swifties are no strangers to the pop sensation’s sexier side.
During the blockbuster Eras Tour, she danced on stage in glittering Versace bodysuits, and even performed a sultry burlesque number during her hit Vigilante S**t.
It’s a look seemingly more aligned with the risqué, and much critiqued, aesthetic of Sabrina Carpenter, 26, who is featured on The Life of a Showgirl and was an opening act for the Eras Tour.
Lingerie, fishnets and garters fast became part of the pint-sized pop star’s signature style during her own Short n’ Sweet tour. Though, Carpenter has faced backlash for her sultry performances, namely of Juno during which she mimics various sex positions.
Another insider added: ‘She isn’t going to be bumping and grinding, but she also isn’t going to be wholesome as apple pie’
And criticism escalated in June when she unveiled the cover art for her upcoming album Man’s Best Friend, in which she is on all fours at the feet of a man who is pulling her hair.
She later posted an alternative cover – a black-and-white image of the singer in a retro gown holding onto a man – which she cheekily joked was ‘approved by God.’
Swift reportedly helped Carpenter to ‘navigate the criticism she got for the first cover and supported her decision to reshoot the artwork because she didn’t feel completely comfortable with what she saw knowing they would be collaborating.’
But for anyone equally perturbed by Swift’s new look, she’s not concerned.
‘She’s not worried that this new album will alienate any fans, young or old,’ said our insider, ‘because her true fans are here for the ride and that’s what counts.’
