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Four years ago, on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Taylor Swift asked herself very important question: “Can I hint at something three years in advance?” Ever since, that question has plagued the minds of Swifties everywhere. Is Swift just wearing an outfit, or is she hinting at a new album? Is this just a fun music video or subliminal mind prep for an upcoming era? Easter Eggs to Taylor Swift are what Hidden Mickeys are to Disney Parks: once you start to notice them, it’s impossible to stop. The Life of a Showgirl, Swift’s upcoming twelfth album , is no different. Innocent references in Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department are now important reminders that we’re dealing with a mastermind. Below, the biggest hints Swifties may have missed from all the orange outfits to showgirl references to possible collaborators.
Her orange costumes on the Eras Tour
Sorry to the rumored lost album Karma, but the color orange has a new home in the Taylor Swift canon. Showgirl’s color in the Swift album rainbow is orange with a complementary green — more specifically, it’ll be represented by the ❤️🔥 emoji. During the first American leg of the Eras tour, Swift only wore orange during the 1989 and the Evermore set; she didn’t start adding in more orange costumes until the European leg of the tour after the release of TTPD. On the 12th (!) European Eras Tour show in Lyon, Swift wore an all-orange outfit for the 1989 set after wearing mismatched colors for the previous shows. The following day, she sang a mash-up of “Glitch” and “Everything Has Changed,” because on a Wednesday on a podcast, a new era has begun again.
A potential collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter
Once Swift got back to the States, she wore orange yet again on another important performance: during a mash-up of “Espresso” and “Is It Over Now?” with Sabrina Carpenter, where the bracelets in the audience glowed green. “Is there any chance you can get off the rollercoaster and like put on some clothes and come down to the stadium real quick?” Swift asked Carpenter before she made a surprise appearance. The line “put on some clothes” seems random, and Carpenter is featured in the 12-photo carousel on the initial Taylor Nation post — could that be a line from a song they’ll have together?
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She’s been showgirl since Midnights
A diamond’s gotta shine, and Swift’s been polishing those diamonds for a few years now. During the “Bejeweled” music video during the Midnights era, Swift invited a special guest to teach her how to be a burlesque dancer, Dita Von Teese. It wasn’t the only hint in the video; towards the end, Swift, dressed as a showgirl, sits at the center on top of a giant clock, covering the number 12. Swift breaks out into a dance and the lightning design moves from a rainbow of colors (the Eras tour, possibly), it ends on a bright orange.
It didn’t end with Midnights. During the Tortured Poets portion of the Eras Tour, Swift channeled her inner showgirl on stage, possibly referencing the Ginger Rogers film Gold Diggers of 1933 during the “Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” as well as just general showgirlness during “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”
All the signs were right there
Swift’s last TikTok says a lot. Right before the Miami concert dates, Swift posted a video of her inside the Hard Rock stadium holding her cat, Olivia, with the caption, “Back in the office… 😎.” A stadium that’s home to the Miami Dolphins… a team whose colors are ORANGE and teal (okay the teal to green comparison is a stretch). More prominently, Swift stands in front of a sign that reads “A12.” It’s not the only “A12” mention in recent times from Swift. In the “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” music video, Swift (while wearing an orange body suit) cheers with her dancers before the show starts in front of another sign that says A-12. To put icing on the cake, just last year, on August 12, 2024, Swift wore an orange and green plaid outfit, possibly hinting that something was on the way. Lastly, the final Eras show was on December 8, so 12/8, basically the reverse of August 12.
