Recap Taylor Swift’s ‘New Heights’ Episode: Everything You Missed

The Video Stream of ‘New Heights’ Stops Abruptly
I think there’s been a glitch.
The live video premiere of Taylor Swift’s episode of “New Heights” crashed on YouTube an hour and 45 minutes into the release.
The official X account for “New Heights” thanked fans for helping them literally break the internet.
Travis Kelce Shares His Review of ‘Life of a Showgirl’
After unveiling details of “Life of a Showgirl,” Travis Kelce shared his thoughts on the upcoming album.
“It’s so much fun,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to hear every single song on here. So I know they’re all 12 bangers.
“It’s a lot more upbeat, and it’s a lot more like fun pop, excitement. I think it’s a complete 180 from a lot of the songs on ‘Tortured Poets,'” he said.
“Life is more upbeat,” Swift responded.
Swift said the record captures how her life felt behind the scenes of her record-breaking “Eras Tour.”
Taylor Swift Confirms: That Orange Door *Was* an Easter Egg
And now we’re at the part of the podcast where Swift tees up the big reveal: “The Life of a Showgirl,” her 12th studio album.
We knew this, of course, when Swift revealed this album title earlier in the week as a teaser for this podcast episode — and we saw the album art a few hours earlier when Swift’s website went live with the pre-order.
Jason Kelce asked Swift to talk about that descending orange door, which was a significant visual on her “Eras Tour” after the finale song, “Karma.”
“I would leave the stage every night going down the elevator, lift. That’s how every single ‘Eras’ show ended — except for the last one, where I exited through a door, an orange door, to be specific. And that actually was an Easter egg. Basically the reason why I chose to exit that way is because I kind of wanted to give a little subliminal hint to the fans that I may be leaving the ‘Era Tour’ era, but I was also entering a new era.”
Taylor Swift Recalls Going to Arrowhead Stadium Unnoticed For 1st Chiefs Game
Taylor Swift may have broken the internet when she first attended one of Travis Kelce’s Chiefs games, but the matchup started out like any other.
“She literally went through the front door,” Travis Kelce said on “New Heights.”
Swift attended the Chiefs-Bears game at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 24, 2023. She said she arrived via general admission and partially hid behind Travis Kelce’s friend, former NFL player Ross Travis.
“You have a lot of other just like big bulky dudes that your friends with,” she added.
She said she was wearing a hat and a mask, surrounded by “thousands” of people at Arrowhead, and “nobody noticed.”
“There were rumors that we had been seeing each other, but I think people were like, ‘What would they talk about?'” she joked.
Taylor Swift Gives Health Update on Her Dad After His Heart Surgery
Jason Kelce asked Taylor Swift for an update on her father, Scott, who underwent heart surgery in July.
“He’s doing good. So he is doing incredibly well. My dad had an interesting summer. He actually had a quintuple bypass surgery,” she said. “That’s a really intense surgery. Yeah, so it all happened really quick.”
She said her dad didn’t want to his family to worry too much about him, and used a comparison to something Swift knows a lot about: cats.
“He said something about, like, when a cat is injured, it curls up around a tree and heals itself. I was like, ‘Dad, cats don’t have quintuple bypass,’” she said.
“It was very parent child reversal in a lot of ways, like my brother and my mom and I were each taking shifts in the ICU and staying with them 24/7,” she added.
As for her mom, Andrea, Swift said she’s doing well, too.
“This was just like the summer of my parental upgrades, like, which is upgrading the parents, making sure that they live to be at least 186 years old,” Swift said. “Because there are two of my best friends, and I just adore them, and it was actually one of the most special things that’s ever happened to me, like spending all that time with them this summer and getting to, like you have those long talks that you don’t have when it’s like a small, concentrated period of time.”
Taylor Swift’s Rules For Planting an Easter Egg
Taylor Swift revealed on “New Heights” that her goal is to make her music “an event,” which partially explains her love for Easter eggs, or subtle hints that encourage fans to predict her next big musical move.
Acknowledging the theorizing has gotten a little out of hand, she noted she’ll do it as long as fans like it.
When it comes to planting an Easter egg, she said she has some parameters.
“I’m never going to plant an Easter egg that ties back to my personal life. It’s always going to be towards music,” she said.
Her goal is for something to potentially confuse fans in the moment but later, make the big picture clearer.
She also revealed her favorite Easter egg. She said her 2022 commencement speech at New York University was filled with lyrical Easter eggs.
“When the ‘Midnights’ album came out, after that, the fans were like, ‘the whole speech was an Easter egg.'” she said. “And that, for me, that’s really fun because they find it fun.”
The ‘Eras’ Fan Project That Blew Taylor Swift Away
During the ‘Eras Tour,’ fans have dreamed up creative stunts to pull off mid-show — but Taylor Swift says one in particular stole her heart.
On “New Heights,” she recalled how concertgoers at her Germany stop filled the stadium with balloons, lit from within by their cell phones, to mirror the glowing orbs she uses during “Willow.”
Taylor Swift Says Ending ‘Eras Tour’ Unleashed a New Obsession: Baking Sourdough Bread
“I’d say all my hobbies could be categorized as hobbies you could have had in the 1700s,” she joked, admitting she’s “very deep” into her sourdough era.
Travis Kelce’s favorites? Classic sourdough and a blueberry-lemon loaf she’s perfecting. Swift’s also testing a Funfetti sourdough for Jason Kelce’s daughters, who, she says, “love everything rainbow.”
As Travis Kelce Showers Taylor Swift With Compliments, Jason Kelce Asks: ‘Should I Leave?’
Travis Kelce melted hearts as he gushed about the reality of meeting Taylor Swift after being “mesmerized” by her “Eras Tour” show. He said talking to her felt like he’s known her forever and called it “the easiest conversation” he’s ever had.
“I had never experienced (someone) so mesmerizing on stage and then so real and so beautiful in person,” he said.
Swift reacted sheepishly, saying, “Hey,” and putting her elbow on her boyfriend’s shoulder.
Jason Kelce, however, was at a loss for words.
“Should I leave?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Swift said.
“I don’t know where to go from here,” Jason Kelce responded.
Travis Kelce Credits ‘The Eras Tour’ With Falling for Taylor Swift
While Taylor Swift says she owes her relationship with Travis Kelce to “New Heights,” her boyfriend says he’s grateful for her “Eras Tour” performance.
“If I would have never gone to that show and been mesmerized and just been captivated, and then left with such a desire to want to meet you, I would have never went on here and told everyone how butthurt I was,” he said, referencing his famous anecdote about not being able to meet Swift backstage.
He said after her show, he was “engulfed in the curiosity of who you were.”
“You didn’t even know what the word engulfed meant before you meant Taylor,” brother Jason Kelce then chimed in.
How Does Taylor Feel Now That ‘Eras Tour’ is Over? ‘Great’
While we miss Taylor Swift’s epic “Eras Tour,” she is perfectly fine having that in the past.
“It feels great,” she said to Jason Kelce when he asked how it feels having the tour behind her. “It was perfect for what it was.”
While it was “so special” and “the most formative time” of her life, she recounted the amount of physical discomfort she was in during the tour.
“It’s really just, like, prioritizing the fans’ experience before anything else.”
Taylor Swift Says She Wrote ‘Showgirl’ While on Tour in Europe
Travis Kelce cheered as Taylor Swift displayed the cover on “New Heights.”
Swift shared, “It was something that I was working on while I was in Europe on ‘The Eras Tour.’”
Travis Kelce chimed in and marveled, “How on Earth did she do this while she was on the tour? It’s still blowing my mind.”
Well, leave it to Swift to explain her songwriting talents and work ethic. “I would be playing shows — I’d do like three shows in a row. I’d have three days off. I’d fly to Sweden, go back to the tour,” she recalled. “Actually, like, working on this I was physically exhausted at this point in the tour, but I was so mentally stimulated and so excited to be creating and this is…
“Literally living the life of a showgirl!” Travis Kelce added.
Swift replied, “That’s why I called it that. Nailed it!”
‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Was Produced With Max Martin and Shellback
Taylor Swift is reuniting with some familiar faces for her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
The album will be produced with Max Martin and Shellback. Martin and Shellback, both Swedish musicians, produced and co-wrote hits from “Red,” “1989” and “Reputation,” including fan favorites like “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Blank Space” and “I Did Something Bad.”
Taylor Swift Tears Up Sharing How Her Brother and Mom Helped Her Reclaim Her Masters
Taylor Swift became emotional as she explained how her brother, Austin Swift, and mom, Andrea Swift, helped her buy her master recordings back from her first six studio albums, and what it was like when she got the call that they were going to be hers.
“Rather than send lawyers or management, like, in a big crew, I sent my mom and brother, who I work with, to LA,” she explained, saying that they met with Shamrock Capital.
“They told them what this meant for me … they told them the whole story of all the times we’ve tried to buy it, all the time it’s fallen through, all the times we had gotten plans together and figured out something we thought was going to work and it didn’t at the last minute,” Swift recalled.
Months later, Swift’s mom called her while she was in Kansas City with Travis Kelce and told her, “You got your music.”
Swift said she went to tell Kelce, who was playing video games, and tried to be calm but fell into his arms in tears.
“This changed my life,” she said. “I can’t believe it still.”
Taylor Swift’s Football Knowledge Before Travis Was … Limited
Taylor Swift says she knew little about football before dating Travis Kelce. On their first date, she even asked what it was like being on the field with his brother during the 2023 Super Bowl — Jason Kelce as the Eagles’ center, Travis Kelce as the Chiefs’ tight end. Travis Kelce had to explain that both team’s offenses aren’t on the field at the same time.
“I thought everyone was out there at the same time,” Swift admitted on the podcast, while divulging that she’s gone from not knowing what a first down was to “becoming obsessed” with the game and the NFL.
“I’m not ready to be an analyst right now,” she said. “Give me 16 months.”
Taylor Swift Unveils Cover Art for ‘The Love of a Showgirl’ And Release Date
At 7 p.m. ET on the dot, Taylor Swift’s website reset and unveiled what her fans had been waiting for: the cover art for “The Life of a Showgirl” and a release date. TS12 drops Oct. 3, and deluxe editions also became available on her website.
Jason Kelce Asks the Real Question: Why Is Taylor Swift On a Football Podcast?
Just minutes into her special episode of “New Heights,” host Jason Kelce asked Taylor Swift the real question: “Why are you coming on the show?”
Through a big smile, Swift said, “This podcast has done a lot for me. I owe a lot to this podcast. This podcast got me a boyfriend. Ever since Travis decided to use it as his personal dating app about two years ago.”
Meanwhile, Travis Kelce laughed out loud beside her.
About Those Locks…
Taylor Swift’s website updated right at 7 p.m. ET, officially revealing the album cover’s art and release date.
And as for those colorful locks — each color referred to a limited release deluxe CD of “The Life of a Showgirl,” which are available for order on her website until Aug. 16.
Taylor Swift Reveals ‘Showgirl’ Release Date: October 3
As the “New Heights” podcast dropped, Taylor Swift’s website lit up with deluxe editions of her new album — and the news fans have been begging for: a release date. Mark your calendars — October 3 is the day.
Here’s everything else we know:
The Podcast is UP!
As promised, shortly after 7 p.m. ET, the “New Heights” podcast began with Taylor Swift!
“We have a very special episode today that we simply could not turn down,” Jason Kelce said in the intro as he explained why the podcast is returning sooner than expected.
T-Minus 2 Minutes and We Have an Episode Title!
A premiere link for Taylor Swift’s episode of “New Heights” is officially here.
The episode is titled, “Taylor Swift on Reclaiming Her Masters, Wrapping The Eras Tour, and The Life of a Showgirl.”
Click here to watch along with TODAY.com.
The synopsis reads, “On today’s episode, we are joined by singer, songwriter, producer, director, and the most requested guest in the history of New Heights, Taylor Swift! Taylor joins Travis and Jason to talk about her journey to reclaim her master recordings, what she’s been up to after the record-breaking The Eras Tour, her experience as a member of Chiefs kingdom, and all the details on her new album, The Life of a Showgirl!”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Have Been Ramping up Showing off Their Relationship
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship debut broke the internet in September 2023. After months of rumors, Swift was spotted in the crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, effectively serving as a hard launch.
She went on to attend several of his football games, and he popped up a few times at the “Eras Tour.” But they kept their relationship relatively private. It wasn’t until just a few weeks ago, on July 24, when Travis Kelce posted photos with her for the first time, making their relationship Instagram official.
Swift, who rarely posts to Instagram without seemingly leaving some sort of cryptic clue or Easter egg, also took to social media to celebrate her boyfriend’s cameo role in Netflix’s “Happy Gilmore 2,” leaving a gushing review on her Instagram story.
Now, she’s using Travis Kelce’s podcast, “New Heights,” as the medium to share major news about her highly anticipated 12th album. Meanwhile, Travis Kelce made rare remarks about their relationship for a profile with GQ that published Aug. 12, telling the outlet some of the ways she’s similar to his mom, Donna Kelce.
“Their kindness, their genuineness, their ability to say hello to everyone in the room. Their ability to show love and support no matter what,” he said. “And on top of that, their work ethic. I saw my mother reach goals that she had set for herself, go from being a teller to working all the way up in the KeyBank building. I’ve seen Taylor do the exact same thing of setting goals for herself and exceeding the expectations and really captivating the world in that regard.”
A Fourth Lock Has Appeared With Less Than an Hour Left in the Countdown
Just after 6 p.m. ET, a fourth lock appeared on Swift’s website. This one is sparkling silver and sits at the far right of the lineup. Meanwhile, the central door has fallen almost to the bottom of this writer’s screen.
No official word on what it could mean, but the clock is ticking.

Some Swifties accurately predicted the colors of the locks, pointing to Swift’s video announcing “The Life of the Showgirl.” The video, which was posted just after midnight Aug. 12, is a clip from her upcoming “New Heights” appearance. In the background, at least four boxes printed with “T.S.” are visible — one orange, red, blue and silver.
Jason Kelce Yells, Swift Laughs: The Ultimate Podcast Introduction
We’ve seen Jason Kelce alongside Taylor Swift a few memorable times — shirtless at a January Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs game, masked up after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, and now, delivering an epic introduction for the pop star in her first podcast appearance.
In a clip teasing Wednesday night’s “New Heights episode, Kelce takes the mic as the ultimate hype man — rattling off Swift’s record-breaking feats, from Grammy wins to streaming milestones, getting louder with each one. He even jokes that she helped the Chiefs clinch their 2024 Super Bowl victory over the 49ers just by being in the stands.
“Thank you for screaming for like 47 seconds for me,” Swift laughed afterwards. “That was so nice. That was so sweet.”
The Countdown on Taylor Swift’s Website Gets Two More Locks
Throughout the countdown to 7 p.m. ET, Taylor Swift’s website has seen subtle changes, ramping up anticipation for what could be coming.
As of just after 5 p.m. ET, this writer can confirm Swift’s website now has three locks in various colors. The original orange lock has been joined by a dark red lock to its right. Then, on the other side of the orange door’s path of descent, there’s a slightly purple, lavender-hued lock. All three have keyholes in a shape similar to the “Eras Tour” stage.

What We Know So Far About ‘The Life of A Showgirl’
The short answer: Not much.
Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album is on its way, and we know what it’s called: “The Life of a Showgirl,” meaning that for a second time, Swift is sticking to a lengthy album title. (Eight of her 12 albums consist of a one-word name).
We also know the color associated with this next era: bright glittery orange, with hints of mint green (more on that later.)
“The Life of a Showgirl” comes more than a year after her 11th album, April 2024’s “The Tortured Poets Department.” “The Tortured Poets Department” was a moody, lengthy album filled with heartbreak songs. But “Life of a Showgirl” might be a return to vivacious pop, if her latest Spotify playlist is meant to serve as a hint.
What to Know About ‘New Heights,’ the Football Podcast with the Scoop On Taylor Swift’s New Album
Taylor Swift is bringing fans into potentially uncharted territory: a sports podcast.
Swift, who has been dating football star Travis Kelce since at least September 2023, announced her 12th album on “New Heights,” a podcast hosted by Travis Kelce and his fellow football star brother, Jason Kelce. The full episode is set to drop Wednesday night.
“New Heights” first launched in September 2022, and the show gets its name from the Kelce brothers’ hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Each episode typically clocks in at around an hour. The podcast often features guests, ranging from football fans like Paul Rudd to athletes like Caitlin Clark. Travis and Jason Kelce have also featured their family members on the podcast, including mom Donna Kelce, dad Ed Kelce and Jason Kelce’s wife, Kylie.
Talking points on “New Heights” range from, of course, the latest in football news, as well as major pop culture moments.
What Time Does Taylor Swift’s ‘New Heights’ Episode Come Out?
What Patrick Mahomes Says He Knew About Taylor Swift’s New Album
Patrick Mahomes had the inside scoop on Taylor Swift’s big announcement on “New Heights.” When asked at a media availability Wednesday if he knew a new album was coming, he told reporters, “I knew before y’all did.”
“They called me after the podcast was done — they didn’t call me, they called Brittany (Mahomes), and I was like in the back of the FaceTime,” he said.
He added he was “super excited” for the album and has seen her music making process up close, due to his friendship with Swift and her boyfriend, Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
“And what better place to announce it than the ‘New Heights’ podcast, where I feel like she can be herself and showcase who she is,” he said.
Google Is In Its ‘Show Business’ Era
As fans around the world take to the internet to search for updates ahead of Taylor Swift’s appearance on “New Heights,” Google is leaning into all things orange.

When you search “Taylor Swift” on Google, users are greeted first by an explosion of orange confetti. Then an emoji of a red heart on fire rises from the bottom of the screen along with the text, “And, baby, that’s show business for you.”
For those keeping score, that marks two appearances of that quote, as it also lends itself to the title of Swift’s new Spotify playlist. (A song lyric hint, perhaps?)
Was This Miami Stadium Moment a ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Tease?
When Taylor Swift was gearing up for the final leg of her “Eras Tour,” many of us — along with the rest of the Swiftie universe — were sure a “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” announcement was coming.
But now, fans think she may have revealed exactly when to expect new music in the most Swift way possible: with her cat.
On Oct. 18, 2024, Swift posted a video of herself walking into Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium with her feline sidekick Olivia Benson. She stops in front of section A12, flashes a grin at the camera and keeps walking. Fast-forward to just after midnight on Aug. 12, when Swift announced her next album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” was on its way.
Swifties Spot Mysterious Detail In Countdown
If Swift fans weren’t already freaking out Wednesday, Aug. 13, Swift’s website countdown has sent them into a frenzy. And she’s seemingly fueling the flames.
After launching the countdown, which originally just featured the famous orange door, Swift seemingly added another detail to her website. In the corner of the page, there’s a glittery orange box with a lock on it. Zooming in, the lock’s keyhole has a peculiar shape — a rectangle at the top, followed by a thin line, broken up by a diamond.
Some fans think it’s a reference to Swift’s “Eras Tour,” which kicked off in March 2023 and officially ended in December 2024. The stage for the tour had a similar unique shape.
It wouldn’t be the first time she connected her musical work to her mega “Eras Tour.” Her 11th album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” dropped in the middle of the tour, and one song, “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” referenced her experience on the tour performing for fans nightly amid heartbreak.
This Announcement Has Seemingly Been a Long Time Coming
We know, we know — Taylor Swift only wrapped up her multi-year “Eras Tour” eight months ago, and her last album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” dropped just over a year ago in April 2024. But the breadcrumbs for this new project have been falling since March 2023 (and possibly even earlier — don’t come for me, Swifties), when the pop star kicked off her iconic tour in Arizona.
As Maddie noted below, when she would sing her final song in the 44-plus-track performance, an orange door could be seen descending from the screen behind her show after show. Fans began speculating then that the door had something to do with a new album. And now, more than two years later, we have our answer in “The Life of a Showgirl.”
New York City, Kansas City Lit Up Orange After Taylor Swift’s Album Announcement
Before Taylor Swift announced her 12th album, the Empire State Building lit up orange in support.
“See you next era,” the historic building’s official account wrote on X Monday afternoon.
Swift is a longtime New Yorker, with her fifth album, “1989,” effectively serving as a love letter to moving to the city. The Empire State Building has also established itself as a devoted fan of Swift’s. (In December 2023, for example, the top of the building lit up all the colors of the singer’s many “eras” in honor of her birthday.)
But this time, another notable building joined in on the fun. Shortly before the album announcement, Kansas City’s Union Station — the city’s primary train station and home to several attractions and museum exhibits — also lit up its exterior in bright orange.
“In our “ready for a new era” era,” the station’s X account said.
Taylor Swift Launches a Second Countdown on Her Website. What We Know
There’s no rest for Taylor Swift fans.
Just days after shocking fans with a countdown on her website resulting in the announcement of her 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift launched a second countdown Wednesday afternoon. The timer is set to expire at 7 p.m. ET on Aug. 13, the date her podcasting debut, an appearance on the Kelce brothers’ “New Heights,” will drop online.

For the uninitiated, a website countdown is a classic Swift maneuver, often drumming up immediate speculation and plenty of fan fervor. While we know a new album is on the way, we are still awaiting details on the album’s official release date and cover art. And while Swift hinted via a playlist titled, “And, baby, that’s show business for you,” that her new era could mark a return to her pop roots (think: “22” and “Gorgeous”), fans have yet to hear a note from the new album.