Taylor Swift goes on press blitz after releasing latest album
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Taylor Swift and Jimmy Fallon discuss her latest album, "The Life of a Showgirl," on Oct. 6. Photo: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
Taylor Swift has been on a rare press blitz following the release of her new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," which has already broken streaming and theatrical records.
Why it matters: Swift is re-engaging in person with traditional media after years of speaking directly with her fans through her social media and on "The Eras Tour."
- Her film and press tour suggest a deliberate effort to contextualize her latest album and her art and life after obsessive media coverage during "The Eras Tour" and her relationship with NFL star and now fiancé, Travis Kelce.
Driving the news: Swift's interviews in the past week include "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," "Late Night With Seth Meyers," "The Graham Norton Show," BBC Radio 1 and "The Morning Mash Up" on SiriusXM 1.
- While Swift is not new to late-night TV or radio, these appearances have been the most concentrated round of interviews since "The Eras Tour" began in 2023.
Zoom in: During her appearance on Fallon, Swift addressed several rumors about her, including speculation that she had turned down the Super Bowl halftime show.
- "Jay-Z has always been very good to me," she said, noting that informal conversations sometimes come up between their teams.
- "I am in love with a guy who does that sport on that actual field. That is violent chess. That is gladiators without swords. That is dangerous. The whole season I am locked in on what that man is doing on the field," Swift said.
- "This has nothing to do with Travis. He would love for me to do it. I'm just too locked in," she added.
By the numbers: The album's release is breaking records, despite mixed reactions from critics.
- "The Official Release Party of a Showgirl" — a theatrical event where Swift premiered a new music video, lyric videos and commentary for each track on the album — has brought in more than $50 million at the global box office this weekend, a record for a weekend release of an album-debut event, per AMC Theatres.
The big picture: The astounding success of the film is even more impressive, given that Swift only announced the three-day run a few weeks prior, leaving little time for marketing.
- The album has already broken sales records, with 2.7 million digital and physical copies in 24 hours. That feat surpassed her previous record of 2.6 million units sold in the first day of release for her previous album, "The Tortured Poets Department."
- "The Life of a Showgirl" has already set the record for the most number of U.S. vinyl copies sold in a week with 1.2 million, per data from Luminate.
- Spotify says her new hit, "The Fate of Ophelia," marked the most-streamed song in a single day in the streaming service's history when it debuted Friday.
