Overview

• Speaking on Scott Mills’ BBC Radio 2 show on Oct. 6, Swift said she was “just miserable” when she wrote The Tortured Poets Department and no longer relates to that version of herself.
• She contrasted that period with her current outlook, saying she now feels in the same place as when she created The Life of a Showgirl and finds it easier to talk about the new work.
• The Tortured Poets Department arrived in April 2024 with a surprise 15-track Anthology two hours later, while The Life of a Showgirl was released Oct. 3, 2025 as a stylistic shift.
• Billboard was reported to have tallied 2.7 million copies of The Life of a Showgirl sold within 24 hours and 1.2 million vinyls, marking a major opening according to outlets citing the trade publication.
• Coverage continues to link Tortured Poets to specific past relationships as reported speculation, and in the same interview Swift expressed excitement about marrying Travis Kelce and dismissed rumors she would quit music.