Taylor Swift only let five people have access to her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” and even some contributors haven’t been able to hear the finished product.
“Everyone, from the writers, producers, studio engineers and studio interns went through a rigorous vetting process to make sure they could be trusted,” an insider told the Daily Mail Monday.
“Everyone was asked to sign ironclad NDAs and weren’t even allowed to discuss their contribution with family and friends. She really wants to keep it safe for her fans.”
The “Blank Space” singer secretly recorded “The Life of a Showgirl” in Sweden with Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback during downtime from her Eras Tour.
Her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, already revealed he’s heard the full album during Swift’s recent appearance on his “New Heights” podcast. The Daily Mail reports that the other four people who have heard the album include Swift’s longtime publicist, Tree Paine, an unidentified studio engineer, Martin and Shellback.
“They used a program which indicates if files have been shared with anyone outside of that core group,” the insider said. “She made her label wait to hear the album as she didn’t want any disturbances.”
Kelce was enthusiastic of his praise for Swift’s 12th album on “New Heights,” teasing that it’s a more uptempo album for the pop star.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to hear every single song on here, so I know they’re all 12 bangers,” he said. “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’ for sure.”
Swift’s close friend Zoë Kravitz also recently revealed that she’s “heard bits” of the new album.
“It’s fantastic, of course. No skips,” the actress told Extra during a junket interview for her new film, “Caught Stealing.”
Interviewer Tommy DiDario then pointed out that having “no skips” is “rare,” to which Kravitz responded, “For her, it’s not.”
Swift herself has shared that her new album will be much different than her 11th album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
“Life is more upbeat,” she explained on “New Heights,” noting that her new music “completely matches the way my life has felt.”
Swift said that her goal for “The Life of a Showgirl” — out Oct. 3 — was to create “melodies that were so infectious that you’re almost angry at it, and lyrics that are just as vivid, but crisp and focused and completely intentional.”