Taylor Swift fans are speculating that she is preparing to announce her new album in an appearance on Travis Kelce’s podcast this week.
Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and the boyfriend of Swift, co-hosts the New Heights podcast with his brother Jason, and on Monday (August 11), they posted a teaser of their next episode.
“We’re coming back early for a special episode with a VERY special guest,” they wrote. The accompanying image showed the brothers alongside a silhouette that could match Swift, with Jason also wearing a Swift t-shirt.
The podcast will drop at 7pm ET on Wednesday, August 13 – and many Swifties have jumped on the fact that 13 is widely known to be Swift’s lucky number.
92%ers, we’re coming back early for a special episode with a VERY special guest
New episode Wednesday 7PM ET pic.twitter.com/dJW2KdDeFP
— New Heights (@newheightshow) August 11, 2025
Fans think Taylor Swift could announce #TS12 on Travis & Jason Kelce’s podcast.
Both the teaser background image & today’s Taylor Nation post hint at the color orange. pic.twitter.com/BWUIPCPdgq
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 11, 2025
Sharp-eyed fans have also noted that the background to the promo image for the podcast is orange, and a post from Taylor Nation shortly afterwards showed a montage of images of Swift wearing the same colour when she teased, “See you next era”. The Taylor Nation post also came exactly 12 minutes after the podcast tease, which some believe is a reference to Swift’s new album, which will be her 12th.
🚨 Taylor Nation posted “See you next era…” with 12 outfits of Taylor in orange ONLY – 12 minutes after @newheightshow promo’d for their next show on AUGUST 13, also with an orange background and Jason Kelce wearing a “Midnights” t-shirt, with a familiar silhouette 👀 TS12? 🧡 pic.twitter.com/zzKGqOPmWX
— Taylor Swift Updates (@SwiftNYC) August 11, 2025
See further speculation below:
🚨| This seems to be the picture from the thumbnail!!! pic.twitter.com/h2ezGWfLzT
— Taylor Swift Edits (@TSwiftEdits_13) August 11, 2025
the concept of another taylor swift fall album with the same vibes as red but instead all about a true love instead of a true heartbreak………. pic.twitter.com/z0EEgEoJrV
— mirrorball 🪩 (@penthouseheart) August 11, 2025
The concept of us listening to Taylor talk for a full hour straight. pic.twitter.com/1157cJa5lW
— Taylor Swift Department ❤️🔥 (@TaylorSwiftDept) August 11, 2025
🚨| Fans speculate that Sabrina Carpenter may be featured on TS12, as she appears in one of the photos Taylor Nation shared about the next era! pic.twitter.com/maRx57z85f
— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSUpdating) August 11, 2025
🚨| Taylor Swift’s label, Republic Records, just liked New Height’s latest Instagram post about their special guest!!!! pic.twitter.com/1DvW4MixJD
— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSUpdating) August 11, 2025
👀| Fans speculation that the glitter used on New Heights’ teaser is from Taylor Swift’s masters letter.
— Could it also be used on the album cover? pic.twitter.com/0WAPlFGi4R
— The Taylor Swift Updates (@theTSupdates) August 11, 2025
Speculation around the new album picked up in May when Swift revealed that she now had control over her entire back catalogue of music after buying back her final masters from Shamrock Holdings.
Fans took note of the line, “all the times I was thiiiiiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through”, seizing on the fact she used 12 “i’s”, which they hoped signalled a follow up to The Tortured Poets Department, her 11th studio record.
Swift has never appeared on Kelce’s podcast, despite the couple being in a relationship since the summer of 2023.
Kelce has joined Swift on stage once – at the ‘Tortured Poets Department’ segment of one of her Wembley Stadium shows in June 2024, Kelce lifted her off her feet while dressed as one of her regular backing dancers. As he placed her on her seat, and shook her awake, he dusted her off and got Swift ready to perform ‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’.
Swift has attended the last two Super Bowls to support Kelce, helping the 2024 game become the most-watched broadcast in US TV history since the 1969 moon landing.
In a three-star review of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, NME wrote: “Swift seems to be in tireless pursuit for superstardom, yet the negative public opinion it can come with irks her, and it’s a tired theme now plaguing her discography and leaving little room for the poignant lyrical observations she excels at. It’s why the pitfalls that mire her 11th studio album are all the more disappointing — she’s proven time and time again she can do better.”
