The Taylor Swift Spotify pop-up event for her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, isn’t just a fan experience. It’s an Easter egg hunt.
At least, that’s what we were told by the representatives from Spotify who guided me through the different rooms of the pop-up, which opened Tuesday, September 30, in New York City and runs through Thursday, October 2, ahead of the album drop the next day.
The installation has multiple rooms, all of which are designed to immerse fans into a true “showgirl” experience, from a backstage green room to a dressing room with a vanity, which according to the Spotify team is full of Easter eggs.
So, what should you keep your eyes peeled for at the Taylor Swift Spotify pop-up, and what are some potential hints for her new album? Here are my best guesses, after touring each room.
Happy Valentine’s Day card
The vanity in the dressing room of the pop-up is the Easter egg mother lode, according to the Spotify reps, who encouraged us to look closely on it for clues. Under the mirror were a few maroon-colored cards that read “Happy Valentine’s Day,” tied with a ribbon and lace.
Perhaps this references an IRL card from Swift’s newly minted fiancé, Travis Kelce? Maybe!
Hairbrush with an orange-star sticker
Honestly, I don’t know what this means, but it feels significant. Like, why the random sticker? Discuss.
Small violins
A lot of Swifties at the event were very interested in a few small violins nestled among the items in the dressing room. Is this a reference to a tiny violin, a.k.a. the reaction some may have to Swift explaining how her glamorous life has hidden struggles? It’s not a bad guess!
One of the violins sat next to a handwritten letter by Swift herself (at least, we think? The “me” seems to indicate so!).
Sabrina Carpenter photo
This one is pretty obvious, but the vanity also features a photo of Carpenter opening for Swift on The Eras Tour, which references the fact that the singer will be appearing on the album’s title track.
“Keep It 100” mirror
The phrase, which is written on the back of an ornate mirror, is something Kelce has said on Instagram. A reference to her man, or something more?
“The Life of Ophelia” bathtub
One of the rooms is dedicated to an ornate bathtub, which matches with a lot of imagery Swift has already released for “The Life of Ophelia,” the lead single of the album. Eagle-eyed Swifties have already noted that the imagery appears to reference a 19-century painting called Ophelia by John Everett Millais.
The bathtub is filled with florals and pearls, which, speaking of…
Florals and pearls everywhere
If The Life of a Showgirl has an associated jewel, Swift is making it clear that it’s pearl. Piles of pearl necklaces were all over the pop-up, from being flung across the bathtub to placed haphazardly all over the showgirl’s “dressing room.”
The florals are also resplendent, perhaps indicating the glitz and glam of the showgirl life outwardly that hides the real struggles underneath. Which bring us to…
Stephanie McNeal
The lyric “Oftentimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me”
We got a new lyric at the pop-up, which was written on a mirror in the dressing room as well as a few more times throughout the experience. The words convey a sense of the disconnect between what the audience sees the “showgirl life” to be versus how the showgirl, or Swift, feels inside.
It kind of reminds me of the Tortured Poets Department song “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” which covers similar themes. Maybe Tay will explore more of this on TLOAS?
How many more Easter Eggs can you spot?