A Taylor Swift Theory Predicts The 1st Single From The Life Of A Showgirl

Taylor Swift’s Showgirl era is in full swing, and the Swifties are eagerly awaiting what she has in store for us next. On Aug. 12, the singer announced her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, and unveiled the cover art and tracklist the next day on the New Heights podcast, hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason.

Since then, Swift has been posting countdowns to her website to unveil new vinyl variants, deluxe CDs, and potentially more to come before Showgirl drops on Oct. 3. But of course, some fans are thinking ahead, specifically about the album’s first single, which has yet to be revealed.

However, one fan thinks they may have cracked the code, leaning on Swift’s love of numerology that she tends to plant in her Easter eggs.

The Number 47

During her New Heights interview, Swift oddly used the number 47 several times. First, after Jason’s animated introduction, she thanked him for “screaming for 47 seconds.” Then, when he asked her how many cities she played on the Eras Tour, she jokingly replied, “47... thousand.” Naturally, this immediately raised some fans’ eyebrows.

One Swiftie on Reddit traced 47 back to Shakesphere’s character Ophelia in his 1623 play Hamlet, noting that Ophelia dies in Act 4, Scene 7. Swift hinted that the ill-fated heroine inspired the opening track of The Life of a Showgirl, entitled “The Fate of Ophelia,” by commenting that she explained the premise of Hamlet to Travis.

Therefore, the fan speculates that Swift’s constant nods to 47 is a subtle indicator that “The Fate of Ophelia” will also be the first single from Showgirl, and receive a music video. It would follow a pattern that Swift has followed for several of her past albums, where the opening track is also the first single. (Midnights is an exception since “Anti-Hero” was third on the tracklist.)

Will Taylor Release A Single Soon?

From 2020’s Folklore to 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department, Swift has not dropped a lead single before her album. Instead, she simply unveiled a music video for her chosen single on the same day as the album release.

While some fans have been itching to hear their first taste of Showgirl before Oct. 3, it doesn’t seem that Swift plans on deviating from her recent pattern for this album, given that it’s been two weeks since her album announcement. However, the singer could have something unexpected up her sleeve.