Taylor Swift’s new album release goes beyond streaming; it aims to connect fans with each other.
On Oct. 3, Taylor Swift dropped her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” The album was announced on Aug. 12 at 12:12 a.m., following weeks of teasing and anticipation. She later appeared on the “New Heights” podcast, hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce, to discuss the brand-new album and reveal its cover.
This album release, however, was different. It featured a special midnight release at select Target stores. Stores stayed open until 1 a.m., and customers were able to line up on Oct. 2 and purchase the brand new album right at midnight on Oct. 3.
Chadd Williamson, a Target employee, said the store received detailed instructions from corporate for the event.
“There were very detailed directions sent down by corporate. We just followed the directions, got the shipment and (were) staffed. (We just want to make) it a really great guest experience,” Williamson said.
Fans lined up at the store as early as around 10 p.m. in hopes of getting the new album. Andrea Cooper and Kayla Teuscher, two friends, were the first in line, arriving at the Orem Target at 9:50 p.m. They waited just over two hours, but said the experience was worth it.
“I've done the album release where they don't do anything, it just comes out. And, yeah, it's fun, it's nice to listen to it, but this makes it feel like there's something to look forward to. There's more of a community around it,” Cooper said.
Teuscher said that as an adult, she appreciates the opportunity to meet new people with similar interests.
“It's kind of a really good way to make friends," she said. "Especially as we get older, it's harder to make connections with people. So on top of getting new material and new music, you're potentially making new friends."
On top of Target’s midnight release, Swift also brought fans to local movie theaters for “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” an 89-minute experience that debuted her newest music video, “The Fate of Ophilia”. The event also included behind-the-scenes footage of the making of her videos and lyric videos for all the album's tracks.
Viewers were allowed to sing along with the lyrics, film and even dance, as long as they weren't disrupting the people around them. This event ran from Oct. 3-5, after which the music video and lyric videos were released publicly on YouTube.
Sarah Gonçalves, a BYU student who attended Swift’s Eras Tour, said the sense of community was what she looked forward to the most when going into the theater.
“It felt like reliving The Eras Tour," Gonçalves said. "The community you build with other Swifties is just so fun and most of the time wholesome. Most of my friends aren’t big fans like me, so being with other fans to celebrate was cathartic."
Swift and her fans alike were beyond excited about this new project and the shared experiences that came with it.