Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl reunites her with photography duo Mert and Marcus

On 13 August, during her appearance on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, Swift revealed her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. The announcement came with an image of Swift submerged in water, flaunting a bejewelled ensemble. Across the frame, the title appears in glittery orange script, a colour choice already loaded with significance for fans, linked to the glowing orange door that closed each Eras Tour show during the concert’s encore of “Karma.”

Speaking on the podcast, Swift explained her choice to focus on what she describes as an “offstage” moment. “My day ends in a bathtub, not usually in a bedazzled dress… I wanted to glamorise all the aspects of how the tour felt. I wanted to have an offstage moment as the main album cover because the album isn’t really about what happened onstage, but what happened offstage.” For fans who have experienced the shimmering spectacle of her Eras Tour, the album artwork reflects a stillness after three hours of deafening screams and performance.

The shot belongs to Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, who have been among the most recognisable names in fashion photography since they joined forces in 1994. Meeting in England, the duo left behind their initial careers in classical music and graphic design to pursue work behind the camera. Since then, their work has appeared in Vogue, Vogue Italia, W, and Numéro, alongside campaigns for Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Fendi, as well as portraits of artists such as Madonna, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga. The pair’s work is defined by a sense of theatre, combining cinematic lighting with high-drama styling.

Swift entered their lens in 2016 for American Vogue’s May cover story, editorial marked a sharp turn from the polish of her 1989 era, crowned with platinum hair and slip dresses in replacement of the then 26-year-old’s crop tops and bright skirts. What felt like a reintroduction actually became a hint at a change in direction just months before she stepped away from the public eye for over a year.

When the pop star returned in 2017 with her seventh studio album, reputation, Mert and Marcus were again at the forefront of this new era. They shot the tight portrait of Swift layered over a collage of her name, printed in the style of tabloid headlines, hinting at a self-aware period that mirrored the album’s themes of media scrutiny and privacy. They were also responsible for one of two exclusive magazine editions for the album, a 72-page compilation featuring photographs and handwritten lyrics.

In a past interview with Time, Mert Alas recalls working with Swift on the project. “She’s got the most incredible photographic eye,” he told Time. “The first time we worked with her years ago, we connected instantly. I like it when someone has an opinion and a point of view, and Taylor had an incredible point of view.”

Eight years on from reputation, The Life of a Showgirl brings the collaborators back together to frame what Swift describes as “the life beyond the show… everything that was going on behind the curtain.”