HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, officially dropped Friday, and fans across the country celebrated in true Swiftie fashion — including those at a midnight release party at a Target in Huntsville.
Swift announced the album’s arrival earlier this year on New Heights, the podcast hosted by her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason Kelce. The record hit streaming platforms at 11 p.m. Central time with its East Coast midnight release.
In Huntsville, dozens of Swifties gathered at the Target on Carl T. Jones Drive, the only Target in North Alabama with a midnight release party.
The parking lot was turned into a pre-release celebration. Groups of mothers and daughters, longtime fans, and even children staying up past bedtime passed the time by blasting the digital release from car speakers, dancing in glitter, feathers and pearls as the clock ticked closer to midnight.
“There’s just something about buying the physical album,” one fan said. “I got a vinyl even though I don’t have a vinyl player.”
A physical album is tangible, something you can hold in your hands, but for Swifties its also about the long-embraced ritual of lining up, swapping stories and song predictions, and sharing in the moment together. Some call it a tradition — a way for veteran fans to pass along the culture of album-buying to the next generation.
“Awesome! I’m going to go home and blast this,” one fan said, holding up her new album.
Swift’s releases have always been dissected track by track, and The Life of a Showgirl is no exception. Within minutes of its debut, listeners were already zeroing in on Track 5, traditionally the most emotional on her albums, and debating lyrical Easter eggs.
For fans in Huntsville, though, the release night was less about analysis and more about community.
“It’s kind of fun passing the traditions down,” one parent said of bringing her daughter to her first midnight drop.
Whether on streaming platforms, playing the CD in your car or spinning on a turntable, Swift’s latest project offered what her music always does: a soundtrack for shared memories. For many Swifties, the night ended not just with an album, but with the feeling of being part of something bigger whether you love her latest project or had mixed feelings.
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