Taylor Swift had released eleven studio albums before The Life of a Showgirl, making the 2025 record her twelfth studio album.
The album followed The Tortured Poets Department, which was released in 2024. Counting Swift’s studio albums in sequence places The Life of a Showgirl after eleven earlier projects, beginning with her self-titled 2006 debut and continuing through albums such as Fearless, 1989, folklore, Midnights, and The Tortured Poets Department.
This count refers to studio albums, not every project in Swift’s catalog. Re-recorded albums, live albums, compilation releases, and extended editions are categorized separately. The number is also different from counts based on eras, because an era can include multiple releases or versions.
The album’s twelfth-place position in her studio-album chronology was widely emphasized when it was announced. Its track list contains twelve standard-edition songs, creating a separate number that can sometimes be confused with the album’s position in her discography.