Taylor Swift fans across the world are celebrating the release of the singer's 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. And there is a very special connection in the album too. On Thursday, October 2, a day before the album officially dropped, news broke that the late pop singer George Michael has a small part in The Life of a Showgirl. Taylor interpolated George's 1987 hit song "Father Figure" into the album. The George Michael estate thanked the singer for incorporating the song into her work.
In a statement posted to the George Michael Facebook page, the estate wrote: "We were delighted when Taylor Swift and her team approached us earlier this year about incorporating an interpolation of George Michael’s classic song 'Father Figure' into a brand new song of the same title to be featured on her forthcoming album."
"When we heard the track we had no hesitation in agreeing to this association between two great artists and we know George would have felt the same," the statement continued. "George Michael Entertainment wishes Taylor every success with 'The Life of a Showgirl' and 'Father Figure.'" Fans of George commented on the post with their well wishes. One person wrote: "As a GenX Swiftie, this has been the one on the track list that I've been most excited…for."
George died on December 25, 2016 at just 53 years old from heart failure. He is regarded as a pop culture icon and is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. In 1998, George came out as gay – and was one of the first artists to do so. During his life, he struggled with substance abuse for many years.
In his solo career, George released five studio albums. But before he went solo, he was a part of the duo known as Wham! which released three albums in the '80s. While "Father Figure" is one of George's most successful songs, he's also known for "Freedom!" and "Careless Whisper."
The Life of a Showgirl
The Life of a Showgirl dropped on Friday, October 3 at midnight EST. Taylor promised fans that the new album will take us into the mindset of Taylor while she was on the Eras Tour throughout 2023 and 2024, revealing during the announcement: "This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour. It just comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life."
She recorded the album with pop maestro Max Martin and Shellback, whom she worked with on three albums – Red, 1989, and Reputation – including some of her biggest hits, including "Shake It Off," "Blank Space," "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," and "Delicate."
George Michael isn't the only famous name to be mentioned in the same breath as The Life of a Showgirl. The second track on the album is called "Elizabeth Taylor," in which Taylor references the iconic actress while dissecting fame and womanhood. The song starts with Taylor singing the actress' name, then she asks: "Do you think it's forever?" – possibly musing about the longevity of her career, like that of Elizabeth Taylor.