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| Cover of New Taylor Swift Album Out In October |
Taylor Swift and Drake, two pop culture giants who mastered social media early on, are now leveraging longform video to promote their latest projects.
Swift joined a 123-minute episode of the New Heights podcast, hosted by her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason, to announce her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl. Drake, meanwhile, appeared on a 189-minute livestream with Adin Ross, hyping his ninth solo album, Iceman, through casual banter, gambling talk, and bravado.
This shift to extended formats reflects a broader media trend where longform content—think multi-hour Twitch streams or YouTube podcasts—dominates alongside bite-sized clips that spread on TikTok, Instagram, and X. These marathon sessions engage diehard fans while edited snippets capture casual audiences, ensuring maximum reach.
Swift and Drake have long redefined pop star intimacy. Swift’s strategic breadcrumbs have built a devoted fanbase, while Drake’s instinctive social media presence has kept him ahead of the curve. Their embrace of longform video—raw, conversational, and slightly unpolished—marks its mainstream acceptance. Swift’s New Heights appearance cements video podcasting as a celebrity promotional powerhouse, while Drake’s livestream with Ross elevates the renegade medium, mirroring his earlier support for rising rappers.
On New Heights, Swift shared personal tidbits: caring for her father post-surgery, her beer pong skills, and familiarity with NFL stars like Jared Goff and Josh Allen. She also teased The Life of a Showgirl as a “fun, upbeat” departure from The Tortured Poets Department. The episode doubled as cross-promotion with Kelce, timed with his GQ cover story, and leaned into their playful dynamic, with Swift jokingly noting she explained Hamlet to him.
Both stars’ moves show how longform video, blending promotion and authenticity, has become the ultimate power play in today’s attention economy.