On Oct. 3, 2025, Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, “The Life of A Showgirl,” a record chronicling her experience headlining the highest-grossing tour in history, The Eras Tour, and steering the public eye at the height of her career.
Bright visuals, lavish jewels and synth-pop sounds define this album, a dramatic shift from her last album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which explored Swift’s vulnerabilities and feelings of heartbreak during the early leg of the tour, following her relationships with actor Joe Alwyn and musician Matty Healy.
With its lengthy 30-song track list, which was split evenly between long-time collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, “The Tortured Poets Department” faced criticism for its lack of production quality and repetitiveness.
Though Swift has said she ignores social media, it seems she took some of that feedback to heart with “The Life of A Showgirl.” The album features just 12 songs, and Swift reunites with Swedish pop powerhouses Max Martin and Shellback — the team behind her transition to pop music with “Red” and “1989.”
For longtime Swifties, who remember the excitement of her dynamic, catchy pop hits from the 2010s, expectations were high for their reunion.
So, did the trio recapture pop magic? On some tracks, the answer is a definite yes.
The opening song, “The Fate of Ophelia,” reimagines Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” by altering the tragic fate of Ophelia, who in the original play descends into madness and death following her father’s murder and Hamlet’s rejection. Implying she was saved from a similar tragedy, Swift flips the narrative, “Late one night / You dug me out of my grave / And saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia.”
The song is an apparent reference to her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. But in classic Swift fashion, she blends a literary masterpiece with her own experience: “Pledge your allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes.” It’s an instant radio hit.
Other standouts include “Opalite,” a sparkling track that compares creating your own happiness to the artificial synthetic gemstone, “Wi$h List,” a cheeky anthem about manifesting the life she wants with Kelce, and “Father Figure,” which explores the betrayal between a protégé and a mentor widely speculated to be about her former music mentor, Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta. With groovy ‘80s synths and catchy hooks, these tracks feel like Swift’s signature pop sound but with teeth.
However, not every song lands.
Ironically, it’s not the production that falters — it’s the lyrics. Track five, known to be Swift’s most emotional and heartbreaking song on her albums, is “Eldest Daughter,” a ballad about the weight of being the firstborn and learning how to lean on others as a hyper-independent person.
The soft piano, aching melody and the bridge are beautiful. But lines like “But I’m not a bad b*tch, and this isn’t savage” feel awkward and out of place — like a millennial trying to use Generation Z slang and failing. Without that line, the song would have landed better and avoided some of the criticism it’s received.
Other lyrical missteps included “Cancelled,” where she critiques cancel culture with the sarcastic line, “Did you girl boss too close to the sun?” and “Wood,” a steamy track that compares Kelce’s manhood to a “redwood tree.” These lines undermine the song, leaving listeners scratching their heads and wondering, “Why is the songwriter who wrote ‘Cardigan’ now using the word ‘girl boss?’”
However, one of the most talked-about tracks from the album is Swift’s speculated clapback to British pop star Charli xcx’s song “Sympathy is a Knife,” in which Charli confesses her anxiety about being compared to industry stars like Swift. In Swift’s track “Actually Romantic,” she reframes Charli’s words to a toxic, one-sided obsession with her.
The song opens with the biting lines, “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave / High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face.”
If the song is actually aimed at Charli xcx, it completely misses the point of “Sympathy is a Knife” and feels unnecessarily mean. Rather than engaging with the idea of fame and the unfair comparisons women face in society, her track comes across as lacking empathy, particularly for other female artists who must find their place in a Swift-dominated industry.
Still, there are moments of Swift’s brilliance that remind fans of her storytelling talents.
In “Ruin the Friendship,” she continues the story of the previously released song “Forever Winter” and shares her regret for not sharing her feelings with a high school friend who later passed away. Drawing on the “Folklore” and “Evermore” writing style, Swift paints a wistful picture of late-night drives in her hometown and high school longing at prom.
It’s raw, vulnerable and perfectly produced with a steady drumbeat, gentle guitars and layered harmonies. Devastating lines like, “I whispered to the grave, ‘should’ve kissed you anyway,’” show that Swift can still deliver gut-punching moments when she leans into her storytelling lyricism.
This isn’t to say that her storytelling depends on personal turmoil — something Swift has expressed anxiety over in the past. Quite the opposite, in fact. She has proven she can craft chart-topping, innovative songs even when she is happy in her personal life, as shown by albums like “Reputation,” “Lover” and “Midnights” (yes, “Reputation” has love songs).
What’s missing from “The Life of a Showgirl” isn’t heartbreak; it’s the emotional depth and vulnerability that have defined her songwriting. The complex reflections on relationships with herself and others that fans have come to expect from her songs are a hallmark of her work. In this album, it feels like — at times — her sharp and introspective lyrics are replaced by surface-level lines that lack the weight of her previous work.
When asked about the mixed reception to the album in an interview, Swift replied, “I’m not the art police. It’s like everybody is allowed to feel exactly how they want, and what our goal is as entertainers is to be a mirror. Oftentimes, an album is a really, really wild way to look at yourself, right?”
She’s definitely right in one regard. She is a mirror to many fans, who see their own experiences and feelings reflected in her music more than in any other artist’s. But what truly connects her with fans is the raw honesty she brings to her lyrics — whether that be in pop, country or folk. That relatability is what keeps listeners coming back.
And who knows? This album may grow on the fandom over time (like many of her others) and eventually prove to be a favorite era as Swift is nothing if not strategic when it comes to her musical legacy.
But for the fans who seek Swift for her introspective lyrics, this isn’t that album.
Verdict: With sparkling visuals and synth-pop songs, “The Life of A Showgirl” is a fun, high-gloss pop album with radio hits and an edge. But for fans that gravitate towards Swift’s vulnerable, incisive and clever lyricism, this album has its shortcomings.
