Taylor Swift - The Life Of A Showgirl

The release of the twelfth studio album by global powerhouse Taylor Swift was always destined to spark divisive debate. In its first few hours alone, ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ spawned accusations of uncreativity, unsubtlety (namely regarding some choice words on fiancé Travis Kelce’s manhood), and unsporting conduct, (re-)igniting as it has a lyrical feud with British cult treasure Charli xcx (via what is arguably the best melody on the record). Held tightly under wraps for fear of leaks, nothing had prepared the world for some of the album’s more unexpected trysts.

And we mean the world. It’s well documented that ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ broke the record for the highest number of presales on leading streaming platforms, ensuring that Taylor is, either way, relatively immune to critical opinion both within her own fanbase and further afield. This album was, in some ways, a born success long before it emerged from its creative cradle: in that sense, there’s something in the question of whether it really matters if it is, in fact, any good.

Let the dust settle though (which could take a while, now that Travis’ ex Kayla Nicole has joined the fold), and its biggest criticism remains; this isn’t the return to huge pop bangers that was promised. It is, however, also by no means bad. Instead, it ultimately lands as a victim of its own preamble, both set up by Taylor herself and by her return to prior hitmaking machine producers Max Martin and Shellback [‘Red’; ‘1989’; ‘Reputation’]. With its comparably pedestrian soft pop, it lacks any significant hit.

Herein lies the interesting part, though. Taylor is afforded a luxury that few other stars can lay claim to, even those clawing at her megastar stature. There doesn’t actually need to be a hit single; there’s no need for a pre-release buildup, and no requirement for a fifteen second TikTok snippet. What constitutes a “banger” (in Taylor’s own words) is turned on its head, even as ‘CANCELLED!’’ makes a last-minute play for greatness. It’s why some will fawn over her overly juvenile clap-backs whilst others will vilify them (‘Always Romantic’), and why her saccharine, love-filled happiness will fill some with joy (‘Eldest Daughter’; ‘Opalite’) and leave others with a bad taste in their mouth (‘Wood’).

We may have seen Taylor on far better songwriting form than with ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’, but perhaps now, more than ever, she is making music for herself over anyone else.