Music Review: Taylor’s new era, ‘Life of a Showgirl’
Words: Lydia Carter
★★★★
Taylor Swift has always known how to turn her life into spectacle. Enter; The Life of a Showgirl. Sleeker, tighter, and more playful than her sprawling The Tortured Poets Department, this 12-track record is made for the stage lights as much as the headphones. Taylor Swift is in love, and that is clear from her twelfth studio album.
As a fan of Taylor Swift, I see her newest era as something relaxed, fun, and slightly less weighed down by lyrical gravitas. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. The Life of a Showgirl is playful pop with a bright, romantic feel that still pokes at the darkness of stardom. Swift acknowledges the highs and lows of the life she lives, the life of a singer, a performer, a showgirl.
The first track, my favourite track, pulls in Shakespearean imagery with ‘The Fate of Ophelia.’ This track conjures Ophelia from Hamlet, but Swift twists the myth. Instead of ending drowned in despair, this Ophelia is a survivor. Love is redemption in this track, even when darkness looms, and it sets the tone for what we are about to listen to. It is enjoyable, catchy, and will not get out of my head.
Her loved up life with Travis Kelce is never more apparent than in tracks such as ‘Opalite’, which acknowledges being with the right person in an uncomplicated love song, ‘Honey’, where emotional walls drop in true ballad form, and ‘Wi$h Li$t’, where Swift expresses a hope for normalcy over spectacle, and life beyond the public eye. A sucker for romance, these songs are at the forefront of my favourites.
What is a Taylor Swift album without some heartache? It’s what makes her music so relatable, and what catapulted her into pop princess stardom. In ‘Elizabeth Taylor,’ the silver screen actress is a symbol of both shining fame and the weight of public image. It seems to wrestle with the expectations of love itself: when you always have the comparison of epic romanticism, what does real love look like?
‘Ruin the Friendship’ is a classic Swift dilemma song; a relationship caught between platonic and romantic lines, with themes of regret, what might have been, and choices not taken. How terribly relatable, but isn’t that what the music of Swift is? I don’t listen to Taylor Swift to be enlightened, I listen to her to have my feelings spelt out in an uncomplicated way, with metaphors that are both slightly corny and on the nose.
‘Father Figure’ borrows the title from George Michael’s song of the same name, and explores the transactional relationships found in the music industry and the exploitation Swift faced in her early career. Does it feel slightly like she is leaning too far into the ‘girl boss’ persona? Yes. But the vibe is cute and fun, and it stays one of the songs I like best from this album.
‘Eldest Daughter’ is one of the more introspective tracks. Swift confronts expectations, especially for a woman with ‘eldest daughter syndrome.’ There is a disconnect in the lyrics, relying to heavily on overused metaphors like “We all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire.” But then, how can “Every eldest daughter was the first lamb to slaughter” not hit home? Swift remains elite at playing with pop and weaving in lyrics that work to create something that keeps people coming back for more. The consensus seems to be: if you don’t like her lyrics, then maybe you just don’t get them. Is that fair? Probably not, but as long as you recognise that in this album, Swift isn’t waxing poetry but crafting relatable feelings to a catchy beat, you can enjoy without overthinking.
The track that made the headlines for its salty lyrics is ‘Actually Romantic’. Thought to be a response to Charli XCX with “I heard you call me Boring Barbie when the coke’s got you brave.” Do I agree? I’m saying nothing … but who else could it be about? Lyrically it wavers but does the job with pushing back against doubters and gives the ‘America’s Sweetheart’ version of biting back. ‘Wood’ holds a double meaning, starting from a place of superstition, before evolving lyrically in the studio to something a lot more suggestive, and might be her most raunchy track yet. The contrast is part of the point: nothing is completely innocent or totally exposed … everything is in between. ‘A bit of fun’ or ‘too obvious,’ you decide.
Handpicked in this album is the best and worst of fame, with ‘CANCELLED!’ we’re thrown back to the ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ era. In this track, Swift reclaims the narrative, owns up to mistakes, and acknowledges those who stayed beside her in times of strife. The title itself waves at modern fame, with cancel culture at the forefront of celebrity. “Did you girlboss too close to the sun?” is one of the lines I cannot help but dislike for being a little time dated. Cringe? Most definitely, and I’m the kind of person to cite the 10-minute version of ‘All Too Well’ as a modern masterpiece.
The album ends in a flourish with ‘The Life of a Showgirl.’ Featuring Sabrina Carpenter, this song is a character piece, reminiscent of the cardigan-core Folklore. The showgirl figure, Kitty, stands for the blurred line between the performers stage persona and the private woman underneath. A metaphor, something Taylor Swift has never shied away from, for Swift’s own life. Swift is saying this is what it all boils down to … the spectacle, the loneliness, the need to keep performing. With Carpenter’s feature, it also feels like Swift passing a torch and looking out for the younger generation.
This new album continues to storm charts and break streaming records, with over 6 million people pre-saving it on Spotify. Despite this, it does feel like Swift playing it safe. Compared to the raw introspection of her earlier work, some tracks feel more superficial. The quieter, vulnerable moments do not always cut as deeply.
My verdict? The Life of a Showgirl is not a radical reinvention, but nor is it necessarily a misstep. It is a confident, sleek pop album with moments of fun and charm. The glamour and spectacle of it may mask some of its weaker moments, but Swift still commands the stage, and this album is arena ready. For fans wanting a fun, stylish project rather than emotionally groundbreaking lyrics, this delivers more hits than misses. This new era is one I can get on board with.