Taylor Swift has returned with a new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Inspired by the events of her record-shattering Eras Tour, Swift’s emotions are obvious in this bubbly detour from her previous, more melancholy albums “Midnights” and “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Swedish pop producers Max Martin and Shellback reunited with Swift following their work with her on “Red,” “1989” and “Reputation,” offering a brighter soundscape to her showgirl dreams.
“The Life of a Showgirl” is not lifeless, but it fails to meet listeners’ expectations. It is important to recall that Swift made the bold decision to rerecord four of her albums after a dispute with her previous record label over the ownership of master recordings in 2019.
Though Swift was already a pop sensation, the past five years have catapulted her into impressive realms of stardom. However, what we see on “The Life of a Showgirl” feels like signs of an artist who cannot slow down but needs to.
Swift is not at a standstill in her musical prowess, and “The Life of a Showgirl” is not an entirely awful album. However, she is falling into the common trap where musicians chunk out new work like fast food. In Swift’s case, this strategy is not necessary.
The album’s opening track “The Fate of Ophelia” references Shakespeare’s heroine from “Hamlet” who represents heartbreak, a theme of Swift’s previous albums. “The Fate of Ophelia” is a transition from her earlier projects into the joyfulness of this album.
“Father Figure” interpolates the 1987 song of the same name by George Michael, its lyrics a commentary on the greed and exploitation that runs deep in the music industry.
“Elizabeth Taylor” is filled with the glitter of the age of Hollywood, as Swift questions a lover if they could last forever.
Swift has been known to diss artists over the years, but “Actually Romantic” has to be one of her most shocking tracks. Her opening verse, “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave,” is rumored to be directed at singer Charli xcx. On her 2024 album “Brat,” Charli xcx released “Sympathy is a knife,” which is allegedly about Swift.
“Eldest Daughter” is a beautiful rumination on being the oldest child and how that experience has prepared Swift to deal with the chaos of the music industry.
“Opalite” is directly inspired by Swift’s fiancè Travis Kelce, his birthstone being an opal, in this sweet ode between the two partners.
Swift caps off the album with the titular track featuring Sabrina Carpenter. Carpenter opened for Swift several times on “The Eras Tour” and has seen success following her release of “Man’s Best Friend.”
The two Pennsylvania natives honor the life of “Kitty,” the showgirl character created by Swift who reminds fans that everything is not what it seems behind all of the glitz and glamour.
Overall, “The Life of a Showgirl” is a very earnest album with an intriguing concept. The problem with it is not its upbeat production, but rather, Swift’s main issues lie in how quickly the album was rushed out. With more time spent on the creative process, this showgirl would have been more dazzling.
