Love it or Hate it: Taylor Swift’s TheLife of a Showgirl

Fourteen-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift released her 12th al- bum, “The Life of a Showgirl,” on October 3. It has 12 songs, with the title track featuring successful pop artist Sabrina Carpenter. Before the album's announcement, Swift’s website featured a countdown clock set to 12:12 am on August 12.

The next day, she announced the album on fiancé Travis Kelce’s pod- cast “New Heights.” Swift's dedicated fans, lovingly referred to as Swifties, had some theories about what the new album had in store. The orange album cover reminded many Swifties of her scrapped rock-and-roll album titled "Karma," which was meant to have been released between "1989" and "Reputation."

This theory, along with the fact that she created "The Life of a Show- Love it or Hate it: Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl" with Max Martin and Shellback from "Red" and "1989," sparked anticipation and high expectations for the album. However, after listening, I have to say I’m disappointed.

To me, many of Swift’s lyrics felt weak and childish, unlike those on the 2024 album "The Tortured Poets Department," which felt much more profound. Some fans say that Swift is trying to emulate Carpenter, whose risqué songs are targeted toward an older audience than Swift’s. I wholeheartedly agree.

Many songs in the album make provocative references that don’t fit Swift’s family-friendly image. While I did enjoy some of the songs, such as “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Elizabeth Taylor,” I think Swift should stick to what she knows instead of trying to impersonate younger artists such as Carpenter.