Siena Scungio ’27
Kathleen Stubbing ’26
Photo courtesy of Variety.com
The release of the new Taylor Swift album, The Life of a Showgirl, has sparked worldwide controversy around whether or not Taylor Swift created a successful album. Currently having written twelve studio albums and releasing four re-recorded albums, Swift is known for her deep lyrics that fans connect. Additionally, she is known for her record-breaking tracks’ unique tunes and powerful messages. It is still undetermined if the recent release of The Life of a Showgirl will become another praise to her name, or if her popularity will begin to decline for the first time since the start of her career. Swift’s fanbase, the Swifties, are currently split in half, some claiming the lyrics of the album are childish and too playful while others claim the album was recorded with few faults.
As two certified Swifites ourselves, we speak from knowledge. After listening to the lyrics and tune of each song, we both decided we stood with the half of fans that believe the album does not fit into Swift’s usual realm of music. After listening to “The Life of a Showgirl (featuring. Sabrina Carpenter),” we noticed a similarity in tune to the song “Cool” by the Jonas Brothers, released in 2019. Similarity track nine of TLOAS, “Wood” and the famous, “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, released in 1969 sounded eerily resemble one another. It is hard to believe these similarities to popular tunes are a simple coincidence and not Swift beginning to lack originality.
Avery Morris ’26, disagrees with the claim that Swift is losing her spark. In fact, she says, “I love her new album. Every album of hers feels new, different, and weird but the catchyness immediately gets stuck in your head. And, of course, knowing she is so happy makes listening to her music even more enjoyable. ” Morris is a prime example of the connection Swifties feel to not just to her music, but Swift herself. Swift has been releasing music since she was eighteen. We have watched her date Joe Jonas, lose herself in her relationship with Joe Alwyn, and get engaged to Travis Kelce. This has served as a double edged sword because it allows her fans to grow up with her, however, due to this deep connection Swifties feel to her, they hold her to a higher standard than most artists.
A fan who does have a high bar for Swift’s music is Brynn Bogle ’26. She feels the new album is a let down, not living up to music she has released in the past: “It is just a let down from her previous ones. We all loved the lyrical framing in The Tortured Poets Department so hearing these songs was blatantly disappointing. Her albums always show what point she is at in her life and I am a little concerned if this is how she is doing.”
Will Swift’s decade of success continue to stand, or was this her last big break before she falls in line with average artists? We will let The Life of a Showgirl speak for itself as her fans continue to argue over the album’s potential. Regardless of the opinions of this album’s success, Swift has made a lasting name for herself in the music industry and will always remain an icon to all ages.
