On Oct. 3, artist Taylor Swift released her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” which has received mixed reviews.
When Swift initially announced the new album’s release on her now-fiancé’s podcast, “New Heights,” fans were very excited because she has not released an album for a few years. Swift has become one of the biggest artists in the world after her Eras Tour, so her new music rapidly rose to the top of the charts upon its release. But, after listening to this new album, I don’t get the hype.
While listening to the songs, I realized they sound very clean and commercial-like, almost like music that you would hear in a store like H&M or even the grocery store. Although the songs are good, I feel like they are a little bit too polished on this album. The songs feel and sound less creative than those of her past albums. While listening, the tracks didn’t invoke much emotion and I found it difficult to connect to the songs.
A lot of the songs were also a little repetitive, as most of them had a similar sound. Although some of the lyrics were good, they came across as much more basic in comparison to the lyrics in her past work. They were also difficult to connect to, which is unusual, as Swift’s work is renowned for being something fans, especially women, relate to. It felt as if the lyrics had no depth or hidden meaning behind the words, whereas her previous albums were full of deep metaphors and symbolism.
It is possible that with his album release, Swift was attempting to make a catchy album that made people feel confident and happy. The use of the title “showgirl” was likely chosen because the entire album feels like a performance; polished and surface-level. Although the name is fitting and it matches the album’s vibe, I would have enjoyed the songs if she conveyed more emotion through her lyrics. It was lacking the special depth that helped Swift rise to fame with her fans.
I’ve always liked Swift’s old songs like “Love Story,” “You Belong With Me,” and “Bad Blood.” In comparison to her recently released music, I feel that back then, she had a lot of more creativity and freedom in her music. This new album seems completely different because it’s not in her true “Taylor Swift” style. It no longer feels like Swift wrote songs from the heart. Swift’s new music lost that personal touch that made her songs feel heartfelt and honest.
Even though I personally didn’t enjoy Swift’s new album, it’s not necessarily terrible; some people may enjoy the pop-feel and. surface level vibes.
Taylor Swift is still a really talented artist, and I’m happy that she’s experimenting with different sounds and styles; it’s something I give her credit for. But, trying something different is not always going to pull in listeners. “The Life of a Showgirl” was not for me because the songs didn’t interest me or have anything unique to them. However, just because I don’t like it does not mean every listener will feel the same. I recommend listening to it yourself to gauge your own opinion on Swift’s new music.
