“THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL”: LOVE IS IN THE AIR AND HEADLINING STAGES
BY HANNAH JAMIESON PHOTO PROVIDED BY REPUBLIC RECORDS
Swifties have been anticipating a new album from Taylor Swift for quite some time now, and after months of picking apart every post and looking for potential hints within Eras Tour performances, “The Life of a Showgirl” has finally arrived. Swift gave many sneak peeks after the album’s announcement, such as countdowns on her website, various photoshoots, and a Spotify event highlighting the album’s aesthetic and previewing lyrics. This plethora of danceable, lovey, and contemporary music gives Swift’s audience an insight to her private life while constantly being in the spotlight.
One of the main motifs in “The Life of a Showgirl” is love. Swift has been fairly vocal about her ongoing relationship with Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce over the past two years through interviews and with a few songs on her last album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” The couple made a major public leap with their relationship this year, starting with Swift appearing on Kelce’s podcast, "New Heights,” alongside his brother Jason Kelce, where Swift revealed her newest album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” The pair later excitedly shared their engagement.
The majority of the tracks feature Swift’s complex, but relentlessly happy emotions regarding her newfound love, heavily contradicting former tracks of her discography. Swift even says in the track “Eldest Daughter,” “When I said I don’t believe in marriage, that was a lie.” Swift also takes advantage of her pop-revival-esque album with a new sense of provocativeness, heavily complementing the high energy and sensual Motown-inspired bass lines — prevalent in tracks such as “Wood.”
It’s important to note that one of her songs, “Ruin the Friendship,” is speculated to honor her friend Jeff Lang, who unfortunately passed away in 2010. The song gives a high school feel, similar to “So High School,” but touches base on lost opportunities, lost love, and grief.
Interestingly enough, a different element to “The Life of a Showgirl” encapsulates a more dramatic element to Swift’s personal life: feuds. We know Swift handles revenge in her own special, poignant ways — like the entirety of her “Reputation” era — but these newer tracks, infiltrated with orchestration and captivating instrumentals, are more direct and strategic. Many fans theorize that “Actually Romantic” is about a feud between Swift and singer Charli XCX, and that “CANCELLED!” is about the almost decade-long friendship between Swift and actress Blake Lively. Swift has been heavily mentioned in Lively’s ongoing lawsuit with actor Justin Baldoni, which has definitely added speculated tension after years of passive relationship discourse between the two women.
On top of the themes of love and feud, Swift blatantly states that her life isn’t as easy to navigate while being a celebrity. In her catchy collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter on the title track, she specifies that nobody understands the dynamic until one is in their shoes — or rather, bedazzled boots.
Fans have definitely had a mixed reaction following the album’s release. Many criticize Swift for her recent music not reflecting her former slow, deep, and lyrically centered albums, such as “Folklore” and “Evermore,” whereas others have been begging for a more classic pop album for years. Given that internet dialogue is rapidly changing, many criticize Swift for what seems like dated slang, such as “girlboss” and “savage.”
Regardless of reactions, there is no denying how refreshing this new era of pop is, and one can appreciate many elements, such as her retro pop influences shown in her sampling of “Father Figure” by George Michael. Swift also shows immense appreciation for her fans, most notably with the addition of audio from her last Eras Tour show at the end of the title track, concluding the album.
This album definitely needs to be taken for what it is, so I’d suggest turning it on, putting on your best showgirl outfit, and dancing!
