Following its highly-anticipated release on October 3, Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album “The Life of a Showgirl” became the year’s most streamed in a single day – however, not everyone was a fan of this musical project.
Soon after its release, “The Life of a Showgirl” also became the subject of much scrutiny from Swifties and music publications alike.
Most critiques highlighted ‘boring’ lyricism saturated by sexual innuendos, indicating a project glaringly inspired by her public relationship with football star Travis Kelce.
Critical reviews
According to The Alternative, the record is marked by “just clunky, unimaginative lyrics and Max Martin (one of the producers) being asleep at the wheel,” including “a handful of distinct points where Swift comes off offensively out of touch”.
Meanwhile, The Rolling Stones praises it as an excellent album, writing this about one of the songs: “‘The Fate of Ophelia’ is her best Swiftspearean drama yet, rewriting Hamlet the way her teenage self rewrote Romeo and Juliet in “Love Story” – she goes back to rescue a doomed young heroine and breathe new life into her.”
Swift has taken on a lyrical shift from her past projects, professing how her relationship with Travis Kelce has reignited her hope in love.
This starkly contrasts with the griefridden and heartbroken themes that occupy previous records like “Tortured Poets Department” and “Midnights”.
But skeptics question the execution of this shift.
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Taylor’s response
The billionaire singer-songwriter appeared on The Zane Lowe Show on Tuesday, where she stated that she “welcomes the chaos” when it comes to the album’s reception – the good, bad and ugly.
“The rule of show business is, if it’s the first week of my album release and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping,” she said.
According to CNN, some have called the multiple, expensive versions of physical media accompanying the album release excessive, while others are taking issue with the brutish way she treated a classic Shakespearean character.
“I have a lot of respect for people’s subjective opinions on art. I’m not the art police.
“It’s, like, everybody is allowed to feel exactly how they want. And what our goal is as entertainers is to be a mirror.”
Swift emphasised the importance of having her eye on the long game when it comes to her devoted fans.
“What I often love seeing my fans say is, ‘I used to be someone who didn’t relate to (her sixth studio album from 2017) “Reputation”. And now that I’ve been through some other things in my life, that’s my favorite album,” she said.
“We’re doing this thing for keeps.
“I have such an eye on legacy when I’m making my music. I know what I made. I know I adore it, and I know that on the theme of what the Showgirl is – all of this is part of it.”
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Geoffrey H. Latayan 
Vivien Bernardino