On Oct. 3, 2025, Taylor Swift released her 16th album, titled “The Life of a Showgirl.” “The Life of a Showgirl” includes different varieties of pop songs, consisting of synth-pop, dance-pop, pop rock, R&B, and electropop. 

The album contains a feature by popular artist, Sabrina Carpenter, on the song titled “The Life of a Showgirl,” then a sample of the song “Father Figure,” by George Michaels, on her song identically titled, “Father Figure.” 

After my first listen, I quickly noticed that the lyrics and emotions are very altered from most of Swift’s albums, but at the same time, this vibe has been building up since her release of the album, “Midnights.” “Midnights” was her first album where she dove deep into the synth-pop genre. This carried on into “The Tortured Poets Department, then now into “The Life of a Showgirl.” Personally, I enjoy her indie-folk music as in the album “Folklore,” yet it was intriguing to see Swift explore Pop. 

Introducing the album, track one is titled “The Fate of Ophelia.” This also happens to be my personal favorite in the new album, and one of the only songs that stuck out to me.  The lyrics are deep, and almost like she is telling a story, however, the beat turns it into a hyper song. 

Negatively, there has been some controversy flooding social media with the talk of how Swift’s lyric choices in some songs like “Wood,” and, “Eldest Daughter,” to be presumed inappropriate and/or cringy. Along with those opinions, it does not seem like many people favor the album. 

Throughout the album, there is not much of a theme or story connecting each song, but each song is an individual story itself. Personally, I find it more entertaining when a story is being told throughout an albums tracklist, rather than a new topic within each song. 

Overall, I rate this album a 4/10. This rating surprises me because I usually fall in love with Swift albums, despite that, this one just does not do it for me. I tried to give it multiple chances by listening to the album a couple times through, but it really just is not my cup of tea, and I feel like it does not match Swift’s vibe. I hope to enjoy this album more over time, although realistically I do not see that happening.