Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” sparked mixed reactions from audiences, as fans debated the album’s unexpected style and bold themes.
On Oct. 3, 2025, the album was released, eliciting instant polar responses from audiences. On one hand, people found her confidence admirable and were glad to hear songs that celebrated love. On the other hand, some were upset about the lack of lyricism, and others were taken aback by the unusual audacity, mainly due to the presence of Swift’s younger audience.
Nonetheless, the album has maintained a strong presence online.
“Taylor Swift has a huge fan base, and they will all obviously listen to her album. They’re going to promote it, but outside of her fan base, I’m not sure that it’s really making a big impact on people,” said Brandon Wu, a senior at UCLA.
British-Italian pianist, composer, songwriter, and producer Fabio D’Andrea discussed the current state of the music industry and how it has been challenging for many artists—even one as famous as Swift—to reach beyond their core followers.
“You know it’s much harder now to release music than it was pre-COVID, and that’s because avenues to release music have become so saturated, so if you’re not a follower of Taylor Swift, it’s very hard then to hear her music,” said D’Andrea.
Although it is challenging to make an impact on those who don’t already listen to her, Swift is highly influential among her fans, primarily due to social media, which concerns some in the face of her new album, given their disapproval of Swift’s recent and risqué content in songs such as “Wood” and “Father Figure.”
“She’s actually providing content that the age group shouldn’t be listening to, in my opinion, and I think that is the worst thing about artists like Taylor Swift. I remember 20 years ago, Britney Spears had a very young audience, and she started to do songs which were a lot more explicit in the lyrics,” said D’Andrea.
Not everyone agrees with this assessment. Some fans support Swift’s recent shift in style and believe that she is providing a positive role model and displaying healthy emotional honesty.
“I feel that the people who are giving a lot of hate to the album are pretty undereducated in what her goal for her albums is and the message she’s trying to send out to these teenagers,” said Eliza Jane Cooper, a sophomore at San Mateo High School.
Cooper added that there are many songs on the album, such as “Eldest Daughter,” that resonate with young audiences about recognizing one’s own hard work and having self-compassion, which is beneficial to mental health.
Since this is Swift’s 12th album, she has dealt with controversy before. In the past, Swift has gotten backlash from albums where she made changes to her style, specifically when she added more confidence to her content. For example, in 2017, when she released the album “Reputation,” she faced major criticism, as the album was perceived as “mindless pop” and many argued she was trying too hard to be bold and tough.
As of now, audiences are adjusting to Swift’s newest and sparkliest era of celebrating love and self-assurance after a long period of sadness and heartbreak. Her lyrics and style have constantly been evolving, shifting from country to pop to indie folk and back to pop again.
“It’s just a constant battle of comparison between her past work and her current work, and remember what the album’s point is? Not Folklore or Evermore. It’s the life of a showgirl,” Cooper said.
