Expectations Sky-High—and Crash Landing
“The Life of a Showgirl” was one of the most anticipated albums of the season. After all, it has Taylor Swift’s name on it—arguably the biggest global pop star of recent years, whether you love her or not (isn’t that right, Matthieu?). Taylor’s got dozens of hits under her belt, stadium tours on several continents, and an almost legendary grip on her fanbase, the Swifties. But… all that was before October 3rd. Sure, it happens to be my birthday, but more importantly, it was the release date of Taylor’s latest album. And apparently, the reigning pop queen just didn’t manage to win over listeners with her 12 new tracks. On TikTok, thousands began voicing their disappointment after listening.
What Went Wrong? Fans Point Fingers
- Marketing Mishap: The first thing fans criticized was the album’s marketing. With a name like “The Life of a Showgirl,” you’d expect… well, a show. A showgirl is supposed to be a star—someone who sings, dances, dazzles. That’s even the artistic vibe Swift went for: in all the visuals, it’s all cabaret and glamour, with rhinestone gowns, crystal-studded corsets, and feathered headdresses. So when you see all that, you expect spectacle. But, as it turned out, it was all just for show—a bit of smoke and mirrors, no real sizzle.
- Lackluster Lyrics: Fans weren’t too thrilled with the songwriting either. Some complained that the lyrics were too simplistic, with a few even suggesting she’d used ChatGPT to write them. Others claimed Taylor seems just a little too happy these days—and the formula doesn’t work anymore. After all, Swift’s legendary hits so often drew on her exes. Take “Style,” for instance, a song about her breakup with singer Harry Styles. Much of Taylor’s fame was built on her knack for turning heartbreak into music. But now? She’s engaged to Travis Kelcey. She’s happy. And for some fans, happiness apparently equals boring.
The Commercial Strategy That Set Fans Off
But what really set Swifties ablaze on social media was Taylor’s commercial strategy. Before the album was even out, she was offering 24 different versions—exclusive CDs and vinyls, different covers, colors, a special poster, and so on. She even announced an acoustic version available only via digital download on Apple Music. On X (formerly Twitter), this unlimited commercialization seriously riled a lot of folks.
“It’s one of the most disgusting and anti-artistic practices an artist can adopt. This kind of absolute greed is just plain shameful.”
That post got over 100,000 likes, for the record.
Normally, artists drop a deluxe version of their album a few months later, maybe one with a couple bonus tracks or an acoustic edition—that’s about it. But here we’re talking about one of the world’s wealthiest musicians, with a huge youth fanbase—many of whom can’t exactly afford to buy all this merch.
Taylor Strikes Back
But it takes more than a little backlash to knock Taylor off her throne. In an interview with Apple Music, she responded to the criticism by saying:
“I welcome the chaos. And hey, the rule of show business is: if you mention my name or my album, you’re helping me.”
A pretty effective flex, honestly. And she’s not wrong. As proof, she just broke Adele’s record by selling 3.5 million albums in less than a week. That’s a whole lot of chaos—and a whole lot of sales.
