Taylor Swift Album Breaks Records, Critics Divided on Showgirl
Pop megastar Taylor Swift has achieved yet another milestone. The new Taylor Swift album breaks records after the October 3, 2025, release of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. Swift quickly shattered her own previous Spotify record. The new album surpassed five million pre-saves on the platform. Furthermore, the eagerly anticipated collection of songs amassed over 50 million global streams in its initial hours alone. This tremendous response underscores her enduring popularity. Merchandise related to the album also sold out rapidly.
Swift reunited with her previous hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback for the project. These Swedish pop masterminds shaped many of her best albums, including 1989. Now, they deliver a capital ‘P’ pop album. Swift called the project a “self-portrait.” She also thanked Martin and Shellback for their creative help. Taylor wrote on social media, “I can’t tell you how proud I am to share this with you, an album that just feels so right.” Swift then teased fans about the album’s content. She wrote, “If you thought the big show was wild, perhaps you should come and take a look behind the curtain,” referring to her record-shattering Eras Tour.
However, the album has already generated strongly divided critical opinions. For instance, Rolling Stone gave the album a perfect 100 score. The magazine specifically praised its empowering lyrics. Conversely, The Guardian offered a harsh 40/100 critique. They claimed the 12-track album lacked polish. Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj praised one track on social media, sparking lyric speculation. The album follows the The Tortured Poets Department. That last album was a sprawling, 31-song double release. This new, concise 41-minute album rights many of those perceived wrongs.
The 35-year-old artist showcases a lighter, happier Swift on these new songs. She seems clearly in love with her NFL Super Bowl champion fiancé, Travis Kelce. One particularly revealing track, WihLit, details her yearning. She sings about settling down and raising children. She also celebrates buying back her music catalog. Ahead of the release, Swift shared her motivation. She said the album “comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life.” Fans immediately began combing through the lyrics. They search for “Easter eggs”—coded words and phrases about Swift’s future projects.
Some critics find certain tracks too simplistic. For example, the song CANCELLED! received a comparison to an “Aldi Version” of her Reputation era music. Nonetheless, the opening tracks offer a strong selection. The lead single The Fate of Ophelia joins Elizabeth Taylor and Opalite as a “triple whammy of future Taylor classics.” The Taylor Swift album breaks records not just for streams but also for conversation. The title track, featuring Sabrina Carpenter, ends the album on a high note. It serves as a “shimmering ode to the highs and lows of being a woman in showbiz.” It’s clear this album will dominate charts and conversations for months to come.
Source: ALJAZEERA, X
