Fans and listeners have mixed feelings and theories following this release of any popular album, especially if it is different from the artist’s last couple albums. Fans are torn on if they like this new happy and up-beat pop album. Taylor Swift is no exception, nor is her latest album “The Life of a Showgirl,” released earlier this month.
Swift has been a superstar in the music industry for years. She has been universally considered the number one female artist in the music industry, crushing the music charts after every release. Swift has built a huge fan base around her music and life. The new album has torn her fanbase as they have mixed opinions on whether or not they like this new album compared to her old work. The newest album has also broken several streaming records.
Kathryn Frey, a social science teacher at MCHS had this to say about the new album.
“I actually really like it,” says Frey. “It is very different from the stuff she has done in the past couple years.”
Swift has recently gotten engaged to football player Travis Kelce. Most of her songs on her new album are speculated to be about him and their relationship. But that has led to discourse on social media because her new songs are more happy compared to her last albums which were fan favorites.
“I think the backlash is kind of messed up,” Frey says, ”especially because it seems like the first time she’s been happy in a really long time.”
Fans have knocked heads as people hate the new album for being too, “millenial,” and “cringey.” The song, “CANCELLED!” has gotten a lot of hate for the lyrics being, “cringe,” compared to her work before.
According to an interview with Northeastern Global News, Catherine Fairfield, a visiting teaching professor of English at Northeastern University who taught a course on Swift says, “but it might take a while before fans warm to the album, as is often the case with Swift’s music. The pop star has had many different “eras” now, each one with a different sound and vibe, and it can take a while for fans to adjust.”
The array of eras that Swift has given her fans a large menu of music to choose from. Fans of her have certain tastes and genres they prefer from Swift, so it will take more time for someone to warm up to a genre that they do not prefer.
“I think,” Frey says, “people that are critiquing aren’t true Taylor Swift fans if they don’t celebrate her happiness.”
Fans who do like the album are defensive over, “The Life of a Showgirl.” On social media they defend her pop style album as it is similar to her album she released in 2014, 1989. The new album is very different from her sad albums she released from 2020-2024, the fans who enjoyed her more melancholic albums have discouraged this new album.
“The Life of a Showgirl” has broken records on Apple Music, Spotify and other streaming platforms. According to Billboard, Swift’s album has sold 3,479,500 copies. The album has been a hit to many people with amazing songs. The album has also been a miss for a few people but that doesn’t stop Swift from breaking the music charts and being a successful female artist.