On Oct. 3, 2025, Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” The album has already received massive amounts of different feedback in the week of its release. People either say this album is a massive hit or the most unsuccessful album Taylor Swift has written in her musical career.
Despite this criticism, some PHS students consider the album a success.
“I think it’s a fun pop album,” junior LeeAnne Phillips said. “It’s not her best album, but I still really enjoyed it.”
However, other students think this album isn’t the most enjoyable that Taylor Swift has written.
“I didn’t like the album,” junior Maddison Rodriguez said. “It was very different from her previous albums, and I don’t think it was as well-written and orchestrated as the rest of her albums were.”
Senior Paige McConnell agreed with Rodriguez’s statement, adding that the album isn’t really her style.
“I definitely think it’s a downgrade in her writing,” McConnell said. “It doesn’t feel like the same person who released ‘Evermore’ and ‘Folklore.’”
The songs and lyrical perception aside, students noted the album has been very successful financially.
“I would say it’s very successful,” Phillips said. “The public perception isn’t positive, but in terms of sales and streams, it’s really good.”
However, Rodiguez disagrees with Phillips’ statement, claiming that even if it did well financially, the album still isn’t good.
“I’ve seen a lot of people’s opinions and, they don’t like the album,” Rodiguez said. “They think it’s not fitting into her aesthetic or her as a musician.”
Despite this, people think that this album focuses on being a commercial success, even if the writing isn’t as strong.
“I think this one isn’t as good lyrically,” Phillips said. “But it focused on being fun. I just hope that the next one will be better lyrically.”
With all this criticism and hard feelings about “The Life of a Showgirl,” some believe this album is something Swift needs to learn and improve from.
“She’s an amazing songwriter,” McConnell said. “She is great, she just actually needs to be great. She doesn’t have to write sad music all the time, but that means she could still write good music.”
All in all, Taylor Swift is a successful phenomenon who continues to surprise us with her art and craft every time she releases a new album. No matter if her songs are about breakups, love, friendships, or enemies, she blows us all away with her storytelling and poetry. She really does put the “show” in showgirl, even if she didn’t write the best album.
