There’s glitter on the floor after the party, Swifites. It’s not New Year’s Day. It’s The Life of a Showgirl release day, and while Taylor Swift’s die-hard fans are recovering from their late night staying up to listen, we have so much to talk about. The Life of a Showgirl is a brief, 12-track glimpse backstage of Taylor’s glamorous life.
Unlike her previous album, The Tortured Poets Department, TLOAS doesn’t require too much deciphering. Taylor is shedding the costumes and glitter for upfront feelings in her new pop hits. From the obvious love for her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, on songs like “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Opalite,” and “Honey” to biting new songs that comment on media and pop “rivalries” like “Father Figure” and “CANCELLED!”, the concept of this album is far from exhausted showgirl.
The Life of a Showgirl became Taylor’s showgirl self-care behind the scenes of The Eras Tour. She shared on the Magic Radio Breakfast Show with Gok Wan and Harriet Scott, “I was so physically exhausted from the shows, but being mentally and emotionally stimulated by making this music, got me to the point where I was so excited to step back on stage because I knew I had this little secret project I was working on.”
Taylor shows off her comfort and confidence in her current life state in this album. She reunited with Max Martin and Shellback for this album—their first time working together since reputation. Like the gritty tracks from the Rep Era, TLOAS gives us plenty of room to dance around the room, feeling flirty and fierce as we move from song to song. “Each song feels like an era of it’s own, it’s just a very dramatic, sweeping, epic record full of twelve songs,” Taylor described the album in the Amazon Track by Track intro for “Father Figure, “but each one really packs a punch and each one is really its own kind of movie.” Travis was so right about this album! (New Heights fans, IYKYK.)
Speaking of Taylor’s future husband, it’s hard to talk about TLOAS without him. From the opening, Taylor surprised fans with an upbeat opening. While the title’s reference to the watery death of Shakespeare’s doomed heroine, Ophelia, made fans guess the album would have a devastating opening, “The Fate of Ophelia” is actually about a love that saves you from a life of heartbreak. Similarly, “Opallite” (Travis’s favorite track) is about creating your own happiness, and “Honey” reclaims the bitter aftertaste of pet names used by exes and enemies. TLOAS is dripping in love vibes. It’s clear that the top of Taylor’s Wi$h Li$t is a life that she has control over with people she can trust—”CANCELLED!” or otherwise.
We also have a couple of great character moments from Taylor on this album. The first comes in her cleverly interpolated “Father Figure.” Posthumously crediting George Michael for the line “I can be your father figure,” Taylor takes on the persona of an industry mogul, taking an ingenue down the path of success. Unfortunately, things take a turn when the newbie betrays Taylor’s mafia-esque “family.” We know Taylor loves to tell a story, and this a great example of her folkloric sensibilities. George Michael Entertainment was excited about the “collab” too. “We were delighted when Taylor Swift and her team approached us earlier this year…” They said in an Instagram post. “When we heard the track, we had no hesitation in agreeing to this association between two great artists, and we know George would have felt the same. George Michael Entertainment wishes Taylor every success with The Life of a Showgirl and ‘Father Figure.'”
So what’s next? Well, Taylor left her showgirls a busy schedule for the next week. From the album release to a long list of appearances on BBC Radio 1, Hits Radio, Magic Radio, This Morning, Elvis Duran Show, Capital FM, and Heart Radio on release day and an a seat on the couch with Graham Norton, TLOAS release day is an opening day to remember. Swifties can also get a first look at “The Fate of Ophelia” music video and more in theaters. If you didn’t think we were punching the clock enough already, Taylor has Swifties on “standby” (a merch drop, perhaps?) Saturday evening and chasing more interviews through the end of the week.
So, showgirls, it’s time to take the stage again. We’ll be enjoying every moment in feathered costumes and glittery headdresses, celebrating every time Taylor shows off her engagement ring and the happiness that brought us to this incredible album amidst the chaos of The Eras Tour.
