Taylor Swift

Kait Smith, contributor, and host of Swifty Minutes.

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What is the Life of a Showgirl? Is it a sparkling party that never ends? Is it a world of missed opportunities? With her twelfth studio album, Taylor Swift answers that question. It’s sparkling, complicated, and full of lessons and love. An album that sparkles with cheeky lyrics, some spice, and the honest open songwriting that we are used to. 

 

A “pop” album that includes samples from some familiar songs, both by Taylor and an assortment of other artists, it’s a cohesive album that feels distinctively Taylor. With well crafted songs like "Life of Ophelia", "Elizabeth Taylor" and the title track "The Life of a Showgirl", she chronicles what her life as a showgirl is. She’s in love, she’s been let down by mentors, she’s been the mentor, haters are still hating, and Taylor is exactly where she’s supposed to be. 

 

The lyrics are sweet and cutting, reminding us that while she is madly in love, she hasn’t lost her edge or flair for addressing feuds. While she is unbothered by the hate thrown at her in "Actually Romantic", she’s also defending her friends and herself that have been "CANCELLED!" Perhaps a show of support for her friend Blake Lively? She’s getting some help from The Jackson 5 talking about them superstitions in "Wood", a song that will make you smirk. 

 

Her title track with Sabria Carpenter is perhaps her strongest debut. A song that tackles the price of being a showgirl, having Sabrina as her collaborator adds an impactful layer to this. As we learned during the Eras Tour, Sabrina has been a Swifty from a young age. To have her on this song with Taylor, an experienced showgirl warning the next generation of showgirls, makes the song hit just that much harder. 

 

"Honey" is as sweet as honey. A charming love letter to the person who taught her what being adored is supposed to look like. Reclaiming words that had previously been used as passive aggressive or inauthentic and returning them to the original meaning. Perhaps how she has relearned what love is.

 

Taylor’s storytelling is as strong as ever and the universe that she has created is as blindingly glittery and charmingly cheeky as a Vegas extravaganza. It's a fun, uncomplicated reminder that it’s not always sequins and applause but it’s still so good to be a showgirl!