On October 3rd, 2025, the pop star Taylor Swift released her 12th highly anticipated album, The Life of a Showgirl. At age 35, she has been able to capture thousands of people’s attention. At age 35, she has won 14 Grammy awards, 40 American Music Awards (better known as AMAs), 49 Billboard Music Awards, and many more record-breaking awards. Since 2004, she has been recognized for her artistic melodies and intense songwriting. Even at the age of 14, she was unmistakable.
Mr. Simoneau, a multimedia teacher and football coach at BHS, comments on how he “likes how she has many ties to the Jersey Shore”.
Although Mr. Simoneau has not listened to her newest album, he listened to some of her older music with his daughter and enjoyed it. He had even bought tickets and went to the record-breaking Eras Tour for his daughter. Swift gained even more attention through her Eras Tour starting in Glendale, Arizona on March 17, 2023, and ending in Vancouver, Canada on December 8, 2024. This tour brought people of all ages, genders, and races together to enjoy her music from not only one album, but all 11 studio albums.
The Life of a Showgirl was recorded during the European leg of her Eras Tour. Her previous album, The Tortured Poets Department, which aired on April 19, 2024, consists of grief and heartbreak. Her new and long awaited album is more joyful, upbeat, and energetic. It also partially contains pop and rock with a meaning behind Swift’s fame and relationships. Swift’s album is metaphorical and literal. It describes her life under the public eye and what happens behind the scenes of her shows. Fans who have recently started to listen to the album state how Taylor addresses her critics and haters in a flirtatious way. However, she seems to reflect on her personal life during the time of her journey. She talks about how she got to experience very exciting moments in her life, and falling in love with Travis Kelce, all while on tour. The Life of a Showgirl also features Sabrina Carpenter, an American singer and songwriter known for her famous Short n’ Sweet Tour, who seems to tie into many of the themes of glamour, identity, and fame of this album.
Although her fans have been on the edge of their seats until the release date, it is safe to say that some people are not as enthusiastic. Marlee Foster ‘27 claims that, “the album wasn’t anything different. One or two of the songs were good, but the others sounded about the same”.
Disagreeing with Marlee, Charlotte Caggiano ‘28 explains how the album “was really good. [She] wish[es] it had more songs but it was one of her best albums for sure”.
Swift continues to grow her audience every year from strictly musical, to cat lovers, and even to football watchers. Whether you are a teacher and coach like Mr. Simoneau, or a student like Marlee and Charlotte, Taylor Swift will continue to be a household name for years to come and lead the media with people’s varying opinions.
