On Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, singer and songwriter Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” The album is her first release following her 21-month long Eras Tour as well as her recent engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce. Swift is well versed in being a “showgirl,” joining the music industry at the ripe age of 16 years old, and she uses the new album to tell her story thus far. Swift takes on a reminiscent tone that is both critical and endearing toward her life of being a showgirl.
The album begins with an ethereal tune titled “The Fate of Ophelia.” Swift transports her listeners into the tragic life of a young woman named Ophelia, referencing Shakespear’s melancholic character from “Hamlet.” Swift uses Ophelia as a vessel to explain the hardships she went through earlier in her career and how Kelce saved her from that dark time.
“Late one night / You dug me out of my grave and / Saved my heart from the fate of / Ophelia” Swift sings. “No longer drowning and deceived / All because you came for me.”
In “Eldest Daughter,” Swift expresses the challenges of growing up as the eldest daughter and becoming a successful woman in the entertainment industry. She reminisces on her childhood and how she has changed over the years. Swift also explains that her current relationship with Kelce has given her the same nostalgic childhood comfort and happiness that she had in her adolescence.
“Every joke’s just trolling and memes / Sad as it seems, apathy is hot,” Swift sings. “So many traitors / Smooth operators / But I’m never gonna break that vow / I’m never gonna leave you now, now, now / You know the last time I laughed this hard was / On the trampoline in somebody’s backyard / I must have been about 8 or 9.”
Swift takes a more satirical approach with her eighth track, “Wi$h Li$t.” Although it covers the serious and saddening topic of how the media criticizes women, Swift creates a sadistic tune explaining a “wish list” of things the media wants from women. She expresses her previous desires to fit this wish list, but then leads into how all she wants now is a happy, content and domestic life with her fiancé.
“They want that complex female character / They want that critical smash Palme d’Or / And an Oscar on their bathroom floor / They want it all / They deserve what they want / Hope they get what they want / I just want you, huh / Have a couple kids, got the whole block looking like you,” Swift sings.
Swift concludes her album with “The Life of a Showgirl,” featuring singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter. The song sums up the album by transporting her listeners into 1920s showgirl culture. Swift compares her life to the decade in a storytelling way with astonishing and vivid lyrics.
“Thank you for the lovely bouquet / I’m married to the hustle / And now I know the life of a showgirl, babe,” Swift sings. “Pain hidden by the lipstick and lace / Sequins are forever and now I know the life of a showgirl, babe / Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“The Life of a Showgirl” is a beautiful and emotional album, which fans have grown to search for as a hint or easter egg in her media. The nostalgic and sorrowful atmosphere leaves her audience left to think about how life is for showgirls, such as Swift herself, while also leaving them with hope for a better future. Swift inspires all to believe in themselves and persevere through the hard times they will face, especially those in the entertainment and music industry.