Grievance: As the pop star of the 21st century, Taylor Swift is no stranger to hate and controversy in the music industry. Her most recent studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl”, released on October 3rd, is no exception. “The Life of a Showgirl,” promoted as a raw, deep dive into the complexities of fame and publicity, is currently being lambasted online as her weakest work yet, leaving hopeful swifties disappointed with the lack of creativity, care and depth in comparison to her earlier music.

Taylor Swift is objectively not a bad musician, despite criticisms she has faced in recent years. Swift has very consistently released high quality and well-produced music throughout her career. Even her less well received work has reflected that craftsmanship. But whereas an album like “The Tortured Poets Department” could be written off as a mediocre release from an incredible artist, the faults in “The Life of a Showgirl” stray from the integrity that connected to her fanbase. “The Life of a Showgirl” reads as corny, lazy, and out of touch, with the album serving more as a loyalty test to her fans rather than a piece of art to be appreciated. In her new songs “CANCELLED!” and “Actually Romantic,” Swift plays into a certain twisted star persona, with some elements being reminiscent of her 2017 album, “Reputation.” “Look What You Made Me Do”, one of the most popular songs off of “Reputation”, succeeded in being campy, glamorous and over the top. A younger woman in the music industry with something to prove makes for an enticing and complicated narrative. Unfortunately, “The Life of a Showgirl”’s “CANCELLED!” and ‘Actually Romantic” have little to no narrative and fall completely short. The songs center around trivial controversies and petty responses to valid criticisms of her character and impact as one of the world’s biggest artists. Denouncing a good girl image and embracing the darker, more dangerous side of fame does not read well when you’re no longer a girl fighting to climb the ladder of success but rather a figure atop the entire industry with no one to prove wrong except for critics millions of dollars below her paygrade.

One thing Taylor Swift is consistently praised for is her lyricism. With millions of dollars to her name, one of the only remaining things tying her to her fanbase is her ability to capture feeling in words and connect with her fans. The lyrics of “the life of a showgirl” completely disconnect from her previous ideal of relatability, and instead align themselves with her inaccessible celebrity lifestyle, complaining about insignificant products of fame. The messages she tries to portray in the life of a showgirl are incoherent and contradictory. On one side of the spectrum, she leans into her persona as a celebrity who now reclaims her so-called “contriversal” bad girl image. On another track wishlist she critiques the shallow wants for those same material things, and tells us that all she really wants out of life is love. Instead of this variety of tones showcasing her complexity as a writer or even a person it seems more like a desperate grasp for a some sort of new persona or era, the integrity of her music willing to be spared for something newer and exciting. Contrary to Swift’s “experimental” tracks, one song on the album, the Fate of Ophelia captures Taylor’s genuine charms in a sincere way that many of these songs could not. It showcases her classic romantic pop sound with a heart behind it that is reminiscent of the songs that are already known and loved. Taylor Swift, as we’ve seen before, clearly knows how to connect with her audience. The life of a show girl was not a representation of this but rather a tone deaf and unnecessary proclamation of fame that did not cater to her loyal fans but instead to her own interest.

Check out Jacob’s counterpoint: https://swhsnavigator.com/3433/variety/ts12-lyrical-genius-or-shallow-grievance/