By: Isabela Mangal
Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, was extremely anticipated. Released on October 3, 2025, the album broke the record for most sales in a single week, particularly with the most vinyl records sold in a single week. Taylor Swift became the first artist to have an entire album at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2025. However, at the same time, fans across social media platforms have been criticizing this album more than any other Taylor Swift album. The album has proven to be extremely successful, so several people question why it is receiving so much backlash. Specifically, the album has been receiving backlash because it doesn’t meet the standards Taylor Swift has set as an artist.
The opening track, “The Fate of Ophelia,” was the first single from the album, and it is centered around Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Though the song has the most streams from the entire album, it has been criticized for misusing its title. According to the play’s plot, Ophelia was driven mad by the men around her and ultimately passed away. Despite this, the song is about being saved from that fate by a man; consequently, this has caused fans to believe that Taylor Swift never read the play. Additionally, many listeners have noticed that multiple songs on the album sound extremely similar to songs by other artists, prompting claims of plagiarism. On track four, “Father Figure,” Taylor Swift credited George Michael as a writer because he also has a song with the same name. However, first reactions to track nine, “Wood,” are that it has a very similar intro and production to “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5. Similarly, track twelve is the title track, “The Life of a Showgirl,” fethe liaturing Sabrina Carpenter, and has been compared to “Cool” by the Jonas Brothers. In addition, the introduction to track seven, “Actually Romantic,” sounds similar to the beginning of “Where Is My Mind?” by Pixies. Finally, track three, “Opalite,” is extremely similar to “Circles” by Post Malone. Overall, aside from “Father Figure,” none of the other tracks have been confirmed to be samples or inspired by any other song.
Even though the album is record-breaking and filled with enjoyable songs, some listeners, including Cassie Kaplan, a fan of the artist for years, have said that The Life of a Showgirl “was a mid-tier album from Taylor Swift,” arguing that certain songs feel unoriginal and affect the project’s overall impact. The Life of a Showgirl has sparked some controversy, but it is an album worth listening to and is filled with catchy songs. Some of the major achievements were breaking the record for most sales in a single week and becoming the first artist to have an entire album at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
Along with all of this greatness came a ton of controversy that fans pointed out. This mix of feelings about the album led fans to take sides on whether the album was viewed positively or negatively. However, with the previous album released nearly a year and a half earlier, there is no doubt that expectations were extraordinarily high. Of course, it is unrealistic to meet all of the public’s interests with a single album. Nevertheless, as we fans approach this new album, it brings a new generation, aspect of music, and perspective to Taylor Swift’s work.
