“The Life of a Showgirl” album cover (Source: @taylorswift on Instagram)
On Oct. 3, 2025, Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Following the release of “The Tortured Poets Department” and the surprise double album, “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” in March of 2024, Swift has significantly shortened this album to just 12 tracks. Compared to the 31 total tracks that her last album had, this was quite a shock to many fans and critics alike.
Despite being the shortest album yet to be released by Swift, it has already broken one sales record and is climbing the ranks of multiple others. “The Life of a Showgirl” sold a total of 2.7 million copies in the United States on the first day, breaking the record for the most copies of an album, both physical and digital, sold in the first 24 hours after its release. As of Oct. 7, four days after the album’s release, it has broken 3 million copies sold and is still very much climbing the charts.
The album has also topped the charts solely for the number of physical copies sold within the first week. “The Life of a Showgirl” has sold 1.2 million physical copies, breaking the previous record (held by “The Tortured Poets Department”) before it even hits its first week in stores. This gives Swift eight of the top 25 spots for most copies sold in the first week, with three of those albums being in the top 10.
Despite the album’s popularity according to the numbers, it is clear that it has divided fans across the world. While some fans are defending the album with their lives, others aren’t so sure about the music. “People who are calling [it] bad clearly have not listened to it enough. They have not let it marinate,” wrote @tismyaltaccount on TikTok. Many fans feel the same way, that after a few listens, the music really began to resonate with them. However, many fans are still unsatisfied with the album. “I wanted to like it, but it’s so bland… like what are these lyrics,” wrote @user8774542 on TikTok. Swift, however, seems unbothered by the criticisms the album has been receiving.
“The rule of show business is if it’s the first week of my album release, and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping,” she said in a Variety interview.
Whether or not the public likes or dislikes the album, every additional video made, article written, and news clip produced about it ultimately benefits her and makes the album more successful.
“The Life of a Showgirl” has yet to have any singles released, further separating it from her other 11 albums. However, something unique to this album was the “Track by Track” version, initially released with the album on Oct. 3 exclusively on Amazon Music, but released on other platforms on Oct. 7. This version features a short audio clip before each song, with Swift talking about the themes of the track and her inspiration for it.
“The Life of a Showgirl” has yet again broken records and topped charts that have put Swift in the spotlight. With its unique features compared to all of her other albums, “The Life of a Showgirl” is changing the pattern of Swift’s music. While this has proven to cause division among fans, the media attention, whether good or bad, has brought Swift more success than she has seen in any of her previous albums thus far.
Sources: AP News, Billboard, Variety