Taylor Swift responds to 'The Life of a Showgirl' criticism
Taylor Swift has brilliantly responded to the criticism of her 12th studio album 'The Life of a Showgirl'.
8 October 2025, 11:58
"I’m not the art police."
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It turns out that it's a tough time to be a Swiftie right now. Even some of Taylor Swift's die hard fans are picking apart her new 12 track album The Life of a Showgirl.
While many fans are pointing out that we've been here before (past projects Midnights, Reputation and The Tortured Poets Department have all grown on people), the overall response to Taylor Swift's pop-filled twelfth studio album has been mixed.
After a five star review from Rolling Stone, The Guardian gave the album two out of five star review and Pitchfork rated it 5.9 out of 10. The album currently has a 70 on Metacritic - Taylor's lowest score since her debut album.
But, Taylor knows this is just part and parcel when it comes to the life of a showgirl.
Here's how Taylor has expertly responded to the critics.
"I welcome the chaos," Taylor began while speaking on Zane Lowe's podcast. "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.
She continued: "I have a lot of respect for people’s subjective opinions on art. I’m not the art police. Everybody is allowed to feel how they want. And what our goal is as entertainers is to be a mirror.
"Oftentimes, an album is a really wild way to look at yourself. What you’re going through in your life is going to affect whether you relate to the music I’m putting out at any given moment.
"What I often love seeing my fans say is, 'I used to be someone who didn’t relate to Reputation and now that I’ve been through other things in my life that’s my favourite album.'"
For Taylor, this album, featuring tracks like 'The Fate of Ophelia' and 'Opalite', is "exactly where" she's at in life right now.
Speaking on Capital Breakfast with Jordan North and Sian Welby, she said: "I'm exactly in the same spot as I was when I made this record. So it feels very like very accurate to my just my life experience right now - which feels kind of cool."
On Zane's podcast, she wrapped up her point saying: "We’re doing this thing for keeps. I have such an eye on legacy when I’m making music.
"I know what I made. I know I adore it. And I know on the theme of what the showgirl is, all of this is part of it."
Taylor does literally sing about criticism being part of the life she has chosen on The Life of a Showgirl's title track.
In the song, 'The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter)', Taylor sings about being warned by a pop star about the negatives of the industry. However, because she loves showbusiness so much, Taylor listened to her feedback and used it as a tool to navigate her career in the spotlight.
She sings: I took her pearls of wisdom / Hung them from my neck / I paid my dues with every bruise / I knew what to expect.
Read all the latest Taylor Swift news here:
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