Taylor Swift has responded to the mixed reactions her latest album The Life of a Showgirl has received, saying she’s not the “art police” and welcomes the “chaos”.
The U.S. popstar, 35, is currently on a press tour for her 12th studio record The Life of a Showgirl, which she released on October 3.
Speaking on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show Tuesday, Swift said the polarising reactions were equally good for the album.
“I welcome the chaos. 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.
“I have a lot of respect for people’s subjective opinions on art. I’m not the art police. It’s like everybody is allowed to feel exactly how they want. And what our goal is as entertainers is to be a mirror.”
The Life of a Showgirl racked up 2.7 million copies in traditional album sales in its first day in the U.S., breaking the record Swift herself set with her previous album The Tortured Poets Department earlier this year. The Life of a Showgirl gave Swift her largest opening week ever, the second-biggest for any album in history, behind Adele’s 25.
On Spotify, the album became the most pre-saved album in the platform’s history, surpassing the record previously held by The Tortured Poets Department. It also broke streaming milestones across other platforms, becoming the most-streamed album in a single day in 2025 on Apple Music and the most-streamed album in a single day of all time on Amazon Music.
However, social media is also rife with comments from fans disappointed with what they call simplistic writing, a feeling some critics agreed with as well.
The Independent’s Roisin O'Connor gave the album four out of five stars, and praised Swift’s “prowess as a storyteller”. “The Life of a Showgirl might be one of her most uneven records, but she’s as compelling as she’s ever been – the showgirl, the ringmaster and the circus all in one.”
On how she feels about the reactions, Swift said: “Oftentimes, an album is a really, 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 that I’m putting out at any given moment.”
“And 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 some other things in my life, that’s my favourite album.’ Or, ‘I used to be a Fearless girlie, now I’m obsessed with Evermore.’”
Despite the criticism, Swift said she is clear on what she created and is still proud of the “legacy” she will be leaving.
“We’re doing this thing for keeps. I have such an eye on legacy when I’m making my music. I know what I made. I know I adore it, and I know that on the theme of what the Showgirl is, all of this is part of it,” she said.
“This album by personality was a funnier album,” she added, explaining that the language on each album serves to highlight its theme. “It was like coming off of Tortured Poets Department. The character attributes I was highlighting in that writing process were much more serious and sensitive and introspective and oftentimes more earnest and stoic and the characteristics of a poet. This one was like, showgirls are mischievous, fun, scandalous, sexy, fun, flirty, hilarious.”
“So what I have left behind is something that really exhibits who I am in this moment [and] pays homage to the most important moment of my life, which was the exuberance and electricity of The Eras Tour,” she said. “I’m so proud of this songcraft. I’m so proud of these melodies and these lyrics and these stories and going in and out of character and kind of playing with your style of speak.”
The Life of a Showgirl is out now.
