The Life Of… Taylor Swift

In case you’ve been stuck somewhere with no internet, no media, and no other human beings at all, on October 3, Taylor Swift will be releasing her first new musical project since the Eras Tour. All we have to go on so far is an album title, a tracklist, and a release date…oh and the eleventy billion limited edition coloured vinyl pre-sale promos.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m a Swiftie who’s over fifty, or if I am jaded by my own past as a record label lackey, but I’ve always been terrible at clowning - that speculative searching for Easter eggs: the clues and jokes hidden in Taylor Swift’s music, videos and interviews. And now podcasts. 

Despite being part of the creative ecosystem that Swift has single handedly dismantled and rewritten in her own terms, I am always more excited than trepidatious for everything she does. Contracts! Publishing! Copyright! Touring! Ticketing! Film distribution! All fallen. Yes, please fuck the patriarchy, ma’am. 

So, in advance of her new album and theatrical release, here is my completely unserious,  unscientific and unasked for take on The Life Of…Taylor Swift. 

During the young Swift’s teenage years, when everyone else was experimenting with various flavours of heartbreak and sexuality, the very chaste Taylor Swift was busy positing herself as a Serious Artist to major record label ass-hats. She was being steered towards, or perhaps catering to, what middle-aged power men thought was appealing in the early 2000s: a brand of girliness that was attractive but not too overt, sonically pleasing, and smart but in a modestly sassy and non-threatening way. 

Broadly speaking, this trajectory of her public persona continued mildly, until the Reputation album, a turning point which read exactly like the teenage tantrum she deserved. 

The albums and eras since have been less consistent and more experimental. Lover, as a follow up album, never quite landed. A 1989-lite (see single ‘Me!’ riffing off ‘Shake It Off’ but trying a bit too hard), the rest of the album is trying a bit of everything. 

The pandemic was almost a blessing in disguise for Swift. The colourful aesthetic was muted, and Swift could strip it all back to what had worked for her in the past - making Serious-adjacent music to prove her credentials. Folklore and Evermore succeeded in this. 

But now in her 30s, such major identity crises aren’t so cute. With her fan base settling down, and having kids of their own, suddenly TayTay had to grow up. What’s more, younger artists, for whom Taylor had helped pave the way, were blazing paths with their less homogenised images.  

Perhaps this explains the concept album, Midnights.  Swift still came off as a watered down version of her contemporaries, such as  Olivia Rodrigo and Lana Del Ray. This was only highlighted by Del Ray’s appearance on the album.

The 3am addition added to the musical confusion. 

The Tortured Poets Department was released unexpectedly during the Eras Tour, the liner notes earnestly explaining that it wasn’t really an era, per se. Despite having a whole new section of live show dedicated to it. But I guess Taylor Swift doesn’t have to explain herself to anyone at this point of her career. As a poison pen letter it was wildly victorious. It also almost cannibalised Florence Welch, who made a guest appearance. As an album, well…it was criticised for being too long and unwieldy. And image wise? Again, it only added yet another mask to her game of pretend, like a musical Cindy Sherman. 

With The Life Of A Showgirl, Swift appears to have taken on board the need to both judiciously edit, and improve quality control and consistency on her albums. She also appears to be continuing the pattern of piggy backing on her contemporaries. Will Sabrina Carpenter appeal to new and younger fans, in a way that perhaps Lana and Florence didn’t? 

Will the latest persona of  Showgirl solidify a new sense of sophistication that was hinted at with Midnights, or will it be Taylor lite performing her iteration of a 2025 Showgirl? We’ll just have to wait and see. 

As for clowning - Taylor said very specifically that there will NOT be any further ALBUMS released with this record. Which can only mean one thing: dropping the Eras Tour film she appeared to working on during the tour. Everybody scream!