Taylor Swift's New Album

Everyone knows the iconic line from the famous 2000s movie Mean Girls; “On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was.” Well, this year, instead of typically finishing the line, people filled in their own interpretations, usually along the lines of “It’s Taylor Swift Day!”

Taylor Swift, hit pop star and queen of cunning lyricism released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl on October 3rd, 2025. She had announced the album on August 12th, 2025, as a guest on her fiancée Travis Kelce’s podcast, New Heights. Fans immediately flew to social media, excited for Swift’s “showgirl era.” Popular brands like Duolingo and Uber have been jumping on collaborations and supporting the album through their own social media. 

The album contains 12 tracks, each one meticulously planned. The title track, The Life of a Showgirl, features another pop queen, Sabrina Carpenter where the two sing about the hardships of being in the music industry, but how they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“A lot of people are disliking and hating on Taylor Swift’s new album, but I really enjoy it and I think it’s good and I like that it’s different from the rest of her music, because this feels more pop based,” Newtown High School senior Ella Viau said. 

Another song that has seemed to catch the attention of Swifties and new fans alike is The Fate of Ophelia, which is the first track on the album and the song Swift chose to make a music video for. The song is referencing the character Ophelia in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. It is speculated that Swift wrote the song about Kelce and that their love for each other and the joy that he brings her saved her from her metaphorical, “Fate of Ophelia.” 

“My favorite songs are The Fate of Ophelia, Elizabeth Taylor, CANCELLED!, and Eldest Daughter.” Viau shared. 

Other speculations of songs include Actually Romantic, and CANCELLED! Actually Romantic is rumored to be about fellow pop icon Charli xcx (whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison). Aitchison is married to George Daniel, drummer of the band The 1975. (Swift’s ex boyfriend, Matty Healy, is the lead singer of The 1975), and there was supposedly some tension between Swift and Aitchison when Healy and Swift were dating at the same time Aitchison and Daniel were dating. 

CANCELLED! is rumored to be about Swift’s close friend, Blake Lively, who had some controversy surrounding her and her movie from August 2024, It Ends With Us. The first lyrics in the chorus state, “Good thing I like my friends cancelled. I like 'em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal.” Lively is a spokesperson for Gucci, which is what led many people to speculate that this song is partly about her. 

On the other hand, some people didn’t like the album. Longtime Taylor Swift fan and NHS senior Kaylin Brisette shared. “They’re all too similar, they’re so generic. After you listen to it a few times, I feel like you’d be done with them.”

All in all, Taylor Swift is a great artist who has never failed to amaze the world. With her twelve studio albums and various awards, her career has seen many highs. The next thing we all wonder is, will she be retiring? Will her engagement to Kelce be the final note in her decade long chorus? I guess time will tell, but for now, we’ll just have to shake it off and be ready for it.