Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl presents pop phenomenon at the peak of her power

LOS ANGELES — Superstar Taylor Swift’s 12^th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, arrived on Friday with a promotional blitz including midnight sales at Target stores, a release party at movie theaters around the globe, and pop-up experiences in New York and Los Angeles.

It follows The Tortured Poets Department, which , and sold the equivalent of 8 million albums in the United States, according to Luminate, a firm that tracks music sales.

Ms. Swift’s latest offering is expected to be similarly lapped up by her huge global fan base, even though the music press gave the release a mixed response. It became Spotify’s most-streamed album of the year, hitting that milestone in less than 11 hours.

“With this album it’s exactly where I am at in my life,” Ms. Swift told Britain’s Capital Breakfast radio show, kicking off promotional appearances.

“I am exactly in the same spot as I was when I made this record so it feels very accurate to my life experience right now.”

Ms. Swift once again worked with Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback on The Life of a Showgirl, the duo also worked on records including her best-selling album, 1989, and Reputation. Many critics praised the upbeat songs and humor on the 12-song album, whose title track features Sabrina Carpenter.

Rolling Stone gave it five stars saying Ms. Swift “shoots into a fresh echelon of superstardom — and hits all her marks,” while Britain’s BBC called it “a triumphant pop victory lap.”

Awarding it two stars, The Financial Times and Guardian newspapers were cooler, with the former saying the album was “charismatic as ever, but lacks sparkle” and the latter describing it as “dull razzle-dazzle from a star who seems frazzled.”

Fans who went to the flagship HMV store in London to buy the album were nonetheless enthusiastic.

“It’s a little bit of a pivot for her,” said Dan Poliak, 62, who lives in Seattle. “But the songs are great … (the album) shows off her songwriting as always, which is her strength. And it’s fun. It’s a fun album.”

‘RARE POSITION’
Ms. Swift has been building anticipation for the album since Aug. 11, when she posted a countdown on her website that kept fans waiting until 12:12 a.m. ET on Aug. 12, when she revealed the .

The next day, she appeared on the New Heights podcast hosted by her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jason Kelce. The Top-10 rated sports and pop-culture podcast provided a friendly platform for Ms. Swift to , which she said had been inspired by the joy she felt while performing around the world on her record-setting Eras Tour. The Aug. 13 episode has surpassed 23.4 million views on YouTube.

“She occupies a very rare position in today’s fragmented music landscape: she is an active superstar with a massive and loyal fan base,” said Tatiana Cirisano, vice-president of music strategy for MIDiA Research.

These passionate followers, or “Swifties,” help the artist rise to the top of the charts, said Cirisano.

“So few can get such a massive number of people listening to the same thing at once. So, it would surprise me a lot if the new release did not reach her usual level of success,” she said.

Even before the album was released, the Recording Industry Association of America said Ms. Swift had made history as the first and only female artist to surpass 100 million album sales. Once The Life of a Showgirl dropped, Google reported spikes in searches for lyrics to new songs, including “Opalite,” “Ruin the Friendship,” and “Actually Romantic,” according to Google Trends.

Ms. Swift’s globe-trotting Eras Tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time, surpassing $2 billion in ticket sales by the time it concluded in December 2024, according to Pollstar, a trade publication that tracks the concert industry. That figure does not include the boost to hotel and Airbnb rentals, restaurant tabs, and merchandise sales.

Academics have said Ms. Swift rivals other pop icons, like Elvis or Michael Jackson, in terms of her cultural impact — whether it’s or .

Business partners have been eager to that’s been dubbed “Swiftonomics.”

AMC Theaters distributed The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, an 89-minute film that features the album’s first music video, “The Fate of Ophelia,” behind-the-scenes footage, and Ms. Swift’s reflections on the album’s songs. It was a limited release, from Friday through Sunday, in more than 50 markets, and was expected to top US and Canadian box office that weekend, bringing in $30 to $50 million in ticket sales, according to Daniel Loria, senior vice-president of The Boxoffice Company, which provides insights to the movie industry.

Retailer Target opened some stores at midnight to sell a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the album with a “gold shimmer,” and three CDs featuring exclusive album and poster art.

“Taylor Swift-related products and merchandise have been a bright spot for Target over the last few years, helping to offset sales weakness elsewhere,” said Michael Baker, senior research analyst for D.A. Davidson, who noted a previous exclusive Swift book and special-edition vinyl record lifted the retailer’s entertainment category. — Reuters