By Caroline Cope

Pop star Taylor Swift released her twelfth studio album titled “The Life of a Showgirl” at the beginning of October, and the twelve tracks are still topping the charts globally. This new album features upbeat tunes and lyrics alluding to her high-profile lifestyle and her romance with fiance, Travis Kelce, who is the tight-end of the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team. 

Senior Heera Nair notes that Swift definitely has a large fanbase here at Bellbrook High School. “I feel like a lot of teenage girls can relate to the lyrics in her songs, so that makes her a pretty big fan favorite,” Nair said.

Songs like “Wi$h Li$t” and “Wood” specifically provide listeners a romantic–and even metaphorically intimate–view into Swift’s new love-life with Kelce. One lyric from “Wi$h Li$t” has stood out to fans: “Got me dreaming ‘bout a driveway with a basketball hoop.” Swifties were quick to note that Taylor must be in deep if she is fantasizing a regular, American life with the football star, given that “Wi$h Li$t” outlines her ideal, private and quiet future with Kelce.

One of the biggest known Swifties at Bellbrook High School is senior Anna Cutting. Cutting says that she buys a lot of merch, and Swift has been her top artist for the last four years. She even attended the Eras Tour three different times.

“Taylor Swift has taken over my entire personality,” Cutting said. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t talk about her to my friends and family.”

“The Life of a Showgirl” album was produced by Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback–producers who helped her produce her most notable pop albums: “1989” and “reputation.” Many Swifties find Swift going back to Martin and Shellback refreshing, since she has worked with producer Jack Antonoff on many of her other recent albums, like “Midnights” and “The Tortured Poets Department.”

“A lot of the production reminds me of her old albums,” Nair said. “A lot of the lyrics sound like her new albums, so I really like that combination.”

Swift’s aesthetic for this album came as a shock to many: her initial promotional media featured her in lavish, rhinestoned, showgirl-inspired outfits, which sparked criticism. Other critics have flagged some lyrics throughout the album as superficial, shallow, and out-of-touch. 

This glittery-orange-themed album’s aesthetic is definitely new for Swift. The album has generally been well received by local Swifties.

“One song on The Life of a Showgirl that sticks out to me is ‘The Fate of Ophelia,’” Nair said. “I think it has a really good beat.”

“The first listen to The Life of a Showgirl was weird but also exciting,” Cutting said. “There were songs like ‘The Fate of Ophelia,’ ‘Opalite,’ and ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ that I loved on the first listen. There were also a lot of songs that had to grow on me, like ‘Father Figure’ and ‘The Life of a Showgirl.’ Overall, I don’t think that album is bad and definitely don’t think it deserves all the hate it’s getting.”