Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Media-Blitz Had a Downfall
Is she going to shake off the critics?
Photographer: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
If you’re just talking numbers, Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl is an unqualified success. When it dropped Friday at the stroke of midnight, it shattered single-day streaming records on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon. Its companion film, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, topped the theatrical charts for the weekend as well, bringing in $33 million and besting films from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Dwayne Johnson.
But the critical reception to Showgirl has been a bit more complicated.
While legacy outlets have mostly raved, online reactions have been decidedly mixed — even for a Taylor Swift album. Considering its resounding financial success, when it comes to negative reviews, she may well shake it off. But if she’s concerned about continuing to evolve her sound without alienating her audience, it might be time for her to rethink her strategy for releasing new music.