“Congrats to The Tortured Poets Department, no longer the worst title in her discography.”

Taylor Swift’s subsequent period is right here, but it surely’s already dividing her fanbase. Shortly after she introduced her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, social media lit up, not simply with pleasure, but additionally confusion and frustration.

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Instead of the moody monochrome of The Tortured Poets Department, Swift’s new aesthetic is awash in orange and teal. Some followers embraced the splash of coloration. Others thought it clashed with the singer’s more moderen aesthetic.

Even although this will probably be Taylor Swift’s fifth album in as a few years (excluding her re-recordings), not all listeners felt able to pivot so shortly. 

“A Taylor Swift announcement followed by a 48-hour wait for the cover & release date should actually be considered psychological warfare,” one fan posted on X.

Easter eggs or overkill?

As normal, Swifties started combing by way of previous movies for clues. Some pointed to 2022’s “Bejeweled” music video, the place Swift performs a glamorous showgirl. They famous the orange elevator buttons marked “2” and “10,” which now look like nods to her twelfth album. Others cited props from the Eras Tour, together with orange burlesque feather followers within the “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” phase.

The Spotify billboards teasing the album fueled much more debate. A hidden playlist titled “And baby, that’s show business for you” featured solely Swift tracks produced by Max Martin and Shellback, prompting hypothesis that the singer had sidelined her frequent current collaborator, Jack Antonoff. 

Fans react to Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” album announcement

There have been even grumbles concerning the announcement methodology itself. Instead of a direct social media drop, Swift revealed the title in a teaser for boyfriend Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast.

Some on-line felt prefer it was a shameless cross-promotion quite than a enjoyable teaser by itself for her new album.

@zoenone0none tweeted, “Announcing your album via a clip out from your boyfriend’s podcast is just. so unchic.”

Another Swift fan wrote, “Congrats to The Tortured Poets Department, no longer the worst title in her discography.”

“Something so unsettling about an album announcement being made on her boyfriend’s podcast tho… No post from her just a retweet… We used to be a country…” mentioned one other one who wasn’t impressed with how the album was introduced.

Others appeared to suppose that there was one thing extra sinister at play with the announcement.

Despite the criticism, the hype practice remains to be operating. Fans are sharing parallels to fictional showgirls like Lucy Gray Baird from The Hunger Games and Carrie Bradshaw throughout her Paris storyline. Yet, the prevailing temper on-line is considered one of weary anticipation.

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