Taylor Swift does it again, or so you think. Swift fans (swifties) from all around the world eagerly awaited the release of her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”

The album quickly gained the most pre-saves in Spotify history, being marketed as a behind the scenes to a life in the spotlight. However, with the release of the album on Oct. 3, 2025, many fans were disappointed. 

The opening song and lead single (first song released) of the album is named “The Fate of Ophelia,” drawing upon the story of Ophelia, from the Shakespearean play “Hamlet.” In the play, Hamlet investigates the murder of his late father. Once he realizes the murderer is Claudius, his uncle, he supposedly kills him. However, Hamlet mistakes Claudius for Ophelia’s father and mistakenly murders him instead. The loss of her father, along with an immense love for Hamlet, drives Ophelia to insanity and leads her to drown herself. 

Swift, however, puts her own spin on Ophelia’s tale, changing the core theme of the story.

Towards the beginning of the song, Swift sings, “I might’ve drowned in the melancholy,” alluding to the grief that would lead to the demise of Ophelia; the key word being “might’ve.” In this song’s retelling, the fate of being consumed by your own melancholy to the point of death does not happen to Ophelia. 

“Someone comes into your life and rescues you from the fate of being driven mad by love,” described Swift on iHeart Radio. Swift rewrites her story, and the fate of Ophelia is no longer tragic.

The song itself, upon first listen, seemed familiar. Though there are no listed samples being used in the song, fans have noticed the music being similar to other songs, one of the songs among them being Demi Lovato’s “Give Your Heart Away.” 

This is not the only time something like this happens in Swift’s new album. The sixth track, “Ruin the Friendship,” resembles the song “Princess Things” from the hit kids show “Sofia The First.” The very beginning of both songs resemble each other with a similar beat in which the lyrics are sung. The phrases of the songs are extremely similar.

However, the most striking resemblance comes from the last track, bearing the name of the album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” featuring Sabrina Carpenter. The song sounds very similar to the Jonas Brothers song, “Cool.” Again, the phrasing of the music is incredibly similar to the other song. They follow the same beat and almost the exact same notes. The two songs are more similar to each other than they are not.

In addition to its multitude of resemblances, the album is viewed by swifties as a standout from the rest of her albums. This is because of the difference in writing style. 

Many Swift fans would applaud her past albums for their lyricism, often present in “Folklore” and “Evermore.” But there is a stark difference between the level of lyricism of her past albums compared to “The Life of a Showgirl.”

In track eight of the album, titled “Wi$h Li$t,” Swift sings “Please God, bring me a best friend who I think is hot. I thought I had it right once, twice but I did not,” referring to her fiancé Travis Kelce. In the song “Call It What You Want,” from one of her previous albums, “Reputation,” Swift sings “I’m laughing with my lover, makin’ forts under covers. Trust him like a brother, yeah you know I did one thing right,” pertaining to her former boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. 

The difference between the two descriptions of lovers is completely different, while one still alludes to the other. Her prior albums and songs had a more poetic way of putting things. In this new album, the lyrics seem far more simple and not as poetic as her songs had once been.

The day before the album was released, Swift came out with a track by track on “The Life of a Showgirl.” She explained her inspirations and the stories behind each track in the album. The majority of the songs were explained to be personal experiences and problems with fame. This is different from her previous albums because she used to write about more relatable topics to her fans. Now, the songs are about her problems with dealing with her riches, popularity, things that aren’t accessible to most swifties. 

“The Life of a Showgirl,” while fitting in with Swift’s former albums in terms of record breaking streams, does not fit in with her discography. The album lacks originality and the shine that made her previous albums so great.