Taylor Swift has addressed the polarising reception to her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, saying she welcomes the “chaos” and is not the “art police”. The US popstar, 35, released her 12th studio record on 3 October and is currently on a press tour.
During an appearance on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show on Tuesday, Swift said that both positive and negative reactions help the album. “The rule of show business is if it’s the first week of my album release and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping,” she explained.
The album sold 2.7 million copies in traditional sales in its first day in the United States, breaking Swift’s own record set by The Tortured Poets Department earlier this year. It also became the most pre-saved album in Spotify history and set streaming records on Apple Music and Amazon Music.
Despite the commercial success, some fans and critics have expressed disappointment with what they view as simplistic writing. The Independent’s Roisin O’Connor gave the album four out of five stars, praising Swift’s storytelling while noting it may be one of her most uneven records.
Swift responded to the criticism by reflecting on how an album can reveal a snapshot of life. “Oftentimes, an album is a really, really wild way to look at yourself,” she said. She added that she is proud of the legacy she is building, describing The Life of a Showgirl as “a funnier album” that captures the mischievous and fun spirit of a showgirl, in contrast to the more serious tone of The Tortured Poets Department.
