| October 11, 2025 
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Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating releases in the songwriter’s already lengthy catalog: It has haters, it has lovers, it has critics, it has meh-ers and it most certainly has listeners. Reaction to the album busted apart the idea that anyone who dared criticize a beloved star would be doxxed and driven off the internet. And as of Wednesday, the LP broke a record set by Adele with the equivalent of nearly 3.5 million in first-week sales, an eye-popping tally that includes 1.2 million copies sold on vinyl. (For perspective, Ben Sisario tells us, “In 2006, when Swift began her recording career, the American music industry logged only about 900,000 vinyl LP sales for the entire year.”) Swift has released at least 27 configurations and variants of the album — I saw a “(Deluxe So Punk on the Internet Version)” advertised as being available for “6.5 hours” this week — which is driving conversation in addition to sales. So: Yes, we still have more to say about it. Last week, Jon Caramanica reviewed the album. This week, after a little more time with it, we have a round-table conversation with the rest of the pop team (plus Wesley Morris) that takes on some of the other issues the release raises, and a crew Popcast, in which we analyze it further and answer reader questions. In news about another huge release that came with a lot of chatter, a judge dismissed Drake’s lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” this week (Joe Coscarelli has the details). And we had a few lovely profiles: Grayson Haver Currin spoke with Madison Cunningham, whose “Revealer” from 2022 is a truly revelatory folk album; her new one, “Ace,” comes after personal realizations that upended the only life she’d known. And Marissa R. Moss interviewed Madi Diaz, whose bare-bones new record follows a few years of easily slipping between the country and pop worlds. |
