For nearly two decades, Taylor Swift has had a hold on the pop music landscape. Even during her country era, songs like “Teardrops On My Guitar” and “Love Story” had Top 40 radio in a chokehold. Her early hits stuck in our heads throughout the years as her star was rising. Nineteen years after her debut, Swift’s reign remains strong, notably as the current top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (ending Oct. 18) is entirely occupied by songs from her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl. But while she continues to dominate the charts and break sales and streaming records, can these feats still mirror the cultural impact she once made?

Since the dawn of pop music, many artists have had respective “eras” to accompany their albums, in which they created a character, aesthetic and mood to correspond with the sonics of each record. Fans of Janet Jackson can differentiate the sultry, sexy vibes of her Janet album from the raw, vulnerable lyrics of The Velvet Rope. Britney Spears fans remember the moment she went from the sweet, young bubblegum pop princess on her …Baby One More Time debut album to a more mature twentysomething on her sophomore effort Oops…I Did It Again. Back when Rihanna wasn’t teasing us with R9 updates, she reinvented her looks with each album, and fans can easily tell which photoshoot or red carpet look corresponds with Rated R versus Loud versus Anti.

From March 2023 to December 2024, Swift celebrated her own album eras with her critically-acclaimed Eras Tour, which has gone on to be the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. At the time of kick-off, she had 10 albums to her credit, later 11 when The Tortured Poets Department dropped in April 2024. It was while she was on tour that she had begun studio sessions with pop powerhouse producers Max Martin and Shellback for The Life of a Showgirl. During an August appearance on the New Heights podcast — which is hosted by Swift’s fiancé, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, and his brother, Jason Kelce, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles — Swift said she told the producers, “I want to be as proud of an album as I am of the Eras Tour.”

Immediately upon the album announcement, anticipation for the album was high. And Swifties came through during release week, purchasing over four million copies during its first week — making The Life of a Showgirl Swift’s highest debuting album of her career. According to Billboard, the album sold a staggering 4.002 million in equivalent album units (including streaming equivalent albums and track sale equivalent albums) and pure album sales totaling 3,479,500. But despite its instant success, The Life of a Showgirl has received mixed reviews.

The Limitations of a Showgirl

Those with a more objective ear will tell you why they feel the album fell flat. Lyrics to “Opalite” sound like borderline racist jabs to Travis’ ex, Kayla Nicole; the alleged Charli XCX diss on “Absolutely Romantic” feels petty and childish; “Wish List” sounds like a 1950s suburban fantasy — something she directly said she didn’t want on her 2022 track “Lavender Haze.” And of course, we’ve heard the nods to Travis’ manhood on “Wood,” whether we wanted to or not.

So what went wrong with The Life of a Showgirl? One of the main criticisms is the fact that Swift has reached billionaire status, and therefore, is no longer the lovesick, relatable young girl who stepped on the scene in 2006. Some believe the album is a cash grab, as she released over 30 variants in its first week of release.

But perhaps the general consensus is that now that she has everything she’s wanted — worldwide fame, a beloved music catalog and the man of her dreams — she’s run out of stuff to talk about.

Even the eras of Swift’s early adulthood — when she was already a pop sensation — offered some degree of relatability. 2014’s 1989 saw a 24-year-old Swift navigate love and heartache as she moved to a new city. 2017’s Reputation featured Swift embracing newfound love amid scrutiny from her peers. Even her 2020 pair of albums Folklore and Evermore offered therapeutic introspection at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Swift herself already revealed during a BBC Radio 1 interview this month that she doesn’t plan to tour for this album; therefore, fans are already losing a key component of what makes an album era an era. But despite what critics say about the album, Swift has already given fans more than enough.

With lyrics that range from joyfully to painfully relatable, memorable genre shifts and the reclamation of her master recordings, Swift’s impact on the industry is undeniable — even if her latest album can’t match up to the memorability of her previous 11.

And that’s OK. Every artist has at least one bad album in their discography (except Beyoncé). And after a certain point in a pop star’s career, they make music as passion projects as opposed to remaining relevant in the mainstream. When we think of Madonna, do we reflect on her most recent album, Madame X, or are we taken back to the eras of True Blue or Like a Virgin? While Kylie Minogue may have had a big career resurgence back in 2023 with her viral hit “Padam Padam” — thanks largely in part to the gays — many core fans will associate her with her Fever and Kylie eras.

Swift should feel proud of the discography she has. Not many artists have 12 Hot 100 No. 1 singles to their name, nor can they still build hype with new music nearly 20 years after their debut. Very few artists can garner anticipation nearly a year after their tour ended, yet she is set to release a six-part docuseries about The Eras Tour on Disney+ this coming December.

As she says in her 2022 Midnights cut “Maroon,” that’s a real fucking legacy.

There’s no doubt Swift will release a thirteenth album in the near or distant future, as Swifties know the number 13 is a recurring motif in her music and visuals. Perhaps her next album will remind fans that she hasn’t lost her luster. While The Life of a Showgirl may have missed the mark among critics and even the general public, this doesn’t mean Swift’s era of memorable albums is over. There’s always the next one.