Taylor Swift's New Album The Life of a Showgirl Out: Charli XCX Controversy, Full Tracklist, Spotify Crash, Here's All You Need To Know

Swifties got their gift! Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, is finally out and quite loud. Tay officially released it on October 3 at 12 AM ET (9:30 AM IST). On Instagram Stories, the Hollywood pop icon shared a short clip starting with an orange door, symbolising the beginning of a new era. And of course, Swifties everywhere couldn’t be more excited. Here’s everything you need to know about The Life of a Showgirl.

The Life of a Showgirl era officially started

The new album from this era includes 13 tracks.

• The Fate of Ophelia
• Elizabeth Taylor
• Opalite
• Father Figure
• Eldest Daughter
• Ruin the Friendship
• Actually Romantic
• Wi$h Li$t, Wood
• CANCELLED!
• Honey
• The Life of a Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)

Taylor Swift released her first full-length album since her 2024 record-breaking The Tortured Poets Department. Issued through Republic Records, her 12th album was written in Sweden with producers Max Martin and Shellback, marking her first collaboration with the duo since Reputation (2017).

How to listen to Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl

The Life of a Showgirl album is streaming on all major platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Swifties crash Spotify with traffic surge

The 13-track album, heavily promoted before its release, caused a sudden traffic surge as Swifties rushed to stream it. Outage tracker DownDetector reported over a thousand complaints when the platform froze, crashed, or refused to load. The issue affected both mobile and desktop users worldwide during the peak rush.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Actually Romantic’ is stirring controversy, know why

Moreover, soon after the album's release, one track in particular has already made social media abuzz with theories about who inspired the diss track. Many fans believe the track “Actually Romantic” points to Taylor Swift’s reported feud with fellow pop star Charli XCX.

The title closely bears similarity with Charli’s “Everything Is Romantic” and includes the line: “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave,” which listeners suspect is directed at Charli.

Charli is married to George Daniel, drummer for The 1975, while Swift previously dated the band’s frontman Matty Healy. Charli also shares a close friendship with Healy and his fiancée, Gabbriette Bechtel.

In her 2024 album Brat, Charli sang, “This one girl taps my insecurities,” on the track “Sympathy Is a Knife.” Many fans think she referred to Swift, especially with the lines, “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.”

Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl release date

Following the release of her 12th studio album, Taylor Swift will bring Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl to cinemas in the US and worldwide from October 3 to 5. The 89-minute feature will showcase the premiere of her music video, The Fate of Ophelia, along with behind-the-scenes moments, a new lyric video, and unseen personal reflections from the pop star.

The release party will screen in more than a hundred countries, including Canada, Mexico, the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Nordic nations, all sharing the same release window of October 3–5. Additional regions will gain access later in the month, with dates to be confirmed around the global premiere.

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