Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album “The Life of a Showgirl” on Oct. 3. The album has been met with mixed reviews, but that hasn’t stopped Swifties from gathering to embrace the new era. Almost like clockwork, events began popping up throughout Southern California, allowing fans to come together and find creative ways to listen to the new album.
The widespread celebration is a testament to Swift and the community her music has created, which was showcased during the Eras Tour. Ahead of the sold-out tour, fans online pulled inspiration from Swift’s lyrics “make the friendship bracelets” from the song “You’re On Your Own Kid,” and crafted friendship bracelets to exchange at the shows. Beads began to sell out at craft stores, people made careers selling bracelets inspired by the popstar’s songs, and Swift leaned into the trend by creating merch with friendship bracelet designs on it, as well as ending her film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” with credits made of friendship bracelets.
And because I have taken on the title of “the unofficial Taylor Swift correspondent” for SCNG, it’s only fitting that I attended four different “The Life of a Showgirl” album release party events in the span of 24 hours.
Here’s a breakdown of each event:
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl Listening Party – The Green Room
A majority of the album listening parties in Los Angeles were held on the album’s release date of Friday, Oct. 3, but if you’re a West Coast Swiftie, you know that the album actually came out on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. PT. On a whim, my coworker and I decided to attend an in-person event hosted by the Green Room.
The event itself was organized at the last minute, resulting in minimal attendance; however, the vibes were there as Swifties came together to listen to the latest songs from Swift’s discography for the first time. The $10 entrance fee included a journal to write down your first impressions, a glass of champagne and an entry for the night’s raffle.
I had never journaled a first listen of an album before, and now that I have, I would highly encourage the experience. When an album is cohesive, it’s easy to get lost in the tracks and mix up which song you connected with. This helped me spotlight my early favorites when the rush of texts from friends came in asking for my first impressions of the album.
My friend ended up winning one of the raffle prizes: a cute set of coasters inspired by the “Midnights” track “Anti-Hero.”
Midnight Release Party – Target
It felt a little silly waiting in line at Target for the midnight release of an album I was already streaming, but it’s part of the experience. Target had an exclusive vinyl as well as three exclusive CD variants. One of the draws of the event was that those who waited in line were supposed to receive a ticket with their number, which they could keep as a keepsake, and also allowed them to sit in their car or wander around the store until they returned to the line for the midnight release. Unfortunately for those who went to the Target location in Burbank, the tickets had gotten lost, meaning everyone had to wait in line starting at 10 p.m. The staff made the most of it, though, and provided drink samples from the in-store Starbucks. Swifties became friends and were making friendship bracelets to pass the time.
When the clock struck midnight, I decided to give in to the Swiftie peer pressure and purchase the limited run of what has been dubbed the “Summertime Spritz Pink Shimmer Vinyl.” What’s different about this record compared to the others, you ask? Well, it’s pink, it features different album artwork, includes a poster, and even contains a poem, all exclusive to the Target “The Crowd is Your King Edition.”
The Official Release Party of a Showgirl – Various Theaters
Just 12 hours after getting our midnight release copies of “The Life of a Showgirl,” we were at the movie theater to watch the behind-the-scenes look at the album. I was surprised that the film made me appreciate the album even more. Ahead of “1989” and “Reputation,” Swift would host “secret sessions” where she would invite some of her most diehard fans to listen to the album before anyone else. This movie felt what I imagine that experience would be like, learning behind-the-scenes details about the meaning behind each track before listening to it.
The film begins with the music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” which Swift kept exclusive to theatergoers for its Oct. 3-5 run and then released online on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. (her fiancé Travis Kelce’s birthday). The music video is filled with cameos from her Eras Tour dancers, as well as the star of the show, Swift’s own loaf of sourdough bread. This is particularly important to Swifties who were convinced when Swift mentioned baking bread on the New Heights podcast that it was an easter egg for the album, which she had just denied hours before in UK radio interviews.
The video itself ties to the theme of the album, showcasing the life of various showgirls and how the term can look different; the classic Vegas performer, a thespian, or even a world-renowned popstar.
After the music video, Swift plays through her album, discussing each track and sharing behind-the-scenes videos from the music video’s making. After the final song, which doubles as the title track, fans assume the film is done, but Swift has one last trick up her sleeve. The audience watches the music video of “The Fate of Ophelia” for a second time, now with the additional knowledge and insight of Swift’s vision for the project.
The Life of a Skater Girl – Moonlight Rollerway
Upon first listening to “Opolaite,” I knew it was one of my early favorite songs from “The Life of a Showgirl,” and my friend and I agreed that it would be a great song to listen to while skating at a roller rink. Well, luckily for us, that vision came to life as the Southern California staple, Moonlight Rollerway, hosted an album listening party for Swift’s 12th studio album.
Did I spend the first few songs of the album nervously finding my footing and trying not to fall on my bum? Absolutely. Was it worth it to see a skating rink full of Swifties dressed in their sequins, heart glasses, disco cowboy hats, and Eras Tour Merch singing along to the songs they had just spent the last 24 hours memorizing? You bet.
While the new album refers to a disco ball as something that makes everything look cheap, we’ll take a note from Swift’s earlier work, “Folklore,” and say the mirrorball at the roller rink made the space shimmer beautifully. And while I didn’t yet embody the coordination to showcase my best moves as “you were dancing through the lightning strikes” played throughout the room, who knows, maybe one day I’ll get there.
After the album was played in full, the roller rink continued to play some of Swift’s greatest hits. Additionally, Bite the Head Off Cookies, a local cookie shop, offered a variety of Swift-inspired treats for attendees to enjoy.
The event was a one-of-a-kind experience and a memorable way to ring in Taylor Swift’s newest era.