Taylor Swift releases 12th album 'The Life of a Showgirl' with potential Matty Healy references

Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, which marks a tonal shift from her previous work and has sparked fan theories about its lyrical content. Several songs, especially "Actually Romantic," appear to reference her brief 2023 romance with Matty Healy, frontman of The 1975, including a lyric about someone "high-fiving my ex and then saying you're glad he ghosted me," interpreted as a nod to Healy's ghosting. The album also seemingly addresses tensions involving Charli XCX, who is connected to Healy through her husband, The 1975's drummer George Daniel, with fans noting potential diss tracks between the artists. Swift expressed feeling joy and freedom with this album, contrasting it with the "twisty, tortured" feelings she had about her prior record, The Tortured Poets Department, which many believed was inspired by her relationship with Healy. She also shared her past fear that happiness might dry up her songwriting, but this album disproves that notion, highlighting a full life experience with elements of drama. Overall, the new record reflects a more straightforward and joyful phase for Swift, while still engaging with personal and public drama.