LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — On Sept. 19, Taylor Swift took to Instagram to announce the “Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” the listening party for her album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” which was released on Oct. 3rd. The listening party premiered only in cinemas from Oct. 3. – Oct. 5. Swifties, or fans of Swift, rushed to theaters to get the full experience of the album release weekend.

Selling tickets for $12 in the spirit of the album being Swift’s twelfth, the film grossed $33 million at the box office in its single weekend run, marking it as a widely successful release.

In the film, viewers received exclusive behind-the-scenes content, lyric videos, and early access to the music video for the album’s lead single, “The Fate of Ophelia.”

The music video opens with Swift posing as if she was in a painting. (Alizabeth Martin)

The film begins with the music video for the album’s lead single, “The Fate of Ophelia.” This music video was released to the general public via YouTube on Oct. 6th, meaning that attendees of the film, which premiered from Oct. 3rd – 5th, got to experience the music video before many others.

The music video began with Swift lying down in a white dress, with a washed effect on the screen, as if she were in a painting. As the video progressed, there were many outfit changes and scene changes that all depicted Swift as a type of performer.

Later in the film, Swift, the writer and director of the production, explained that her inspiration for this video was to portray many of the ways one might have been a “showgirl” throughout history.

After the opening scene inspired by a showgirl posing for a painting, Swift shifts into a Marilyn Monroe–style look, nodding to the Golden Age of the 1930s and ’40s when performers faced heavy pressure behind the scenes but shone on stage. Swift later takes on the role of a vintage 1920s club performer and as a TV actress in the 1950s or 1960s. A scene in which she dances with big and extravagant headpieces is an obvious callback to the flapper performances present in the Jazz Age. The music video ends depicting her as a present-day showgirl, a pop star whose life is glamorous but is always on display to the public and media.

The music video itself is filled with fun easter eggs for Swifties to find and analyze, such as the number of the hotel room Swift enters being 87, her fiancé, Travis Kelce’s jersey number.

One behind the scenes clip shows footage of Swift practicing her jump from a prop ship (Alizabeth Martin)

Swift gave fans a special treat by including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of her music video during the listening party, allowing fans to see the creative steps Swift took in directing and acting in her music video; the process showed fans how Swift’s ideas came to life.

In the behind-the-scenes footage, Swift rehearses a scene for the video where she catches a football and humorously notes her complete lack of football experience, saying that she has no idea what she is doing or how to catch a football.

Swift also takes the time to explain why she included the scenes she did in the video; for example, she explains that she wanted the music video’s final scene to be her looking up from a half-full bathtub, the same way she is on the album cover.

She shared many fun facts and easter eggs, such as the inclusion of a loaf of sourdough bread that Swift baked herself in the background of a clip in the music video.

“I really liked seeing Taylor tell us fun secrets about the making of the music video, which was really good,” a young fan watching the film said.

In the footage, Swift notably wears an otter T-shirt, which many believe is a nod to her fiancé, Travis Kelce, who has mentioned his enjoyment in sending otter videos to her, making the shirt a personal reference to their relationship.

The inclusion of behind-the-scenes footage provided an authentic glimpse into Swift’s artistry, revealing the effort and emotion she invests in her work.

Swift sat in a directors chair on the set of “The Fate of Ophelia” music video for each song explanation (Alizabeth Martin)

During the listening party, Swift popped in between each lyric video to explain the story behind each song. She mentioned personal experiences and emotions that inspired the lyrics, giving fans a better understanding of what each song was about. She often explained how the song connected to the overall theme of a showgirl’s life, illustrating how her performance and identity are tied to her work.

These reflections felt conversational, as if she were chatting directly with the audience, making it very enjoyable and immersive.

When Swift introduced “Opalite,” a song about her relationship with Kelce that quickly became one of the most-streamed on the album, she shared that the title came from a word that she has always found beautiful. Opalite is a man-made version of opal, and Swift notes that one can always make their own happiness. These kinds of intimate intents behind her songs are not usually explained in depth, marking this film as more than just a listening party, rather as a celebration of her writing and of the album.

Swift also shared that she has a list of random phrases or words that she might like to use in a song one day, and references them during her songwriting process.

Seeing Swift explain her songwriting process for this album brought a sense of understanding to each song. Art is subjective, and it can be interpreted in many ways; comparing Swift’s intent with one’s interpretation fosters an appreciation for Swift and for music and art in general.

Each lyric video got a fun and relevant title sequence before going into the lyrics of the song (Alizabeth Martin)

After the short sit-down segment, where Swift explained the backstories to each song on the album, a lyric video played corresponding to each song. Each lyric video had its own style and effect that matched the theme or vibe of the song.

The video for “Opalite” included fun scenes of Swift in one of her costumes from “The Fate of Ophelia” music video, with a blue theme for the video, as opalite is a blue stone.

“Eldest Daughter,” notably a track five (track fives are known to be Swift’s most emotional songs), received a video of Swift sitting at her piano, which matches the acoustic-sounding and piano-filled song.

Although each video was unique, they all consisted of fun effects that mimicked those of a kaleidoscope or grouping of mirrors.

“I thought the lyric videos were great! Seeing the lyrics helped me understand more, and really brought me to appreciate the album and its lyricism more than I did on my initial listen,” said Violet T., a lifelong Swiftie who brought her daughter to view the film.

Although not as exciting as getting music videos for each of the songs, the lyric videos tied together the film as a listening party, where each song had its time to shine under the spotlight.