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Who are Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl Album Collaborators, Max Martin and Shellback?
- CSP Times
- Oct 9
- 2 min read
Taylor Swift tapped dynamic duo Max Martin and Shellback for her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, released earlier this month. "Being in the studio and creating these songs was an unforgettable experience, but luckily I don’t ever have to forget it because I was recording while we were writing – and now it’s a way to look back on the process and give you guys a glimpse into how we wrote these songs, and hear the moments we thought of these ideas in real time," Swift wrote on Instagram. Here's what to know about them.
Who are Max Martin and Shellback?
Max Martin, born Karl Martin Sandberg, is one of the most influential pop producers of the past three decades. A former glam-rock frontman turned behind-the-scenes mastermind, Martin is the architect of hits that defined generations, from Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” to The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.”
Shellback, born Johan Schuster, is Martin’s protégé and frequent collaborator. Where Martin brings pop precision, Shellback adds punch and edge, often weaving in rock textures and big, percussive energy. Together, the Swedish talents have become one of the most successful songwriting duos in modern music.
What songs have they written with Taylor Swift?
Their partnership with Swift stretches back to Red (2012), where they co-penned the genre-bending “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and the dubstep-laced “I Knew You Were Trouble.” They were central to her pop reinvention on 1989, producing megahits like “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space” and “Style.” On Reputation, their darker production framed tracks such as “…Ready For It?” and “Delicate.”
With The Life of a Showgirl, Swift once again calls on their glossy, larger-than-life pop sensibility — a deliberate shift back to maximal hooks and theatrical sheen.
Who else have they written for?
Between them, Martin and Shellback have written for a who’s who of pop royalty. Think Katy Perry’s “Roar,” Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” and Pink’s “So What.” Their track record reads like a roll call of modern pop classics.
Why wasn’t Jack Antonoff involved in The Life of a Showgirl?
Antonoff has been Swift’s closest collaborator for the better part of a decade, helping to shape the sounds of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Folklore, Evermore and Midnights. His absence from The Life of a Showgirl hasn’t been explained directly by Swift, but the credits speak for themselves. Industry observers suggest she simply wanted to try a different sound, more pop, and it worked out perfectly, as the two are known to be good friends and super supportive of one another.
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