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Connections

"The Life of a Showgirl:" feat or flop?

Five smiling people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front right has long dark hair and is wearing glasses, a patterned button-down shirt and black jeans; a woman front right has long blonde hair and is wearing a black jumper over a striped shirt and black shoes; a woman back left has long brown hair and is wearing an orange sweater; a man back right has short dark hair and is wearing a puffy tan vest over a dark orange shirt; a man at center has short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a blue puffy vest over a grey shirt, black jeans and sneakers.
George Yeadon
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Madi Russell and Hannah Maier, (background) Sarah Eaton and Gio Battaglia with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, October 14, 2025
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
WXXI News

Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," is generating a lot of buzz...and debate. From the themes of love, vulnerability, and empowerment to thinly veiled metaphors that reference her fiancé Travis Kelce's genitals, fans are either celebrating or slamming the songs.

The critics' reviews are also mixed. Rolling Stone's Maya Georgi gave it five out of five stars, writing, "the musician shoots into a fresh echelon of superstardom — and hits all her marks." Meanwhile, writing for the Atlantic, Spencer Kornhaber called the album a "charmless chore." Swift says she "welcomes the chaos."

Despite the haters, the pop sensation is breaking records: "Showgirl" has already sold more than four million copies, surpassing a record previously held by Adele.

What do local songwriters and local Swifties think? Is a heartbroken artist a better songwriter than a happy one or vice versa? Does it matter? We discuss it all with our guests.

In studio:

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Elissa Orlando is a producer for “Connections with Evan Dawson.” She returns part-time to WXXI News after stepping back from a long career in public media and in translational science.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.