It seems that Taylor Swift has responded to Charli XCX with a track from her new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’.
The album’s seventh track, “Actually Romantic,” has fueled a lot of speculation regarding the dynamic between the two artists.
To understand the context, let’s revisit their history for a moment.
In June of last year, Charli released “Sympathy is a Knife” on her sixth studio album, “Brat.”
Although not overtly a diss track, it is believed to reference Taylor, expressing Charli’s feelings of insecurity and how her achievements seem overshadowed by Taylor’s global fame.
Their paths first intertwined in 2023 when Charli was in a relationship with George Daniel, drummer for The 1975. Around the same time, Taylor was seen getting close to the band’s frontman, Matty Healy.
This brief interaction is thought to have influenced many tracks on Taylor’s previous album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
When Charli sang in “Sympathy”: “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show/ Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up,” it made sense for fans to interpret it as a slight toward Taylor.
Taylor has now seemingly responded with equally bold lyrics.
“I heard you called me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave,” she states in the opening line of “Actually Romantic.” Ouch.
Interestingly, Charli’s special edition of “Brat” included white powder in the vinyl, and she has gained notoriety for ‘sniffing’ during some DJ performances.
Elsewhere in the track, Taylor comments: “High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me,” likely referring to Matty.
She also jabs: “How many times has your boyfriend said/ ‘Why are we always talking ’bout her?'”
In the chorus, Taylor sarcastically reflects on how the attention is a twisted form of admiration, singing: “It’s actually sweet/ All the time you’ve spent on me
“It’s honestly wild/ All the effort you’ve put in/ It’s actually romantic/ I really gotta hand it to you, ooh/ No man has ever loved me like you do.”
While her fiancé, Travis Kelce, might have mixed feelings about the lyrics, it’s an effective way to address the situation.
Despite the rumors of a feud, the two have maintained a civil front publicly.
Both artists attended this year’s Grammy Awards, where Taylor was seen dancing with a champagne bottle as Charli performed her hit track ‘Guess’.
Swifties, however, have deduced that Taylor likely completed “Actually Romantic” before that event.
Last year, during a concert in Brazil, when a fan shouted “Taylor Swift is dead,” Charli quickly defended her.
“Can the people who do this please stop. Online or at my shows,” she firmly stated. “It is the opposite of what I want, and it disturbs me that anyone would think there is room for this in this community. I will not tolerate it.”
Perhaps there isn’t any ‘Bad Blood’ between the two after all.