Following the release of Taylor Swift's latest album on Friday, her fanbase has engaged in a frenzy of speculation trying to identify the individual referenced in one particular track.
The song, titled Actually Romantic, is centered on a fellow, unnamed pop star, causing social media to explode with theories that it serves as a diss track aimed at Charli XCX, BBC News reports. During a cinema screening that accompanied the new album, Swift stated the track is "a love letter to someone who hates you," BBC News noted. The 35-year-old pop star refrained from naming the song's subject, but she did mockingly express her gratitude for their attention, saying, "It's flattering."
"Actually Romantic" holds the seventh spot on Swift's highly anticipated new album, The Life of A Showgirl. Within the lyrics, she refers to another singer who refers to Swift as a "boring Barbie" and composes music expressing intense dislike for her. On social media, fans have become convinced this track is a reaction to Charli XCX's song, Sympathy is a Knife, from her Brat album, a track the 33-year-old allegedly wrote regarding Swift, BBC News reported.
Charli XCX's album Brat, which was released in June 2024, earned her a second number 1 album in the UK, according to Getty Images. In that composition, Charli sings about experiencing insecurity regarding a woman who appears backstage at her then-boyfriend's concert. Charli XCX sings, "Don't know if it's real or if I'm spiralling. One voice tells me that they laugh, George says, "I'm just paranoid", and she adds the wish, "Fingers crossed behind my back. I hope they break up real quick".
Swift had a brief romantic relationship with Matty Healy, the frontman for the band The 1975; George Daniel, Charli's now-husband and then-boyfriend, is the drummer for that band. Swift expresses in her new track that it is "actually romantic" that the other pop star dedicates so much of their time to her. She sings that the antagonism "Sounded nasty but it feels like you're flirting with me," adding, "All the effort you've put in, it's actually romantic."
Neither of the artists has confirmed that their respective songs are about the other. Swift complimented Charli in an interview with New York Magazine just last year. Swift was quoted by New York Magazine saying, "I've been blown away by Charli's melodic sensibilities since I first heard 'Stay Away' in 2011," but the recently released track has prompted fans to speculate that the supposed conflict has reignited.
The launch event film for "The Life of a Showgirl" premiered in cinemas on Friday, featuring a mixture of behind-the-scenes footage, a music video, and explanations of the songs. In a concise opening to "Actually Romantic", Swift offered new clarity about the song's intent, stating it concerns the unexpected realization that a person is an integral part of someone else's narrative. Swift said, "There can be this moment where it's unveiled to you, through things that they do that are very overt," adding, "And, as I've gotten older, I've just started to be like, 'Oh my God, you did so much with this. It's flattering,'", BBC News reported. She further explained, "That is, wow, that is very, very sweet of you to think about me this much, even if it's negative. In my industry, attention is affection, and you've given me a whole lot of it."
Attendees at a Taylor Swift-only club night called "Swiftogeddon" in Clapham, south London, on Friday evening confessed they spent the entire day meticulously analyzing the new lyrics. Attending the event with her 21-year-old friend Scarlett was Anya, a 24-year-old from Brighton, who noted that she does not have to extensively decode the lyrics "because the internet does it for me," BBC News reported. Anya was convinced "Actually Romantic" was about Charli, expressing her connection to the song's words by telling BBC News, "It's universal, we've all had that feeling," but Tanya, 27, who is a huge Charli XCX fan, voiced her opinion that it was not "very fair or feminist" for Swift to seemingly criticize Charli. Tanya also stated, "I don't think she should've done it. But, hey, freedom of expression, I guess."
Fans have consistently attempted to decipher Swift's lyrics to pinpoint the subjects of her songs. This newest album proves no different. Besides the songs that are clearly dedicated to her fiancé, Travis Kelce, other tracks that have been widely speculated about online include Father Figure (thought to be about music executive Scott Borchetta), Cancelled! (possibly about the status of her friendship with Blake Lively), and Opalite (which some speculate is about Kelce's ex, Kayla Nicole). Swift, widely known for writing numerous break-up songs, has previously mentioned that she will never confirm the identities of the people her songs address.
