Here’s why Taylor Swift is “blown away” by Charli xcx

Charli xcx sparked a cultural phenomenon with her hit album BRAT, garnering attention from the biggest names in the world. That includes everyone from politicians like Barack Obama to fellow music superstars like Taylor Swift, who revealed she’s a longtime fan of Charli’s in a new profile for Vulture.

“I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011,” Swift said. For the uninitiated, “Stay Away” is a single from Charli’s debut album True Romance; clearly, Swift has had her finger on the pulse for more than a decade.

“Her writing is surreal and inventive, always,” Swift continued. “She just takes a song to places you wouldn’t expect it to go, and she’s been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off.”

The comment comes amid rumors that the song “Sympathy is a knife” off of BRAT is about Swift, due in part to lyrics referencing another artist who she might see backstage at her boyfriend’s concert. Charli is engaged to George Daniel, the drummer for The 1975, which is fronted by Matty Healy, who Swift infamously dated in 2023. The timelines line up for the lyrics to easily be interpreted as being about Swift: “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back / I hope they break up quick,” Charli sings in the song’s second verse.

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But Charli hasn’t ever confirmed the connection, and she’s not starting now.

“People are gonna think what they want to think,” Charli told Vulture. “That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I don’t want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt.” 

When the interviewer asked if she’d considered leaving out the line about being backstage together to limit speculation, Charli simply replied, “No.”

Charli did confirm, though, that she’s been working on remix of “Sympathy is a knife.” Her remix of “Girl, so confusing” featured Lorde, the artist it was about. If “Sympathy is a knife” follows suit, could a Taylor feature be in our future?

sympathy is a knife remix truthers RISEEEEEE https://t.co/mXLanDJtet

— miso🍲🍉 (@IfMisoWasAMovie) August 26, 2024