When Taylor Swift dropped her latest album, fans did what they always do best — dove headfirst into decoding mode. Hidden meanings, sly lyric references, and mysterious song titles quickly became internet treasure maps for uncovering potential drama. But one discovery in particular sent Swifties spiraling: Is Swift throwing shade at Charli XCX?
On Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, her seventh track on the album, titled “Actually Romantic,” is rumored to be about the British singer. Charli appeared to address her emotions surrounding Swift on “Sympathy Is a Knife” from Brat, and Taylor seemed to respond with her own track. Fans were quick to connect the dots to Charli, whose seventh track on Brat is titled “Everything is Romantic.”
What started as a few lyrical clues and a suspiciously titled track quickly snowballed into full-blown “beef” speculation, with social media dissecting every word and moment for signs of tension between the two pop girlies. Whether it’s real or imagined, the alleged rift between Charli and Swift reveals much about how fandoms now treat pop music as both art and detective work.
The two pop icons have circled each other for years, even sharing the stage during Swift’s Reputation tour. Yet their careers took off in very different directions until fate pulled them back into the same orbit. In 2022, Charli began dating George Daniel of the band The 1975. Swift had ties to the band’s frontman, Matty Healy, in 2023. Suddenly, their worlds overlapped once again.
Charli Said It Wasn’t a Diss, But the Internet Disagreed
The song dives into Charli’s feelings of insecurity around another woman in her boyfriend’s circle, with lyrics like, “I don’t wanna share the space / I don’t wanna force a smile / This one girl taps my insecurities / Don’t know if it’s real or if I’m spiralling.”
Charli didn’t exactly shut down the theory, but she did insist it wasn’t a “diss.” On TikTok, she posted a video discussing how no songs other than “Von Dutch” are considered a “diss track.” Still, the track hit a nerve. It’s raw, self-aware, and full of that painfully relatable energy of knowing you’re spiraling but being unable to stop.
Charli sings, “George says I’m just paranoid / says he just doesn’t see it / he’s so naive / I’m embarrassed but I need the sympathy.”
Then there’s the line that sent the internet into full detective mode, “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.”
Fans couldn’t ignore the parallels, especially since Charli had made some awkward comments about her experience opening for Swift on the Reputation tour. She later apologized after fans thought she was shading Swift.
By the time “Sympathy Is a Knife” came out, Swift and Healy were over. Healy was dating Charli’s friend, model Gabbriette Bechtel, who is now his fiancée. While everyone expected The Tortured Poets Department to focus on Swift’s breakup with Joe Alwyn, it turned out that much of it seemed to trace back to her short whirlwind with Healy.
Not a Diss Track, Just a Taylor Swift Song
Enter “Actually Romantic” from The Life of a Showgirl, a track that fans instantly read as a response to Charli. The lyrics don’t shy away, “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave / High-fived my ex and then said you’re glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face…”
In the release of her Life of a Showgirl film, Swift didn’t name names but described the song as “a love letter to someone who hates you.” She continued with, “That is very, very sweet of you to think about me this much, even if it’s negative. In my industry, attention is affection.”
Online, though, fans were split. Many argued that Swift’s response missed the point because “Sympathy Is a Knife” wasn’t an attack; it was about vulnerability and insecurity, not rivalry. Charli had already explored the dynamics of female rivalry on her collab remix of “Girl, So Confusing” with Lorde, where the two worked through their own friendship tension.
On the other hand, Swift seemed more interested in flipping the narrative than mending fences. Her song lyrics embody the romanticization of being infatuated with the negative attention. By transforming her struggles into lyrical storytelling, she ironically invites scrutiny, making herself a subject of fascination while reflecting on the pain and betrayal that accompany her experiences.
This dynamic draws in her audience, who may find a sense of connection in the honesty of her struggles, yet it also elevates the stakes, blurring the lines between private pain and public performance. The result is a compelling narrative that highlights the allure of tumultuous emotions, ultimately celebrating the chaos while leaving unresolved tensions in its path.
“It’s kind of making me wet / ‘Cause it’s actually sweet / All the time you’ve spent on me / It’s honestly lovely / All the effort you’ve put in,” Swift sings.
Women, Feelings, and the Feud Machine
At its core, the whole situation says less about Charli or Swift and more about how fans consume women’s art. Both artists are navigating complex feelings of insecurity, power, desire, and self-image, but the internet can’t resist turning those emotions into competition. It’s the same cycle that has followed women in music for decades: the second one opens up, and another gets cast as her foil.
Charli writes about insecurity, which some read as jealousy. Swift writes about heartbreak, which some read as revenge. Somewhere along the line, honest emotion becomes alleged shade. This shift diminishes the complexity of their experiences, as a song by an artist can never fully encapsulate the nuanced reflections of their journey through the challenging landscape of the music industry. Instead of being a poignant exploration of their personal struggles, these songs are reduced to simplistic narratives that overlook the more profound truths behind their lyrics.
The real question isn’t who dissed who, it’s how far a woman can go in expressing her insecurities before they’re weaponized against her. Maybe the drama between Charli XCX and Taylor Swift isn’t a feud at all, but instead a reflection of a culture that seemingly enjoys pitting women against each other rather than allowing them to explore their emotional depths.