If you listen to Folklore and Evermore religiously year-round, there’s a good chance you’re a fan of Phoebe Bridgers just as much as you are of Taylor Swift. It’s only natural. The singer-songwriters have a lot in common. Heartwrenching lyrics that take a thesaurus to understand fully? Check. Seriously impressive guitar skills that somehow look effortless? Also check. Dated an actor who starred in a Sally Rooney book-to-TV adaptation? You guessed it — check. I can say with almost 100 percent certainty that Taylor girls are Phoebe girls (and if they aren’t, they just haven’t given Bridgers’ music a fair shot). If you’re a fan of both, you’ll be pleased to know that Taylor and Phoebe are each other’s work besties IRL.
The pair connected in 2021 when Swift tapped Bridgers for a feature on Red (Taylor’s Version). “Nothing New (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” is a product of mutual fangirling and proof that you should always meet your idols — you might even end up going on tour with them! Bridgers opened for 12 stops on Swift’s Eras Tour in Nashville, Philadelphia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. “Nothing New” deserves a million awards just for existing, but its greatest accomplishment is that it brought about something new and beautiful: Swift and Bridgers’ friendship.
Nov. 12, 2021: “Nothing New” comes out.
Swift and Bridgers teamed up on Red (Taylor’s Version) for the ultimate sad-indie-former-gifted-kid song of the century. The vault track “Nothing New” is a song about fearing fading into irrelevance as you grow older that female singers can relate to all too well. Bridgers was a somewhat odd choice for a collab on Red (TV); the album is much more pop-rock than indie. However, her raw vocals are so perfectly suited to the song that it’s hard to imagine anyone else singing it (dare I say it’s the best vault track released to this day?).
Swift revealed on Late Night with Seth Meyers in November 2021 that one of the main reasons she asked Bridgers to sing on “Nothing New” is because Bridgers is “one of [her] favorite artists in the world” (real). The second reason she asked Bridgers to collab was because the track “has a very female artist perspective.” Swift texted Bridgers from her producer Aaron Dessner’s phone. Bridgers’ response? “I’ve been waiting for this text my entire life.”
“It’s been a dream,” Bridgers told Billboard in a 2021 interview. “I just am so excited to have people take it at face value the day that it comes out, because I got teary recording it. I just couldn’t be more excited.” It’s the singers’ only collaboration to date, but here’s hoping for more!
March 27, 2023: Bridgers presents Swift with the 2023 iHeartRadio Innovator Award.
The singers recorded “Nothing New” separately during the pandemic, so it’s unknown when they actually met in person. But by March 2023, it was clear that the pair had become friends outside of the recording studio. While presenting Swift with the 2023 iHeartRadio Innovator Award, Bridgers gushed about Swift’s influence on her own songwriting, ending her speech with, “I’m grateful to have grown up in a world with Taylor Swift in it.”
May 5, 2023: Swift and Bridgers perform “Nothing New” live for the first time at the Eras Tour.
During the first Nashville show of the Eras Tour, Swift surprised fans by bringing Bridgers back on stage to perform “Nothing New” as an extra addition to the setlist. This was also the night Swift announced that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) would be released on July 7, 2023, BTW. To everyone who attended Nashville Night 1, how does it feel to be God’s (AKA Swift’s) favorite?
Bridgers joined Swift on stage to sing “Nothing New” at every show she opened for. During their duet on Bridgers’ last night on tour, Swift said, “Thank you for being a friend that I will never ever stop confiding in and trusting. I love you with everything.” So sweet!
Nov. 3, 2023: They get dinner in NYC.
Bridgers may not be opening for the Eras Tour anymore, but she’s still keeping her friendship with Swift strong post-tour with dinner dates in NYC! TMZ snapped pics of Swift and Bridgers leaving Minetta Tavern in Greenwich Village in November 2023. Swift famously owns a house in Greenwich, so I’m choosing to believe they went to her place after dinner and secretly worked on a new song together.
Patiently waiting for “Nothing New” part two (and crossing my fingers that “Nothing New” is my acoustic surprise song at the Eras Tour in October!).