Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware that Taylor Swift has released her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” The album has received mixed reviews and much attention. This is partially because of how open she was about her relationship with fiancé, Travis Kelce, and also her confirmation of a longtime rumored feud between her and fellow pop artist, Charli xcx. Taylor released a diss track, seemingly in response to Charli’s song “Sympathy Is a Knife” off of her latest, and most successful album, “brat.”
In 2018, I went to a Taylor Swift concert. This was during her Reputation Stadium Tour, opening for her were Camilla Cabello and Charli xcx. The concert was fantastic. All three acts did a phenomenal job. Midway through the show, Taylor brought out Camilla and Charli to sing “Shake It Off” with her. All three of them had great chemistry while performing together, and it was fair for the audience to assume that they were all good friends. While the relationship between Charli and Taylor seemed to be friendly, rumors of a feud started to arise after comments made by Charli to Pitchfork Magazine. In an article titled “Charli XCX is the Pop Star of the Future,” Charli was asked what it was like opening for Taylor. While she prefaced her answer by clarifying that she was incredibly grateful for the opportunity, she told Pitchfork, “It kind of felt like I was getting up on stage and waving to five‑year‑olds.” Many Swifties (Taylor fans, for those that have never heard the term) felt offended by this, interpreting it as a diss toward both Taylor and her fans. Charli later claimed that this statement wasn’t meant to offend anyone; she was simply commenting on the age diversity of Taylor’s audience, something which Charli lacked, especially at that time. She also clarified that she has “only love” for Taylor.
The next time rumors of a feud arose was after Charli released her 2024 album “brat.” The album included a track titled “Sympathy Is a Knife,” which was heavily implied to be about Taylor. The song described Charli’s feelings of jealousy, but not contempt, toward another female artist. The song contained commentary on how the music industry pits women against one another, then expects them to be best friends. At the time that “brat” came out, Taylor had just broken up with The 1975 lead singer, Matty Healy. His bandmate, George Daniel, was engaged to Charli (the two married in July of 2025). “Sympathy Is a knife” included lyrics such as “Cause I couldn’t even be her if I tried I’m opposite, I’m on the other side/I feel all these feelings I can’t control/Oh no, don’t know why/ All this sympathy is just a knife” and “George says, ‘I’m just paranoid/Says he just don’t see it, he’s so naive/I’m embarrassed to have it, but need the sympathy’” which illustrate Charli’s jealousy and insecurity around Taylor. The lyrics that many interpreted as rude or scornful were about Taylor’s relationship with Matty. Charli sings, “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show/Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.” While these lyrics may seem a bit shady, Charli has come out and said that the subject of the song was her own insecurities and wasn’t meant to offend anyone.
After the release of “brat,” Charli did a photoshoot with New York Magazine that featured her posing with a severed hand, decorated with friendship bracelets. There were a few different public reactions to this. A lot of people thought she was dragging Taylor, as friendship bracelets have become widely associated with her music after she referenced them in her song “You’re on your own Kid” and were sported by fans who attended Taylor’s Eras Tour. Many saw it as quite tone-deaf after a number of pre-teen girls were brutally murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party. Despite it being unlikely that this was intentionally referenced by Charli and New York Magazine, it was poorly timed and perceived as incredibly offensive to the victims and their families. Most Charli fans didn’t believe that she had any intention of referencing Taylor or the recent tragedy. Charli is very involved in the rave scene, in which friendship bracelets are common, almost a staple of the subculture. The photoshoot was most likely referring to this, as it is incredibly on brand for Charli.
Taylor did publicly praise Charli, her individuality and creativity and was seen dancing and singing along to Charli’s performance at the Grammys last year. However, on her newest album, Taylor responded to “Sympathy Is a Knife” with a diss track called “Actually Romantic.” Fans speculate this is in reference to Charli’s song “everything is romantic” off of the same album as “Sympathy Is a Knife.” Not only are the song names similar, but they are also track seven on both albums. The opening line in “Actually Romantic” is “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave.” Charli has a well-documented cocaine habit and sang about it in many songs on the “brat” album. Taylor proceeds to seemingly address Charli’s lyric about hoping Taylor and Matty would break up so she didn’t have to see her at 1975 shows, “High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me/Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face.” Throughout the rest of the song, Taylor tells us that she’s unbothered by what Charli has said about her both in her songs and (allegedly) behind her back. She sings “But it’s precious, adorable/Like a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse,” and “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.”
Some fans think Taylor’s response was completely justified and think she “won the beef.” Others think “Actually Romantic” is an immature, poorly written track that implies Taylor completely misinterpreted “Sympathy Is a Knife.” Personally, I agree with the latter. I felt that Taylor’s reaction to Charli’s song made her look overly sensitive and simply mean. Taylor has been praised for her lyrics many, many times, particularly during her “folklore” and “evermore” eras. If this song had come out about five years prior, I likely would’ve stopped listening to her. That may seem harsh, but the cringeworthy lyrics (that are present both on the track and throughout the album), paired with the juvenile nature of the song, make her look insecure and invoke second-hand embarrassment in many listeners. Charli’s song was hardly a diss and showed quite a vulnerable side of her. Taylor responding to it by essentially saying, “Okay, well you’re a cokehead and in love with me” is not only childish and petty, but also Regina George adjacent. Although Taylor does have a right to be upset about Charli celebrating her breakup and calling her “boring Barbie,” I think “Actually Romantic” didn’t land in the way she presumably assumed it would.