Pop stars Charli XCX and Taylor Swift have squashed fan speculation of their feud, which is largely rooted in the lyricism of Brat song “Sympathy is a Knife.”
“People are gonna think what they want to think,” the British singer-songwriter and DJ said in a new New York Magazine cover story. “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.”
Chatter about the music industry peers’ relationship can be traced back to when the “365” singer first toured with Swift in 2018 for the latter’s Reputation stadium tour. The following year, when reflecting on the experience, she told Pitchfork that it “felt like I was getting up on stage and waving to 5-year-olds.” (She apologized afterward.)
Prior to Brat‘s smash release this summer, Charli took to social media to issue a “brat psa” on TikTok telling fans that there were no “diss tracks” on the album. (“Girl, so confusing” was later confirmed to be about Lorde, who appeared on a popular remix of the track.) However, this has not stopped fans from reading into lyrics like “I couldn’t even be her if I tried” and “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back / I hope they break up quick,” which many have theorized is an allusion to Swift’s brief relationship with 1975 frontman Matty Healy and Charli’s drummer fiancé George Daniel.
For her part, Swift told the magazine, “I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011. Her writing is surreal and inventive, always. 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.”
Back in June, Charli defended Swift against hate chants levied at her during a set she did in São Paulo, with fans shouting “Taylor is dead!” in response to the Grammy winner’s surprise deluxe reissue of The Tortured Poets Department, which they felt stole the No. 1 spot on the UK chart that was poised for Brat.
“Can the people who do this please stop,” Charli said at the time. “Online or at my shows. It is the opposite of what I want and it disturbs me that anyone would think there is room for this in this community. I will not tolerate it.”
When asked by the interviewer if she considered leaving out the line about being backstage,” Charli answered, “No. You do the silence game. But I know that well — where you go silent and want me to talk more. But I don’t care about it being awkward. We’ll sit in silence.”
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