Taylor Swift and Charli XCX
George Pimentel/LP5/Getty Images for TAS
Charli XCX
fans are speculating about a potential connection between a song on her new album,
Brat
, and
Taylor Swift
‘s brief romance with
Matty Healy
. In the song “Sympathy Is a Knife,” Charli, 31, sings, “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.” This lyric caught fans’ attention due to Charli’s engagement to
George Daniel
, the drummer for The 1975, and Swift’s highly publicized fling with Healy, 35, the band’s lead singer, earlier in 2023.
One
Twitter user
pointed out the potential connection, saying, “Wait, is ‘Sympathy Is a Knife’ about Taylor? Her boyfriend is in The 1975… and Taylor was with Matt Healy for that blip.” In the same song, Charli also admits to feeling insecure and not wanting to “share this space” with someone who makes her feel inferior.
However, some fans defended Charli, arguing that the song is more about her own insecurities than any ill will towards Swift. One
Twitter user
responded to the speculation by saying, “It’s not shade; the entire song is about Charli being insecure because of Taylor. And the ‘sympathy is a knife’ line is because Taylor is nice to her, and she feels like sh*t that she’s so insecure.”
Matty Healy
Scott Legato/WireImage
While Charli has not explicitly confirmed or denied the subject of the song, she did address the topic of “diss tracks” on her album in a recent
TikTok video
. She assured fans that there are no diss tracks on
Brat
, except for “Von Dutch,” which she described as “kind of” a diss track. Charli explained that some songs might seem shady but are actually about the complexities of being a female artist and the pressure to constantly support and befriend other women in the industry.
She further elaborated on the challenges female artists face, saying that they can feel “on top of the world” one day and “unbelievably insecure” the next.
Interestingly, Swift is not the only artist that listeners suspect Charli references on
Brat
. Some fans have theorized that the song “Girl, So Confusing” is about
Lorde
. In the song, Charli sings, “People say we’re alike, they say we’ve got the same hair / One day we might make some music, the internet would go crazy / But you might still wanna see me falling over and failing.” She also mentions “awkward” dinner dates and acknowledges that they “don’t have much in common” despite their attempts to connect.
During an appearance on
Bowen Yang
and
Matt Rogers
‘ podcast, “Las Culturistas,” Charli teased that she hasn’t decided whether to reveal the identity of the person “Girl, So Confusing” is about. She defended the song’s message, stating that it’s okay for women to not always see eye to eye and that it doesn’t make them “bad feminists.”
Lorde, 27, seemed to dismiss any rumors of a feud by showing support for Charli’s new album on her Instagram Story, writing, “The only album I’ve ever pre-saved is out today… Charli just cooked this one different. So much grit, grace & skin in the game. I speak for all of us when I say it’s an honor to be moved, changed, and gagged by her work. There is NO ONE like this b*tch.”
Swift and Charli have had a somewhat complicated relationship in the past. Charli faced backlash in 2019 after telling
Pitchfork
that opening for Swift on her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018 “felt like I was getting up on stage and waving to 5-year-olds.” She later clarified her comments in a
Twitter statement
, explaining that the quote was taken out of context and that she was extremely grateful for the opportunity to tour with Swift.
As fans continue to speculate about the inspirations behind Charli’s new album, it’s clear that
Brat
has sparked intriguing conversations about the complexities of female friendships and the pressures faced by women in the music industry.
