Taylor Swift Denies “Actually Romantic” Is About Charli XCX — But Fans Aren’t Buying It

When Taylor Swift released her twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl, the world expected drama, emotion, and lyrical easter eggs. What no one quite expected was the firestorm surrounding one particular track: “Actually Romantic.”

The song, part of Swift’s first album since her engagement to Travis Kelce and her historic victory reclaiming her masters earlier this year, instantly sparked debate. Its biting lyrics and tone made many fans suspect the track was a thinly veiled response to Charli XCX — reigniting rumors of tension between the two pop powerhouses.

A Song That Sounds Like a Clapback

“Actually Romantic” begins with lines that felt too specific to ignore:

“I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave,
You high-fived my ex and said you’re glad he got away.”

Without naming names, the imagery was enough to send social media into full detective mode. Swifties quickly pointed out parallels between these lyrics and Charli XCX’s song “Sympathy Is a Knife” from her 2024 album Brat — a track long rumored to reference Taylor and her brief romance with The 1975’s Matty Healy.

The speculation intensified when fans noticed that Actually Romantic shares aesthetic cues with Charli’s style: bold visuals, synthetic beats, and even lyrical wordplay reminiscent of Charli’s signature mix of vulnerability and edge. Some noted that the song’s title echoes Charli’s earlier track Everything Is Romantic, while the imagery in its artwork — Taylor holding a red apple — seemed like an intentional wink at Charli’s song Apple.

By the time the album dropped, the internet had already declared Actually Romantic a “diss track in disguise.”

Taylor Speaks Out

However, Taylor quickly addressed the rumors head-on. In her official commentary for Amazon Music, she clarified that Actually Romantic was not written about Charli XCX — or anyone else in particular.

“It’s about realizing that someone has had a one-sided adversarial relationship with you — and you had no idea,” Taylor explained. “Suddenly, they start doing too much, and you realize you’ve been living rent-free in their head all along.”

Rather than a feud anthem, Taylor described the song as a reflection on misplaced hostility and unexpected obsession. “When I got older,” she added in another interview, “I started thinking — well, it’s actually kind of romantic that they think about me so much, even in a negative way. In this industry, attention is affection, and they’ve given me plenty of affection.”

It’s classic Taylor Swift irony: turning conflict into art, then into self-awareness — and leaving everyone guessing where reality ends and metaphor begins.

A History of Tension

The Swift–Charli connection didn’t start here. Back in 2019, when Charli XCX opened for Taylor during the Reputation tour, she made headlines for describing the experience as “like playing to a crowd of five-year-olds.” Although she later clarified that she meant no disrespect, many of Taylor’s fans never quite forgave the remark.

Fast forward to 2024: Charli releases Brat, an album full of sharp, confessional lyrics about insecurity, fame, and identity. One track, Sympathy Is a Knife, immediately drew attention for its lines about seeing “her” backstage at a boyfriend’s show — and secretly wishing they’d break up. Fans linked the lyrics to Matty Healy and Taylor Swift, whose brief relationship that same year became a media storm.

Charli, however, denied any connection. “People will believe what they want,” she said in interviews. “That song isn’t about anyone else — it’s about me, about how my mind creates stories when I’m anxious or insecure.”

Despite her denial, the narrative was already set. By the time Actually Romantic surfaced, fans had a ready-made feud to feed on.

Charli’s Reaction — and Defense of Taylor

While Charli hasn’t commented directly on Actually Romantic, her actions in recent months tell their own story. In June 2024, during a concert in Brazil, some fans began chanting “Taylor Swift is dead.” Charli immediately called out the behavior, later posting on social media:

“Please stop doing that. I won’t tolerate that kind of thing. It’s disgusting and unnecessary.”

The gesture was widely praised — even by many Swifties — as a sign of maturity and respect between the two artists, despite fan-fueled drama.

Taylor, for her part, has also spoken kindly of Charli. In an August interview, she praised the British singer’s creativity, saying:

“I was obsessed with Charli the first time I heard ‘Stay Away’ back in 2011. Her lyrics have always been surreal, witty, and incredibly original.”

If there truly is animosity, both women have been careful not to feed it directly.

Between Admiration and Rivalry

The fascination with Taylor and Charli’s supposed feud says as much about pop culture as it does about the two artists themselves. Both are women who write candidly about their lives, navigate fame with wit and intelligence, and have fiercely devoted fanbases that read between every lyric.

In a sense, the public’s obsession with decoding Actually Romantic is part of what the song seems to critique: the way fans and media turn art into battlegrounds for imagined rivalries. Swift’s commentary — “They’ve been thinking about me so much” — reads almost like a meta joke aimed at the entire ecosystem of pop gossip.

Still, the coincidences are hard to ignore. From the lyrical callbacks to the subtle sonic references, Actually Romantic feels designed to provoke curiosity. And if there’s one thing Taylor Swift understands better than anyone, it’s how to create a conversation that blurs the line between art and reality.

So What’s the Truth?

At this point, no one outside Taylor’s inner circle really knows whether Actually Romantic was inspired by Charli XCX. But that uncertainty is part of Swift’s genius — she builds narratives that fans can endlessly dissect without ever finding a definitive answer.

What’s clear is that both artists have evolved beyond the petty drama that often consumes celebrity culture. Charli has been vocal about her mental health, artistic freedom, and desire to uplift other women in music. Taylor, meanwhile, continues to dominate the industry while redefining artistic ownership and emotional honesty.

Whether Actually Romantic is a subtle rebuttal, an emotional reflection, or simply a cleverly written coincidence, it has already achieved what every great pop song aims for: sparking conversation, emotion, and endless analysis.

A Pop Culture Mirror

Perhaps that’s the ultimate irony of Actually Romantic: a song about people being obsessed with you has become, itself, an object of obsession. It’s both the subject and the mirror — capturing how fame turns every lyric into a clue, every emotion into a headline.

Taylor Swift might insist it’s not about Charli XCX, but in 2025, pop music’s biggest mystery is that everyone still hopes it is.