Fans are convinced the pop powerhouse has quietly dropped a lyrical bomb aimed straight at Charli XCX, and honestly, the clues are cluing.
It all started when Charli dropped her latest album, Brat, at the beginning of 2025, followed by her new single Von Dutch, in which she referenced pop culture’s obsession with authenticity.
But now, with Taylor’s surprise track Actually Romantic from her release of The Life of a Showgirl, fans think she’s firing back.
Scroll on as we unpack the pair’s rumoured feud over the years.
October 2025
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl dropped, and the internet immediately lost its mind.
Within hours, theories started swirling with questions being asked about one song, Actually Romantic, and whether it was about Charli XCX.
Fans claimed the lyrics read like a pointed clapback, with lines about “brat girls playing heartbreak cool” and “dancing like it’s irony, not feeling.”
Some say it’s all just a coincidence, but others are convinced this is classic Taylor.
And let’s not forget that Charli has a song called Everything Is Romantic too.
August 2024
Charli gave an exclusive with New York Magazine, where she addressed her rumoured feud and her song Sympathy is Knife.
“People are gonna think what they want to think.
“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.”
June 2024
Charli released BRAT, and fans were quick to think the song Sympathy is a Knife was about her friendship with Taylor.
“I couldn’t even be her if I tried,” and “This one girl taps my insecurities / Don’t know if it’s real or if I’m spiraling.”
Another verse in the song seemed to set the scene at a 1975 concert.
At the time, Taylor was dating Matty Healy, while Charli was seeing his bandmate George Daniel (now her husband).
“Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.”
It’s the kind of line that had fans clutching their headphones.
September 2019
Charli appeared on the UK talk show Sunday Brunch, where she had nothing but praise for Taylor.
“She’s an incredible businesswoman and she’s really kind.
“She makes us feel so welcome — it’s like a girl gang on tour together. It’s really good.”
August 2019
The first hint of tension? During a chat with Pitchfork, Charli made some comments about Taylor’s tour crowds that didn’t exactly sit well with Swifties.
“I’m really grateful that she asked me on that tour,” she said, “but as an artist, it kind of felt like I was getting up onstage and waving to five-year-olds.”
She added that her stint on the Reputation Stadium Tour made her rethink opening acts entirely. “I’ve done so much of it, and it really cemented my status as this underdog character, which I like now. But I need to just own my own f—–g s–t finally.”
Later that day, Charli hopped on Twitter to clarify: “People on the internet have taken something I said out of context.”
March 2018
Taylor announced the opening acts for her album, Reputation, were Charli and Camila Cabello.
October 2018
Charli came out as a special guest on Taylor’s 1989 World Tour stop in Toronto, Canada.
December 2014
The pair were seen together at iHeart Radio’s Jingle Ball concert in NYC.
