Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo might have taken one step ahead and three steps again.
Rodrigo grew up as a self-proclaimed “diehard” fan of Swift, first protecting her songs on the age of 4. After Rodrigo’s tune “Driver’s License” from her debut album, Bitter, hit No. 1 on the charts in January 2021, Swift confirmed her assist to the ingénue by sending Rodrigo a handwritten observe with personalised presents to rejoice the one’s enormous success.
“I obtained a letter from Taylor Swift final evening, which is insane. Final evening, I opened it for the primary time, so I’m nonetheless reeling,” Rodrigo gushed to Radio.com in March 2021. “My tears are on it, my snot from sobbing my eyes out is on it. I like her. One among my favourite lyrics of hers is, ‘Previous me, I’d prefer to let you know to not get misplaced in these petty issues / Your nemeses will defeat themselves earlier than you get the possibility to swing.’ It’s in ‘Lengthy Story Brief’ off of Evermore. So she wrote about that in her letter just a little bit. She’s like, ‘I feel we make our personal luck and I feel whenever you’re sort to folks and do what’s proper, it at all times comes again to you in one of the simplest ways.’ I simply adore her and that’s what I’ve actually been enthusiastic about since I opened that factor final evening, it’s the one factor in my mind. […] I truly can’t discuss it, I’m, like, going to cry. It’s so insane, I can’t even comprehend.”
Swift was seemingly changing into a mentor for Rodrigo, however the duo’s relationship appeared to hit a snag after Rodrigo launched her second single, “Deja Vu,” in April 2021. Some listeners identified similarities to Swift’s “Merciless Summer season” — a tune Rodrigo admitted she used as inspiration whereas writing her album.
Swift — alongside along with her collaborators Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent— had been in the end given retroactive royalties on the tune, however Swift and Rodrigo haven’t addressed one another publicly since.
Preserve scrolling for each excessive and low between Swift and Rodrigo over time:
A Merciless Cowl
In April 2020, Rodrigo carried out a canopy of “Merciless Summer season” — a observe off Swift’s 2019 album Lover — for MTV’s Alone Collectively Jam Session.
“THE TALENT,” Swift wrote by way of her Instagram Story of the rendition. “Love This!!! Thanks for this stunning efficiency @olivia.rodrigo @mtv.”
Getty Photographs (2)
Born to be a Swiftie
Even earlier than she was importing Instagram movies of herself rocking out in her automotive to Swift’s “Higher Than Revenge,” Rodrigo was the “world’s largest Swiftie,” claiming the Folklore singer’s lyrics even helped her kind a few of her earliest songs.
“I used to be making up songs about pickup vehicles, though I had by no means seen a pickup truck in my life as much as that time,” Rodrigo advised Nylon journal in 2021 of being impressed by Swift’s hit observe “Image to Burn.”
Dance Celebration Promo
Rodrigo and BFF Conan Grey took to social media to assist tease the re-release of Swift’s tune “You Belong With Me” in April 2021. Within the TikTok clip, the pair recreated the enduring music video by writing one another indicators, leaping on the mattress and lip-syncing into hairbrushes.
Screaming, Crying, Throwing Up
When Rodrigo’s tune “Driver’s License” charted at No. 3 on iTunes in January 2021, it landed instantly beneath two of Swift’s songs, “It’s Time to Go” and “Proper The place You Left Me.” On the time, Rodrigo shared a screenshot of the listing by way of Instagram, writing, “Subsequent to Taylor on the US iTunes chart I’m in a puddle of tears.”
Swift, for her half, reciprocated along with her personal remark: “I say that’s my child and I’m proud.”
Rodrigo then shared the remark to her social media web page, captioning the put up, “What’s respiratory?”
Rodrigo later gushed about having so lots of her idols attain out to congratulate her on her success. “Taylor clearly commented on my Instagram put up and it made an enormous splash, it was insane,” she mentioned in an interview with UK’s “Massive High 40” later that month. “I’m the largest Swiftie in the entire world and the actual fact she did that really simply made my life.”
An Ingenue within the Making
Swift despatched Rodrigo a handwritten observe and items in March 2021.
“She gave me this ring as a result of she mentioned she wore one similar to it when she wrotePink and he or she needed me to have one prefer it and all of this wonderful stuff,” Rodrigo advised Sirius XM’s “The Morning Mashup” on the time. ”She, like, hand-wrapped these items.”
Courtesy of Olivia Rodrigo/Instagram
Enchanted to Meet You
The pair lastly met in particular person on the Brit Awards in Might 2021, the place they posed for a candy snap. Previous to the ceremony, Rodrigo penned a handwritten observe to Swift — in addition to Harry Types and Little Combine.
Turning Bitter?
The duo’s blossoming friendship seemingly hit a snag when Rodrigo’s debut album, Bitter, was launched later that month. Swift was at all times credited on the tune “1 Step Ahead, 3 Steps Again,” which makes use of an interpolation of her observe “New 12 months’s Day.”
Nonetheless, Swift was retroactively credited for Rodrigo’s second single, “Deja Vu,” in July 2021, after listeners accused her of plagiarism and copyright infringement by way of social media.
Billboard later reported in September 2021 that Rodrigo had given up “tens of millions” in royalties on every of the songs.
Getty Photographs (2)
Bloodsucker, Fame F—ker?
After Rodrigo launched the one “Vampire” in August 2023, some followers started to take a position the pop anthem was about Swift. The pointed lyrics appeared to tease a falling-out, but it surely was unclear if Rodrigo was singing a few romantic or platonic relationship.
Rodrigo later appeared to close down the rumors, telling The Guardian in September 2023, “I imply, I by no means need to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve by no means achieved that earlier than in my profession and possibly gained’t. I feel it’s higher to not pigeonhole a tune to being about this one factor … I used to be very stunned when folks thought that.”
Thank You!
You’ve got efficiently subscribed.
Not in Any Period
When requested by The Guardian if she went to see Swift’s Eras Tour, Rodrigo defined that the promotion of her second album, Guts, saved her from attending.
“I haven’t [gone] but,” she advised the outlet. “I’m going to Europe this week.”
