The Gist<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Fans think Taylor Swift\u2019s song \u201cActually Romantic\u201d from her new album, The Life of a Showgirl<\/em>, is a Charli XCX diss track.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n- \n\n
Although Charli never confirmed it, it\u2019s widely believed that her song \u201cSympathy Is a Knife\u201d makes reference to Swift.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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\u201cActually Romantic\u201d also appears to reference Swift\u2019s ex, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, who is bandmates with Charli\u2019s husband George Daniel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Taylor Swift\u2019s new album, The Life of a Showgirl<\/em>, might have a diss track about Charli XCX. Fans believe the lyrics to the song \u201cActually Romantic\u201d put the Brat<\/em> star on blast.<\/p>\nTo recap, Swift and Charli first had friction when Charli<\/a> made a comment about opening up for the pop superstar\u2019s Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018. Speaking to Pitchfork<\/em><\/a> the following year, the \u201c360\u201d singer said, \u201cI\u2019m really grateful that [Taylor] asked me on that tour. But as an artist, it kind of felt like I was getting up on stage and waving to 5-year-olds.\u201d While she later clarified her comments in an X post<\/a>, Swifties questioned if there was lingering tension between the two artists.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\nJoseph Okpako\/WireImage<\/p>\n
Charli XCX performs at Roskilde Festival 2025 on July 02, 2025 in Denmark.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Skip ahead to Brat<\/em> summer in 2024, and the suspected feud escalated with the release of Charli\u2019s track \u201cSympathy Is a Knife.\u201d The song\u2019s lyrics describe the singer\u2019s insecurity about an unnamed woman. Lines like “Don\u2019t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend\u2019s show \/ Fingers crossed behind my back \/ I hope they break up quick\u201d seemingly referenced Swift\u2019s short-lived, unconfirmed relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy in 2023 (Charli\u2019s then-boyfriend, now-husband<\/a> is The 1975\u2019s George Daniel).<\/p>\nSwift appeared to clear up rumors<\/a> of a feud with the \u201cApple\u201d musician in 2024, telling New York <\/em><\/a>magazine, \u201cI\u2019ve been blown away by Charli\u2019s melodic sensibilities since I first heard \u2018Stay Away\u2019 in 2011. Her writing is surreal and inventive, always. She just takes a song to places you wouldn\u2019t expect it to go, and she\u2019s been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off.\u201d<\/p>\nJust a few months earlier, Charli\u2019s fanbase had called out Swift on social media over the timing of her release of new versions of The Tortured Poets Department<\/em>. Swift\u2019s 2024 album spent a sixth week at No. 1 in the United Kingdom because of the variants\u2014the same week Charli\u2019s Brat<\/em> or Bon Jovi\u2019s Forever<\/em> had been predicted to land No. 1, per Forbes<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\nSwift\u2019s New York<\/em> comments marked the end of the drama\u2014or so it seemed. The lyrics to Swift\u2019s new track, \u201cActually Romantic,\u201d have fans declaring their feud back on. In particular, the opening lyrics \u201cI heard you call me \u2018Boring Barbie\u2019 when the coke\u2019s got you brave \/ High-fived my ex and then said you\u2019re glad he ghosted me \/ Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face\u201d seem to point to Charli.<\/p>\nFans have suggested online that the lyric about coke could be seen as a veiled reference to Charli\u2019s lyrics on Brat<\/em>\u2014such as in song \u201c365,\u201d where the English artist sings about \u201cbumpin’ that\u201d and \u201c[having] a little line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/F7ZnF7PL.1eA3HsPw7gdZw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTg4MTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/instyle_846\/3851cd1fa9055dd1fe22ed2290b92329\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nRobert Kamau\/GC Images<\/p>\n
Taylor Swift and Matty Healy seen leaving ‘The Electric Lady’ studio in Manhattan on May 16, 2023.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Healy is widely believed to be the high-fiving \u201cex\u201d in question. He attended Charli\u2019s second wedding<\/a> to his bandmate, Daniel, with his fianc\u00e9, Gabbriette, in September 2025. That leaves \u201cSympathy Is a Knife,\u201d the track about Charli\u2019s insecurity around another artist in her circle, as the \u201csong\u201d Swift may be referring to in the verse.<\/p>\nThe chorus, meanwhile, sees Swift describing it as \u201cactually romantic\u201d how much time the song\u2019s unnamed subject spends thinking and talking about her. Only time will tell if the two supposed pop rivals can work it out on the remix.<\/p>\n
Fans think Taylor Swift\u2019s song \u201cActually Romantic\u201d from her new album, The Life of a Showgirl<\/em>, is a Charli XCX diss track.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Although Charli never confirmed it, it\u2019s widely believed that her song \u201cSympathy Is a Knife\u201d makes reference to Swift.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \u201cActually Romantic\u201d also appears to reference Swift\u2019s ex, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, who is bandmates with Charli\u2019s husband George Daniel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Taylor Swift\u2019s new album, The Life of a Showgirl<\/em>, might have a diss track about Charli XCX. Fans believe the lyrics to the song \u201cActually Romantic\u201d put the Brat<\/em> star on blast.<\/p>\n To recap, Swift and Charli first had friction when Charli<\/a> made a comment about opening up for the pop superstar\u2019s Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018. Speaking to Pitchfork<\/em><\/a> the following year, the \u201c360\u201d singer said, \u201cI\u2019m really grateful that [Taylor] asked me on that tour. But as an artist, it kind of felt like I was getting up on stage and waving to 5-year-olds.\u201d While she later clarified her comments in an X post<\/a>, Swifties questioned if there was lingering tension between the two artists.<\/p>\n Joseph Okpako\/WireImage<\/p>\n Charli XCX performs at Roskilde Festival 2025 on July 02, 2025 in Denmark.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Skip ahead to Brat<\/em> summer in 2024, and the suspected feud escalated with the release of Charli\u2019s track \u201cSympathy Is a Knife.\u201d The song\u2019s lyrics describe the singer\u2019s insecurity about an unnamed woman. Lines like “Don\u2019t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend\u2019s show \/ Fingers crossed behind my back \/ I hope they break up quick\u201d seemingly referenced Swift\u2019s short-lived, unconfirmed relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy in 2023 (Charli\u2019s then-boyfriend, now-husband<\/a> is The 1975\u2019s George Daniel).<\/p>\n Swift appeared to clear up rumors<\/a> of a feud with the \u201cApple\u201d musician in 2024, telling New York <\/em><\/a>magazine, \u201cI\u2019ve been blown away by Charli\u2019s melodic sensibilities since I first heard \u2018Stay Away\u2019 in 2011. Her writing is surreal and inventive, always. She just takes a song to places you wouldn\u2019t expect it to go, and she\u2019s been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off.\u201d<\/p>\n Just a few months earlier, Charli\u2019s fanbase had called out Swift on social media over the timing of her release of new versions of The Tortured Poets Department<\/em>. Swift\u2019s 2024 album spent a sixth week at No. 1 in the United Kingdom because of the variants\u2014the same week Charli\u2019s Brat<\/em> or Bon Jovi\u2019s Forever<\/em> had been predicted to land No. 1, per Forbes<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Swift\u2019s New York<\/em> comments marked the end of the drama\u2014or so it seemed. The lyrics to Swift\u2019s new track, \u201cActually Romantic,\u201d have fans declaring their feud back on. In particular, the opening lyrics \u201cI heard you call me \u2018Boring Barbie\u2019 when the coke\u2019s got you brave \/ High-fived my ex and then said you\u2019re glad he ghosted me \/ Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face\u201d seem to point to Charli.<\/p>\n Fans have suggested online that the lyric about coke could be seen as a veiled reference to Charli\u2019s lyrics on Brat<\/em>\u2014such as in song \u201c365,\u201d where the English artist sings about \u201cbumpin’ that\u201d and \u201c[having] a little line.\u201d<\/p>\n Robert Kamau\/GC Images<\/p>\n Taylor Swift and Matty Healy seen leaving ‘The Electric Lady’ studio in Manhattan on May 16, 2023.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Healy is widely believed to be the high-fiving \u201cex\u201d in question. He attended Charli\u2019s second wedding<\/a> to his bandmate, Daniel, with his fianc\u00e9, Gabbriette, in September 2025. That leaves \u201cSympathy Is a Knife,\u201d the track about Charli\u2019s insecurity around another artist in her circle, as the \u201csong\u201d Swift may be referring to in the verse.<\/p>\n The chorus, meanwhile, sees Swift describing it as \u201cactually romantic\u201d how much time the song\u2019s unnamed subject spends thinking and talking about her. Only time will tell if the two supposed pop rivals can work it out on the remix.<\/p>\n<\/div>