In the latest turn of pop cultural intrigue, rumors swirl that Taylor Swift & Charli XCX are now engaged in a musical feud. Charli took to X and posted this cryptic tweet, a mere two days after Taylor Swift dropped her new album, where Taylor alluded to a particular someone who had named her a “Boring Barbie, when the coke’s got them brave”.
To uncover their feud, we have to take it back to 2024. In 2024 Charli released the widely popular album Brat, which included a track titled “Sympathy Is a Knife”. The song tells of Charli feeling overshadowed by a prominent artist and hints at some backstage drama. Although Charli came out publicly and dispelled any rumors that the song was about Taylor Swift; it didn’t stop her fans from chanting “Taylor is Dead” at her concerts.
What’s ironic is that Taylor Swift has come to say almost the same about the track “Actually Romantic” in her newly released album. Swift states the song is merely about a one-sided, misinterpreted attention; and isn’t alluding to one specific person. This brings us to the present, where many fans are speculating the cryptic tweet with a studio video and a singular “<3” released by Charli could be the oncoming of a musical feud between the two artists.
In all honesty this says a lot more about contemporary pop than you think, while artists may publicly refute any rumors, their fans connect the dots behind the cameras. If this feud does play out, it’s impossible to think it would go anything like Drake & Kendrick Lamar’s infamous feud. Rivalry among female artists often becomes a media spectacle, where both parties end up on the losing team. With Taylor Swift and Charli XCX having first-hand experience on how brutal this industry can be toward female artists, I doubt this tension will play out through social media squabbles or interviews. If there is to be a feud, it’ll be through layered storywriting and fan decoding. Either way the public is watching & listening to see exactly how this plays out.
