It’s so difficult to speak on topics such as these. In ways, it simply promotes the indecency that is putting women against women. It’s so important to remember that in the world of music media, it’s so easy for these things to be totally blown out of proportion. My job here at the declaration is not to overdramatize the little details. It is to very simply give you the facts. And the facts are that, whether it’s true or not, there has been some speculating tension between rising superstar Olivia Rodrigo, and music industry frontwoman Taylor Swift.
Let’s Rewind
In order to properly explain, we should start from the beginning. Even before Rodrigo’s show-stopping release of “Driver’s License,” she and Swift had a growing relationship. The “Cruel Summer” singer had noticed Rodrigo on TikToks and Instagram posts, and even gifted her a ring that was similar to the one she wore when writing “Red.” On top of that, Rodrigo had claimed to always have been a superfan, and even went as far as to claim that she was the “world’s biggest swiftie.” Additionally, Rodrigo reacted in ways that were grateful and excited to Swift’s kind comments. For instance, when Swift referred to Rodrigo as “my baby,” and the “deja vu” singer responded by saying: “Thinking about legally changing my name to ‘Taylor Swift’s Baby.’”
Accusations of Plagiarism
Once Sour is released, the web starts to tangle. Something important to mention is that on Rodrigo’s “1 step forward, 3 steps back,” Swift and Jack Antonoff were listed as songwriters.
This brings us into our first conflict. Rodrigo had previously praised Swift’s “Cruel Summer” for inspiring her to create the bridge of “deja vu” on Teen Vogue. However, this started to become a problem for Swift and her team. In July of 2021, Antonoff and Swift were given credit for the “contribution” of their mental property. On this song, they were listed as songwriters on “deja vu.”
The “plagiarism” accusations do not end here. In September of 2021, Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams and bandmate Josh Farro were given songwriting credits on Rodrigo’s “good 4 u.” Fans were comparing Rodrigo’s song to Paramore’s “Misery Business” for months, and eventually, this comparison would rob Rodrigo of 50% of the songs royalties, putting her millions of dollars in the hole.
Olivia addresses the rumors… sort of
Olivia very briefly spoke out on the plagiarism accusations during an interview with Teen Vogue, saying “I hope people know that, deep down, all that I do is write songs and talk about how I feel, and that’s the most important thing to me. Everything else, I think, is not so important.”
After this, despite some minor and insignificant conflicts and a Recording Academy “submission error” when listing Swift and Antonoff as nominees for Album of the Year for Sour, the gossip seemed to die. Well, for a year, at least.
The Eras Tour
One of the most important and most intriguing things that came of this topic was this next point. Swift’s Eras tour date list was released on June 2nd, 2023. Here, it was listed that Sabrina Carpenter would be joining her as an opening act. Now, if there’s anything you know about Olivia Rodrigo, it’s the increasing tension between her, Carpenter, and Joshua Bassett–the original love triangle that skyrocketed all three into stardom. So, with the knowledge of that, why would Swift and her team willingly agree to cater to Carpenter? Why, understanding the rising tightness between her and Rodrigo? The question still baffles me. Not that Carpenter does not deserve the recognition, because she absolutely does, I just find it strange.
“Bleeding Me Dry”
Not long after this, on June 30th, 2023, “Vampire” was released. Fans immediately speculated that the song was about her ex-lover Adam Faze, but the rumor was blatantly denied in an interview with People. Due to this, fans slowly started to think about the Taylor-Olivia drama. Some began hypothesizing that the song was geared towards Swift. This rumor was never outwardly denied.
Is It Over?
After this, the tension was obviously still there. However, both stars have been exhibiting signs of good character towards the other. Rodrigo praised Swift’s Era’s tour by calling it “The tour of all tours,” Swift was seen singing and dancing during Rodrigo’s performance at the VMA’s, and Rodrigo also vaguely denied the speculations before the awards show, saying “People are going to say what they want to say. I feel like the more you try to control it, the more miserable you are, and the bigger it gets. I just write songs; it’s not my job to interpret them for other people.”
Obviously, I will be updating you as events continue to play out. With that being said, for now, the water has seemed to stop boiling–well, the temperature has lowered, I suppose.
