Taylor Swift has expressed discomfort with fans who analyse her lyrics to identify the subjects of her songs, likening the behaviour to a 'paternity test'. The 36-year-old singer made the remarks in a video interview for The New York Times Magazine's feature on the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters.
Swift acknowledged that some fans take detective work too far, trying to uncover who each song is about. 'When it gets a little bit weird for me is when people act like it's a paternity test. Like, “This song's about that person.” Because I'm like, “That dude didn't write the song, I did,”' she said.
The singer, who is now engaged to NFL star Travis Kelce, has dated several high-profile celebrities including Joe Alwyn, Harry Styles and Jake Gyllenhaal. Many of her biggest hits are believed to be inspired by these relationships, but Swift has previously asked fans not to harass individuals she may have written about.
In 2023, during a performance in Minneapolis, she urged fans not to defend her online over a song she wrote '14 million years ago', in an apparent reference to 'Dear John', which is rumoured to be about John Mayer. Swift also had to dismiss false rumours in 2020 that she was about to release an album titled 'Woodvale'.
Despite the scrutiny, Swift emphasised that she creates art for herself. 'You have to hold tight to your perception of your art and your relationship with it,' she said. 'There it goes. Hope you like it. And if you don't now, hope you do in five years, and if you never do, then I was doing it for me anyway.'
