Taylor Swift has expressed frustration with fans who analyse her lyrics to identify the subjects of her songs, likening the behaviour to 'paternity tests'. In a recent interview for The New York Times Magazine, the 36-year-old singer said she finds it 'weird' when fans focus on who a song is about rather than appreciating the craft.
Swift acknowledged that some fans take detective work to 'a really extreme place', trying to uncover details about her personal life. She emphasised that she writes the songs, not the people they might be about. 'That dude didn't write the song, I did,' she said.
The singer has previously asked fans to stop targeting individuals she is rumoured to have written about. During a 2023 Eras Tour performance in Minneapolis, she urged fans not to defend her online over a song written '14 million years ago'. She also had to quash a rumour in 2020 that she was releasing an album titled 'Woodvale'.
Despite the backlash, Swift remains committed to her artistic vision. 'You have to hold tight to your perception of your art and your relationship with it,' she told the magazine. 'And if you never do, then I was doing it for me anyway.'
