The TRUTH About Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo's Feud

[@thisissarah815]

I love how you don’t blindly think Taylor is a perfect saint. I hate how the fandom thinks she can do nothing wrong. The truth is she’s a human just like the rest of us. She done very good things but she’s also infallible. This is the most grounded, genuine take I’ve heard from anyone. And this is the channel I go to to get the most mature, accurate breakdowns.i know it’s fallible my bad 😬

[@user-gt2pn4vt4j]

Fallible

[@katien.1921]

I totally agree... which is why it's mind boggling to me that IF Taylor had an affair with Tom Hiddleston, Zach would defend her. That seems way out of character to me

[@sentprime1844]

I love how he doesn't talk about Olivia copying other artist besides the Paramore story...which was so basic...GUTS already has so many comparisons already...its a pattern with her...if Taylor Swift did this we would be hearing about it non stop...

[@samanthalacerda5362]

​@@katien.1921that's because NO ONE CARES ABOUT CALVIN HARRIS lol i know i couldn't care less about him

[@rittataylor_2000]

​@@katien.1921I think it's also because of the Calvin Harris drama that happened with the Rihanna song he basically tried to have sole credit of that song after the breakup and really had no intention of telling truth that's really was a shady thing to do thats why I think most swifties didn't want to side with him either

[@andreaf8404]

even though we dont know and might never know the specifics of the situation, there's a part of me that can't help but feel bad for Olivia. imagine having your favorite artist and idol pay attention to you, and then having something happen between you (no matter whose fault it was). i can imagine that being disappointing and even weird for you to revisit music you used to love

[@angelakiprevski7352]

Olivia learnt "it's better not to meet your idol" the hard way (assuming that she feels slighted by Taylor)

[@noitsbecky.4291]

completely agree :( it’s also sad that taylor feels obliged to give in to the heavy businesse side of music and even if she liked olivia, she still has to keep up her business. which is the sad reality of music today.

[@vankr]

As a fan of Taylor, I can't even imagine how horrible I would feel if we met and it turned out she hated my guts. This took a real tool at Olivia's reputation as a writer, and coming from someone you loved since you were a kid.

[@stillfangirlingtoday1468]

@@vankr Even if something happened between them, I don't think Taylor hates Olivia, I think Olivia may or may not feel some way about Taylor which I can understand, but I don't think she would be justified in her "bad blood". I think Taylor may just not "love" her anymore, she is after all now direct competition so they can't be best friends because if Taylor wants to stay relevant she needs Gen Z more than us millennials and up and that is also Olivia's market.

[@ari_ed]

​@@stillfangirlingtoday1468agree. Even if the situation differ but the competition is always there. She feuding with Katy Perry may becuz of backup dancers but if U think abt it, the market then was millennials n Katy is direct competition with Tay but now it's genZ so now it's Oliv who's Tay competitor . That's just how it is. N not to mention people just loves comparing the two women especially in terms of music n song writing. I mean Tay takes pride in her writing. If I were her, I would x be buddy-buddy with Oliv too even if she's a swiftie.

[@Jorge_Fimbres]

Another thing that I believe is also telling of this alleged beef is the fact that Conan Gray, the other “Taylor’s child” and Olivia’s bestie, stopped being vocal about Taylor and went from being a stan to “I have not listened to Midnights yet”… sus

[@taylorswifteditsl3]

and they hadnt attended the eras tour once. so suspicious when they're claiming the "biggest" or "number 1" fan of hers

[@Doorto_theriver]

Ooo that’s tea. I didn’t know that.

[@bargainhuntermama]

You guys their world doesn't revolve around Taylor Swift. They've both been busy with their own projects.

[@pamela6817]

@@bargainhuntermama ofc but remember just a couple years ago those two literally worshiped taylor, they were full on stans calling her mother and what not, even while promoting their projects they would mention her. so it is strange this sudden switch up and negligence.... makes u really wonder lol

[@taylorswifteditsl3]

@@bargainhuntermama eras tour is considered the biggest grandest tour ever for swifties, if they're still a fan, why would they miss a night of fun and good vibes with other swifties? there's something really going on 'cause it's so easy for them to get tickets if they want to. i mean they could even have given vip seats where celebrity usually sits considering taylor already knew them.

[@vvieites001]

Taylor seems to only endorse relatively unknown/unpopular artists…like you said, artists that are no real threat or competition to her

[@nilay_nur]

I don't think the reason for that is that they aren't a threat to her. I think the reason is that those kind of artists have more artistic credebility. Taylor has always craved approval from the non-mainstream/ indie artist community and associating with them boots her credebility. Olivia on the other hand is currenty making "teenage girl music" which is a label Taylor tried really hard to escape (and also the accusations surrounding Olivia being "unoriginal"," an industry plant" and let's be honest her lyricism being weak), being compared to and associated with her probably bothers Taylor.

[@vvieites001]

@@nilay_nurI have to disagree with Olivia’s lyricism being weak. I think it’s better than a lot (though not all) of what Taylor put out at 29, especially on this album. And her elevating gayle by bringing her on tour when gayle is only known for 1 song that went viral shows Taylor isn’t all that interested in only elevating “good” indie artists. And I like Gracie Abrams but lyrically she’s weak at times, and no better than Olivia in that aspect, yet Taylor invites her to be an opener. I think sometimes it’s true that Taylor elevates artists she respects as artists (like the national , big red machine, bon iver)…but when it comes to new artists she only seems to endorse those who are less popular and have less potential than she did at their age and don’t threaten her status in the industry.

[@danielapardo9776]

I have noticed that Olivia is the first big artist coming out with Taylor Swift influence. And taking your comment in consideration, this situation doesn't seem right really.

[@crow0924]

@@nilay_nur Olivia is way bigger than Taylor to Gen Z and some millenials and baby boomers. She is THREATENED!

[@ileray7447]

@@crow0924yes! I’m a millennial and a fan of Olivia and I see many of my peers are as well. She has something nostalgic about her that I think takes us back to the every 00’s. I also like Taylor but Olivia has something special about her and I think she’s threatened big time.

[@darkseanymph7411]

I'm glad somebody said it out loud. I really felt that Taylor was taking candy from a baby about those royalties. As a queen, it was not neccessary. That made me really sad.

[@thejokeswerentfunny]

Lol same

[@TASwiftyFan13]

As hard as Taylor has worked for her career and success and after what was done to her by Scooter Braun and the false Stories the media puts out about her at times she had every right to take those royalties because I guarantee if it was vice versa Olivia would definitely take them

[@rosanaconta3416]

​@@TASwiftyFan13Does she believe in karma? But she doesn't believe in forgiveness. Which means sheer hypocrisy. Since she lied about Camila Belle and Katy Perry and even her guitar teacher she sued. Taylor L that she cheated or mistreated, she is a friend. She wants forgiveness from others but never forgives anyone and has already said that she doesn't believe in forgiveness which is hypocrisy. Joe Jonas she tried to cast him as VILLAIN when SHE hung up the phone. Clearly her narratives are unreliable. _She quotes her exes in a negative way, putting herself as a saint and instigating fans to judge, victimizing herself. Do other artists do this? no .If they reacted to her lies they would be called sexist. As her idolaters do to John. With Calvin Harris she was silent, because she knew he was going to turn on her. He wasn't afraid of her or her fans. A woman who lied about katy and never apologized or recanted. The dancers took Katy's side. A woman who vilified Joe for years with a call that SHE disconnected. A woman who cursed and lied to Camila Bele but never apologized directly and publicly as she demands of others. A horrible person apparently gave praise to have the support of children and teenagers fans. Does Taylor dance more than Beyoncé or does she sing? like Michel J? what totally new did she create? Michell is an inspiration to this day. In all the situations you mentioned, she never apologized, but the people she affected who were better than her let it go. She blatantly lied about Joe, Katy and Camila. And he never faced the consequences or apologized. very petulant

[@ascendednightingale2456]

@@TASwiftyFan13No. Sorry, but Olivia didn’t do those things to her. Just because Taylor is successful and has been wronged by people doesn’t give her the right to royalties to a song she had no part in. That was a bitch move on her part.

[@angelamarie4137]

It had nothing to do with money. It had to do with respecting other artists and giving credit where it is due. The fact that people do not understand that is astounding. Olivia must've had really shitty advisors.

[@Hannah_jo25]

I think the biggest shame is that Olivia and other young artists have to self-censor their own admiration for musical influences in fear that their own craft will be dismissed. I love Taylor and love to see her song writing tendencies appear in newer artists but to give her credit for their art is inappropriate and I think would kinda take the wind out of anyone’s sails.

[@nishthagupta1357]

Yep

[@beccac6812]

I feel so bad for Olivia in this whole thing. I don’t think she ever had any ill intent , nor do I think she purposefully ripped anyone’s music off : she got a dose of music industry harshness , and maybe that’s just business but I can’t imagine how she feels about this Taylor stuff, I’d be devastated and I think she’d handled it with immense class .

[@beccac6812]

For reference I’m a huge Taylor fan and I love her but this particular situation I wish she handled differently

[@amanda.paccagnella]

Well, it doesn't have to be intentional. Her intent doesn't really matter, what matters is intellectual/artistic property.

[@beccac6812]

@@amanda.paccagnella that part aside she’s also been torn down by swifties which has nothing to do with IP ( I’m not a lawyer I just feel bad for her as a person)

[@amanda.paccagnella]

​@@beccac6812 Yeah, hate culture really sucks. But it's not Taylor's fault. She never even spoke about it, people just assumed.

[@oshing9]

@@amanda.paccagnella what about halsey sounding exactly like taylor and copying her music in her initial years!?

[@kristinrobertson2076]

I think the most important point you made her is that Taylor is a businesswoman first and foremost; music just happens to be the product she sells. She saw a threat to her brand and handled it, which to Olivia - the hero-worshipping ingenue - must’ve been incredibly hurtful and confusing. It is disappointing to see TS “punish” another artist for making a newbie mistake when she herself likes to talk about how hard the industry has been on her.

[@anisanurraudah8383]

I am sorry but Taylor's passion is first and foremost MUSIC. I can't believe after everything she does for young artists and the music industry and then suddenly you still believe she felt threatened by this girl? Have yall forget how supportive she is for olivia and conan during their rookie year? Stop saying shit and spread lies.

[@nadaAhmed-nz7ye]

will you share with us,how she handled this situation? looool do you work for taylor? or have an inside knowledge

[@sarahmcdonough2307]

@@anisanurraudah8383 I love Taylor, but she stood to benefit when they were helping her promote fearless and heaping praise and admiration on her, the least she could do was support their art too, but as the Swiftologist said, she tends to only want to support artists that are not a threat to her. If she were truly supporting Olivia, I think even if she felt she was owed the writing Cred for De Ja Vu...after Taylor herself has also been accused of copying other artists in the past, I would have thought she would have been more understanding and they could have peacefully worked something out, it seems like Taylor just happily took the Cred and money like it was all strictly business. I don't think Olivia would be so hurt if it had been handled better

[@goshatomasik]

⁠@@anisanurraudah8383Idk. Unfortunately it looks super weird when one of the most successful stars who people call “ the music industry” takes 50% of royalties of a song of a young artist. Even IF (big if) one could conclude that OR heavily lifted from Cruel Summer, that part of the song is like 20 sec long… doesn’t warrant 50% of royalties on a song that TS, JA and SV did not work on for a minute. Like looking at it from a macro zoomed out view… it does not look good. So understand when people have questions. TS isn’t a saint and has done things in the past that I’m sure she regretted (re: katy perry)

[@elizabeth00653]

@@sarahmcdonough2307 The take that does seem to be the most reasonable take which is Taylor was taken aback by how successful Deja Vu was. But what confused me is that she did give Olivia a matching ring and called her "her little prodigy" when Drivers License was out, like there was no need to lift up a competitor that much without some of it being genuine, Olivia was already quite famous back then. Maybe Taylor considered it a good PR move to be a mentor or caring older sister. But then changed her mind?

[@nimratmand3318]

I was furiously nodding my head the whole time. I really agree with everything that you said here. THANK YOU for speaking up about this because god knows someone needed to. DEJA VU IS NOT COPIED. I'm so sick of hearing people who can't even sing on tune saying it's copied. Just because both the songs do the shout-ish singing style doesn't make them similar. You can't own a singing style for god's sake.

[@magnoliaskogen]

"You can't own a singing style for god's sake" !!!!! Exactly this

[@nadaAhmed-nz7ye]

go and say that to olivia cause she wrote and added the credit looool you talking as if taylor launched a legal case@@magnoliaskogen

[@daniellecalder5193]

Do we know how Taylor got credit and the specifics of all of this? I’m so curious. Maybe Olivia just agreed because she didn’t want Taylor to sue? Why agree to give Taylor credit if it’s not even similar?

[@dahjiat.8562]

@@nadaAhmed-nz7yeit’s very possible she did it to stop the drama and keep peace, not necessarily bc it was true.

[@nadaAhmed-nz7ye]

@dahjiat.8562 That's speculation from your part...none of know what happened..but it seems some are acting like they were there loool

[@magnoliaskogen]

Thank you for naming that Taylor Swift did not invent diaristic/emotional/confessional songwriting!! I am so sick of the Swifties who have never heard a single Joni Mitchell song suggesting that Taylor Swift is uniquely skilled at songwriting and that no one before Taylor was ever as good at writing as her.

[@amrees5634]

@Alejandro-gk9jw Yep! Fiona Apple for starters with the raw moody vibes that Lana also has

[@amrees5634]

@Alejandro-gk9jw love Hope

[@senmurw4428]

I, as a head Swiftie who's heard plenty ot Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Lisa Germona, Joanna Newsom, Nick Drake, will keep on pretending Taylor invented it idgaf

[@adrianmiranda1613]

And yet swifties they dare to call Joni Mitchell a "flop" cause she doesn't have any streams. This fandom makes me sick most of the time tbh.

[@anag2490]

Joni Mitchell voice and song wayyyy better, even the musical arrangements. She one and only.

[@scatterbrain8202]

if olivia gave a part of amount for deja vu to taylor, taylor should give half of amount earned from wildest dreams to lana del rey. Wildest dreams' melody is exact as Without you from lana del rey, which came out 2 years earlier than 1989

[@byyouthgonewild]

Taylor has definitely “copied” other artists… and, in her case, ones without the same level of fame and power as her.

[@Lunearien]

Also Paramore Misery Business. You can mash-up We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together with that, and it'd sound almost identical (albeit slower tempo than Misery Business)

[@isplongklong]

Truth! Somebody here even made a whole list of songs that TS interpolated from yet she never had to share her royalties with those artists.

[@mamamememoo]

@@isplongklongit’s up these artistes to go after her

[@isplongklong]

@@mamamememoo These artists consider it petty and unprofessional to go after royalties, especially when it involves a young and naive, up and coming artist. They know that every artist has interpolated from other artists, which makes Taylor accepting the 50% of royalties for "Deja Vu" truly petty and unprofessional.

[@kitschesque]

People definitely mistake inspiration for plagiarism. I remember my art professor at uni specifically telling us great work starts with moodboards/inspo so that it's easier to narrow down and navigate what we want the end product to be. Of course Olivia would be referencing a 2007 pop-rock (Miley included) wave if she's going for that scrapbook, young girl, teenage confessions type of vision!

[@roberto-zw6ru]

You are one of the only people who gives a true opinion and analysis of Taylor without hatred or hero worship. Thank you I dont always agree with you and that is great. By the way elements of swifttok are calling you a bully and hate you. Keep up the good work and since when is calling someone out on silly opinions bullying. 🤔

[@theswiftologist]

Swifttok is irrelevant to my life……

[@imgonnaputsomedirtinureyedabs]

Good for u haha sometimes swifttok can be a bit much…

[@roberto-zw6ru]

It is delulu land. Do you think there will be a Bad Bunny collab. It would be smart to tap into his fan base. @@theswiftologist

[@dancegidance]

Swifttok is a cesspool of toxicity…

[@aaliyahfoster2705]

@@roberto-zw6ru Bad Bunny was recently on a single called K-POP with The Weeknd and Travis, both huge artists as well. Made little waves compared to their own works.

[@Mbizalalla21]

I can’t believe you are actually a Swiftie you are so objective and really refreshing compared to most swifties on Twitter

[@lstarsabb]

I a new swift but only because i admire Taylor's outsmarting the music industry and her how incridble she is on tour, but I know she can be a mean girl and then when she's called out she plays victim or mock the backlash in her music. I get genz referencing the 90's and early 2000's can get annoying, but i feel like Taylor of all people could have handle that without making her feel regret for looking up to her. She basically did to her what Kanye did to her.

[@nishthagupta1357]

Ikr

[@nishthagupta1357]

​@@lstarsabb yeah & that's sad

[@2Inex5]

@@lstarsabb "She basically did what Kanye did to her" sorry, what????!!!! were you not alive during 2009 or something? cause Kanye west literally embarrassed in front of the whole world on live tv in her first VMA award ever. Till this day he said "he made her famous", literally. Comparing the situations is absurd and offensive tbh.

[@WonderstruckVault]

@@lstarsabb The last sentence is just purely wrong.

[@LukeAlexander]

Finally someone with a brain speaking on this topic

[@soph3217]

OH MY GOD. LUKE AND ZACH. HIII

[@PotatoWaffle-sl4xf]

Luke is a swiftie??!

[@emilymarie1932]

I will always be a huge fan of TS! HOWEVER, I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that she doesn’t want someone to “outshine” her, even tho, no one will be able to, in the same way that is. I wish TS would have handled it in a better fashion. I couldn’t imagine looking up to TS for so long, only to get burned by her :/ very sad for Olivia.

[@lfitzgerald0624]

“Outshine” is not her goal or thing, she knows that others will someday bump her from that #1 top spot. She’ll be moving on in 2026 after the tour to do other things like directing or a kid or marriage or farming- who knows.

[@TomUniverse]

Unpopular Opinion: Olivia Rodrigo sounds nothing like Taylor Swift. I don’t get the relationship other than that Olivia Rodrigo likes Taylor Swift’s music.

[@saturn6563]

Agreed. 1sf3sb sounds nothing like New Year’s Day imo and it took me way too long to get the resemblance between déjà vu and cruel summer.

[@brubs2556]

I think the sound is not really similar, but the lyrics - and the way they both tell very personal stories in her albums, and fans listen to it, relate to it, and then try to extract the meaning behind it - THAT is very similar. It's almost like even though the songs don't SOUND alike, they offer a very similar experience to a very similar target audience.

[@StaceyLuvsSnom]

@@brubs2556still doesn’t deserve credits cuz these experiences are not exclusive to Taylor Swift

[@thosefroggyfolks2004]

I think part of this Olivia-Taylor “rivalry” comes from how Swifties idolize Taylor to an unhealthy degree. Like during the first leg of the Eras Tour, some of the local residents complained about noise and traffic. A lot of Swifties were so callous, like, “Those people should be GRATEFUL that their houses were shaking until late into the night! If I was stuck in traffic for hours because of a concert I didn’t go to, I would be THANKING Taylor herself!” So, Taylor and Olivia not being besties-for-life can ONLY mean that they hate each other and it’s also Olivia’s fault and it’s totally not because they have a 10 year age gap.

[@mkschiavone]

Good point, but also consider how she is calling Sabrina Carpenter her baby and taking her under her wing. Regardless, Taylor has made it obvious that there is no need for a friend/mentor/mentee relationship between her and Olivia.

[@Bluebooty]

@@mkschiavonei think Taylor might have resonated with sabrina’s story of getting backlash for dating olivia’s ex. Hence she might have wanted to stick by her vs olivia

[@nishthagupta1357]

​@@mkschiavoneikr & that is just sad

[@nishthagupta1357]

​@@Bluebootythat's so wrong though.. Sabrina was wrong for flirting with a guy who's already in a relationship. And moving on too quick too.

[@makayla03333]

@@nishthagupta1357 Joshua and Olivia already broke up by the time Sabrina and Joshua were talking. and the situation was completely exaggerated by the internet. Sabrina never flirted with Joshua. Olivia has already stated that her and Sabrina have no beef with each other, it’s been years leave Sabrina alone.

[@beccab8294]

Stan twitter will NOT like this one lol. I don't know why people stubbornly refuse to AT LEAST admit that the situation has changed between them. It's like it's giving them a stinging allergic reaction to just admit it, it’s so stupid

[@theswiftologist]

LMAO

[@aaliyahfoster2705]

Big thought: It could very well be the publishers for the labels who wanted to pursue it and in that case, a bunch of NDAs and legality comes into play. That's why Olivia seems to beat around the bushes over the instance and Taylor can't or won't address it (yet). The bigwigs at Universal Music Group don't play around despite Taylor's presence. Taylor already gave them a 'hose mad' moment when she didn't want to work with their conglomerate for the Eras Tour movie. Like just a few months ago, artists from the 80s and 90s were suing Universal over copyright dispute and each of their attempts were denied in court.

[@namantherockstar]

Olivia inspires me.. My parents said if i get 50K followers They'd buy me a professional camera for recording..begging u guys , literally Begging.

[@SallyRoden]

They can’t accept this very strong theory because they’re accepting that Taylor is flawed; and that she may have hurt someone or done something to someone that didn’t deserve it. They can’t handle that. It ruins their perception of Taylor.

[@MermaidCore_]

@@aaliyahfoster2705 that is a fascinating take.

[@rosiex1841]

Whether there's a "feud" between Taylor and Olivia or whether 'vampire' or any of the GUTS tracks are about Taylor, I genuinely hope Olivia is doing okay right now. Since 'drivers licence' she's had an intense magnifying glass put on both her professional and personal life. That's hard for anyone, but I image it's especially hard when you're only 18 years old. Olivia is truly talented with the potential to be a big star for many years to come. I hope that one day she can make her art and put it into the world without needing to face as much scrutiny and speculation as she has over the past two and a half years.

[@rosiex1841]

*imagine

[@dreamguestonmypodcast1989]

@@rosiex1841lol

[@treefish008]

All I’m saying is that if Taylor had to give up 50% credit for Picture To Burn to her idol in 2006 we would be hearing about it to this day

[@mafer3127]

Fr

[@alenemarie1726]

Yeeeepppppp!!!!!

[@tayluvofficial]

Girl, stop hating on Taylor. You sound dumb. She's literally the artist of this generation. Olive could never

[@theasterarchive]

and THERE IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@EnthusiasticIslandParadi-el7gc]

"You built me up to watch me fall. You have everything and you still want more."

[@JosieMarie-vg9ei]

I thought the same thing!

[@Magnoliainmay]

Exactly!

[@ericagreene1579]

I can't imagine how damaging it must be for Olivia in this situation, I think it must have been so difficult on a personal level as well as for her brand. I think the cruel summer comparison is such a reach. I also think Taylor is super petty sometimes lol. Like her 'feud' with katy perry was also so unnecessary. I appreciate that you can acknowledge her passive aggressiveness too.

[@nishthagupta1357]

Her feud with Katy Perry was understandable tbh

[@ghitarakik8508]

​@@nishthagupta1357 how?

[@Mar1293]

@@ghitarakik8508They won’t answer because she knows she’s blindly defending the billionaire that doesn’t care about her without evidence. Started listening to Taylor this year and I now know I’ll just be a casual fan. This fan base is absolutely disgusting a lot of the time.

[@Dayz2005]

@@nishthagupta1357Taylor only cares about your bank account sweetheart

[@alenemarie1726]

The thing that gets me about this thing is Olivia is a TEEN for almost all of this! She’s a kid!!! Taylor’s an adult, an adult who knows the industry and the business so well and instead of gently talking about and helping her in the business like she claims she does, she went behind her back and sued a KID.

[@arishaxoxoxo]

she never sued anyone

[@edi165]

As a die hard swiftie who stans Olivia Rodrigo (like Zach), I honestly feel so bad for Olivia. The thought of Taylor not liking me makes me feel sick…

[@nishthagupta1357]

Ikr

[@KosiEkemiri-rb8ct]

😂

[@lovericepudding]

You have to be kidding me 🙄😂

[@sebastianmunoz3484]

Great analysis! It's also true that many people have said that Taylor's dispute with Scooter Braun was purely business for him: Scott Borchetta simply sold her music to the highest bidder. However, what truly enraged Taylor was not just the transaction itself but rather who he sold her music to. This wasn't just business; it felt like a personal insult to her. A similar situation arose with Olivia; while Taylor might view it as merely "business," for Olivia, it was far more distressing than that.

[@msvolleyball321]

Exactly!

[@Lunearien]

She got offered too, but decided to gain more money from rerelasing the whole projects instead of paying for old albums that most of her fans already had (& would only generates little money in the future too) So yeah, it's just business. But as usual, she cleverly cover it up as another victimised drama. Which proven to be successful again and again.

[@vegemite_toast]

I agree that when Lover Fest was cancelled and we entered the pandemic she thought that was her last shot at maintaining relevance. So her humbly accepting the next big thing (Olivia) was her best move but then Folklore EXPLODED and her competitive side did a 180. I don't blame her but she could've been way more graceful about it. Especially considering how ungracious Joni Mitchell had been towards her. It's not fun when your idol rejects you.

[@wonderunicornninja]

Rejected her? Please elaborate

[@Clair648]

​@@wonderunicornninja well I agree not reject 😅 but Taylor go after Olivia if we look closely at what she did. I love both artists but it was a surprise to me because Taylor Swift a person who I believe that tell others to protects young artists can treat Olivia that way. 50% royalty cut without any contribution in the production was too much😅 she saw the relation ship with Olivia like a business more so I can see how heartbroken Olivia much feel as a die-hard fan of Taylor. Taylor just like opps well come to the business reality kid😅

[@rosanaconta3416]

​@@Clair648👏👏👏

[@Lunearien]

I mean Joni might find it distasteful to be compared (for the lack of better term) to a teenage exes-related drama songwriter (a label that can't be erased sonce it's Taylor most lucrative drama to sell to her fans)

[@vickypd7020]

I think there's a very sad kind of irony around the whole obsession with what songs on Guts are about Taylor (if any), when Taylor herself has faced this kind of scrutiny her entire career, the endless parsing of any song that she puts out to see who it's about. Swifties should be able to recognize the damaging narrative and step away from it. It's reductive and insulting to Olivia just like it's always been to Taylor

[@bargainhuntermama]

Since I'm not a hardcore fan of either but do listen to both artists' music, this was my thought as well. I just kept thinking about the irony in all this manufactured drama. I feel for Olivia.

[@sarahmcdonough2307]

True! But at the same time...Taylor doesn't even really 'disguise' who a lot of her songs are about, and most of the time there's no use in any of us even pretending we don't know who it's about, because she's not trying to hide it. Songs like Innocent, Better than Revenge, Dear John, Bad Blood, Look What You Made Me Do, Vigilante Shit. There are a few we have to make educated guesses about, but she generally leaves very obvious clues in her lyrics. If she really didn't want people guessing/talking about who it's about, she'd be less obvious. She knows it's what people do, and have done for her entire career. Why is everyone up in arms suddenly because people are analysing Olivia's songs in the same way? like we all happily thoroughly dissected Midnights songs and talked about the subjects - we assumed Question was about Harry, then rethought that re: Matty, but it's unreasonable to talk about any of Olivia's songs maybe being about Taylor? I think Bad Blood is the best comparison...two pop girlies feuding...if we went back to that era, would you guys all be like "it's reductive to talk about the song being about Katy Perry, it MAY be slightly about her, but probably not" like no one was even questioning it, we were all just like yeah....the Katy Perry dis track haha - which she responded with swish swish. I do think that if Olivia did incorporate elements of the Taylor feud into vampire, she cleverly disguised that so it wasn't the sole focus of the lead single - which would be kinda silly. The grudge though...how is including that track any different to Taylor including bad blood in 1989? I definitely think it's fair to speculate (and she might actually want that?) because there are some very obvious clues like the flowers you sent and "you built me up to watch me fall" "you have it all and you still want more" and it absolutely seems to be about someone she looked up to hurting her and not a romantic relationship. It doesn't make the song any less artistic, I think it's actually really neat to get that little glimpse into her feelings. They're not as angry as bad blood, more sad. The most painful line being "you're still everything to me". For reference: I'm both a swiftie and a livy! I'm not taking sides or mad about who's calling who out, but definitely have been curious about what has been going on between them, and I can't deny...the Grudge does sound like our answer to those questions 🤷

[@vickypd7020]

@@sarahmcdonough2307 sure but that's not really what I was saying. I was reffering more to the narrative around it, and how their songwriting then ends up being spoken of as a trick rather than a skill. Most of what I've seen about Vampire isn't really about the quality of the songwriting, even though its a really good song, but about who the song is about. It distracts from the song itself. I agree that Taylor doesn't try to hide who her songs are about, and in consequence to this day there are many many people who reduce her to "that girl that writes songs about her exes", and that's the really damaging part. Olivia is already vulnerable to those kinds of comments becouse she has that same sort of diaristuc writing style. I was more commenting on the fact that history is repeating itself and that's sad. As for the feud, I'm not taking sides either, but I kind of think it would be wierd if Taylor was actively feuding with a 19 year-old girl. At the same time, they're not obligated to like each other and at the end of the day they are competitors.

[@gildanonofyabiznez6430]

​@@Taylorislife13no

[@mohanashewalkar8598]

​@@vickypd7020I think Taylor is not feuding with Olivia. She is neutralizing her competition for a age group that would definitely prefer Rodrigo over her. For her it might be pure business to snub off the competition and move on. For Rodrigo it must be learning why people say never meet your idols.

[@cc1526]

Ngl, the petty drama queen part of me really wanted Olivia to have a “bad blood” moment so Taylor could have her full circle “oh that’s how Katy perry felt” realization. Lol Just cause I love the tea. lol but I’m actually proud of how Olivia handled everything so maturely for her age. I don’t know if I can say the same for Taylor. I LOVE her. She’s my favorite artist. Been here since debut. But the way she handled this has disappointed me a little. She could literally squash all of this just by shouting out guts. But she doesn’t. To say there’s no beef at all just seems very short-sighted because there’s too much evidence to blindly believe such a thing. I don’t know what has gone down behind closed doors, but Taylor has all the money and all the fame and all the power and not to mention, a decade of maturity on this literal teenager. I wish she had handled this better or extended an olive branch. Just my opinion. Still love her as an artist but I don’t have to agree with everything she does.

[@vickyj7834]

Same as you! But also; we know Taylor isn’t emotionally mature as the average 30 something bc of her fame.

[@jubilee4]

​@@vickyj7834 yup, ive been thinking the same thing. "Sometimes i feel like i get older but just never wiser" boooy did she nail herslelf on the head with that one💅

[@Clair648]

​@@vickyj7834 I agree she could have handled this situation more maturely because she has been in the business way longer than Olivia and she is almost double Olivia's age thought that she would be more understanding of Olivia but I guess not😅 I love her music but in this situation 50% cuts without any contribution in the production is just not sit right with me. I understand how heartbroken Olivia must have felt since Taylor was just like her hero 😢

[@jasmeetsandhu229]

Katy perry released swish swish when the public turned on taylor so she did have her full circle moment you said your a drama queen but forgot katy clapping back to taylor

[@nishthagupta1357]

See I understand Taylor asking for royalities. And I understand Olivia being mad about it. Sad part is I get them both

[@samanthaelectra5644]

I think people perceive Taylor Swift’s ability to accurately portray relatable emotional experiences as a young woman to mean that she is “one of us” but she is fundamentally not. I love her music as much as the next teenage girl but I’m not confused about the fact that she has spent enough time in the spotlight that it is mostly who she is now. And that’s not to say that she’s superficial or faking any of the experiences she writes about but just that she is intrinsically different from her target audience. Like you said, she’s a business woman. She’s a capitalist, she’s an adult woman who knows exactly who she is and the kind of power she holds over other people. She literally wrote explaining in no uncertain terms that she is manipulative and knows how to get what she wants. And I don’t think she’s at all evil for that, but it’s unfortunate that a lot of her fans are under the impression that she’s just a simple young woman like they are; that she hold the same values as them, has the same priorities and goals as them, etc. I’m sure she’s genuinely a kind person too, but she’s also ruthless lol and if you’re a Taylor stan that should be part of what you love about her

[@daniellappvp]

Smartest take

[@nishthagupta1357]

Yeah I know that now

[@Tyrenexg]

Trueee

[@Veronik_23]

This is an excellent analisys. She’s a sweet cut throat bitch. My inspiration. 😂

[@eeeowozola]

thats definitely one of the biggest things i like about taylor - her business practices are genuinely so interesting to study. lets be real, the only reason taylor has survived the industry for 17 fucking years is because shes climbed over other artists and done some really selfish things. if you're 100% a good person, you're not gonna make it in hollywood. i truly believe that taylor is a good person, but shes definitely not an angel, and shes done some REALLY shitty things

[@zoidberg6848]

From a business standpoint you’re absolutely right and I understand why Taylor would view Olivia as competition. I saw a tweet that showed the daily streams for female artists on Friday and Taylor’s streams we’re definitely lower then they would’ve been a Friday ago probably due to the overlapping fanbase between her and Olivia. And as we all like to say, Taylor is a great business woman and as a business it’s not good practice to endorse your potential rival.

[@LS-us1jm]

Idk if it’s worth being a shitty person just to be a good business person

[@robynjeema]

When I pitch to investors, it's considered super bad form to say anything bad about direct competition. The polite thing is to point out the differences or advantages your product has. I only have one direct competitor to my business in the world and I'm still friendly with them. Quite frankly, I think acting like Taylor has is worse business. I've been a fan for 17 years and this is the first time she's genuinely disappointed me

[@bekalynn1980]

⁠@@MoMo-rx4zrBut it’s kind of a losing battle IMB because she is never going to appeal to Gen Z as much as Olivia will. Every generation gets their own voice. This doesn’t mean Gen Z can’t like Taylor’s music it Millennials cannot like Olivia’s but your music and life should change as you age. And people like relating to artists We can talk about other artists declining but some of the decline is the other artists are raising families. And you know what there is something to be said for that.

[@peterjacob7664]

​@@bekalynn1980but Guts not perform as good as SOUR and why's that?

[@nishthagupta1357]

​@@LS-us1jmikr

[@tonyschillinger2204]

Being a Livie and not a swiftie, it is refreshing to hear this tension explained. We also don't feel any song is about Taylor. Olivia's 'vampire' has many inspirations from jerk Boyfriends, to Music Industry, to Social bullies. And that is what Olivia has stated, she writes songs about life and her feelings at that time. It's devastating to hear Olivia's song 'teenage dream' because it's about her mental state and struggles to create her second album. Having social media saying she steals songs, doesn't help. It's one of the reasons she didn't release more singles off of SOUR. She was frustrated with the comparisons, which is heartbreaking. 🎶💜🎶

[@stayrigo]

I'm glad I've been seeing more people coming to Olivia's defense on tiktok cause it started feeling like everyone on there was against her

[@nishthagupta1357]

"The grudge" is about Taylor. Vampire is about her exes tbh

[@katskreations7914]

Vampire and the grudge are definitely about Taylor

[@vankr]

Olivia must feel destroyed. Taylor was her idol. The whole thing is just sad

[@nishthagupta1357]

Ikr I'd feel destroyed too coz I idolised Taylor as well

[@StaceyLuvsSnom]

I feel so bad for her😭

[@bluekidmiha778]

As a swiftie, especially one that writes music, I have to say this hurts. Olivia is so talented and didn't deserve what she got. I see no resemblance between the songs and I'm pretty sure Taylor used her power to make Olivia pay for whatever she thought she did. No doubt, I don't know their interactions, maybe Taylor really thought Olivia has ill intentions, but from outside it just seems like a power play and I'm so disappointed. I wish she would address it already

[@nagiach.102]

I'm far more attached to Taylor as an artist than to Olivia but in this case, my sympathy definitely lies with Olivia. I think as you correctly pointed out, she was very naive and not advised well. Some swifties say she was faking her love for Taylor for clout but it's always been obvious to me that wasn't the case. She seemed genuinely invested in her music and ecstatic to be acknowledged by her. I think swifties who refuse to even entertain the idea that Taylor might have pursued the credits case on Deja Vu are being very naive too. We know who demanded credits on Good 4 u, the former Paramore member (and Hayley Williams made her opinion on the matter perfectly clear, denying any involvement). We also know that Elvis Costello didn't get any credits for Brutal despite the large amount of comparisons that song drew to one of his own and he even tweeted about the matter, coming to Olivia's defense. And then there's the Cruel Summer situation. Again, one of the writers ( Jack Antonoff) spoke up about the issue when asked and said "it came through the channels that the bit on 'Deja Vu' was inspired by that bridge and we were going to be credited, and I thought that was really cool" which basically only makes it clear he personally wasn't involved in what went on behind the scenes for these credits to happen. He never says that Taylor found out when he did or denies she had any involvement. And well, Taylor's radio silence about the matter + her not congratulating Olivia on the release of sour despite the fact that there was a song in it interpolating one of her own imo is very telling. Olivia messed up big time by citing Cruel Summer as her inspiration while writing Deja Vu but I think she didn't expect that turn of events, mainly because she had probably overestimated how close she and Taylor really were. Conan Gray, Olivia's best friend, ( and another longtime swiftie who had even defended Taylor publicly back when she was still cancelled by the general public during the Rep era) also appears to have put his swiftie days behind him at least publicly. It's just my opinion but sadly something seems off and it's sad to see considering that for a good while they were like Taylor's musical "kids" (she even called them that when she let them listen to you belong with me tv first and they then made tiktoks promoting it).

[@danxavier25]

One more thing: St. Vincent it's friends with Olivia and has worked with her on "Obsessed", a still to be released song from the physical vynil edition of GUTS. So Jack and St. Vincent are out of the picture... Who do we think asked for those credits? Clear as day! Lol

[@JayaAgarwal-yj6qz]

Someone told me that since Olivia herself said that Deja vu was inspired by cruel summer, she COULD NOT not protect her song and let go of the credits AND then fight for credits on her other songs. We all know taylor is very protective about her art and i think she had to do this to defend her art in future, but the fact they got like 50% of royalties is beyond me.

[@lucasfernandesgrotto6279]

For real, it's all so clear!!

[@nishthagupta1357]

Elvis Costello is a true one here to defend Olivia truly ❤

[@nishthagupta1357]

​@@JayaAgarwal-yj6qzyes 50% royalities is a lot tbh.. Though taking Sabrina on tour & being petty to hurt Olivia & influencing Hayley Williams to get credits as co writer on another track by Taylor really bugs me a lot

[@camillakonzen6572]

The saddest part of this alleged feud is that it feels like Olivia was just genuinely naive and now she has to deal with the consequences, which for me is the general concept of GUTS. She just worshiped Taylor far before her success and when Sour came out, this narrative of her being Taylor's fan and "scholar" got out of control and it ricocheted from the inside out, jeopardizing what could've been a closer relationship between them.

[@camillakonzen6572]

It really feels like Taylor took the first move to step away from Olivia personally and then Olivia accepted the distance and maybe had her admiration for Taylor as a person jeopardized. For me, it shows because Olivia had other friends who were obsessed with Taylor too and they also stopped talking about Taylor. They were all normal swifties that couldn't shut up about Taylor like we all are, they didn't know it could be messed up by media and toxic parts of the fandom. Nonetheless, I don't think there's a song in the album about Taylor, but the rupture in the admiration you have for someone you look up to appears in GUTS in a more general sense. Throughout the songs, it just feels like she's trying to reflect and cope with where she messed up when she was naive and what she did wrong, as well as some kind of identity crisis. If there is a feud between them or even a "cold" treatment from Taylor, it resonates in a more general aspect in Olivia's latest album.

[@Alt-ub2wd]

Olivia naive? 😅 You truly believe that after she wrote songs that attacked Sabrina Carpenter and her ex? Songs that sent her crazy fans on a spiral with death threats.

[@ninaninafishgirl]

@@Alt-ub2wdshe was a child and young and probably didn’t think that far ahead. just like taylors allowed to write about her feelings so is olivia and lets not pretend that taylors any better because swifties are still holding onto silly grudges on taylors behalf for previous relationships and she says zilch.

[@Mar1293]

@@Alt-ub2wdand Taylor was a saint at that age when she wrote better than revenge and said another girl is known for what she does on a mattress. Swifties are delusional

[@StaceyLuvsSnom]

I feel so bad for her, Liv genuinely loved Taylor Swift’s music

[@Anthology_of_Holly]

This whole situation just makes me sad. I’m an OG Swiftie but I’ve loved Olivia for years as well. I think they have similar styles sometimes but both have such unique sounds and will each have their own impacts on the music industry. I hate the way the media and the music industry feeds on women always being in competition. Taylor is so jaded from her previous experiences and is sadly perpetuating that cycle. She always thinks she’s at the peek of her career and I agree that it’s like seeing the insecurities from ‘Nothing New’ play out before our eyes.

[@aeryth77]

My additional signs of passive-aggression: - Tay invited Sabrina as her opening act - Tay invited Hayley Williams as featured artist for Castles Crumbling

[@imlike_tt3428]

I'm not sure about Hayley but Sabrina and Taylor has been publicly close even before Olivia came into the picture. Plus, many of Taylor's fans took Olivia's side during the drama because Olivia was in the same agency as Taylor and Olivia was a huge Swifie, etc. With a fanbase as big as Taylor's, at least some of the backlash Sabrina received could be traced back to Taylor. I don't think it's unfair for Taylor to invite her long time friend who's been wronged by her fans to be her opening act. I think regardless of whether Sabrina had association with Olivia or not, in that context, she would have been invited anyway.

[@stayrigo]

Tay releasing Cruel Summer as a single 10 days before Olivia's big comeback with Vampire

[@goldeb.8553]

@@imlike_tt3428 so were Taylor and Hayley. they go waaaay back, became friends around 2011 I wanna say

[@JRod2751]

and notice how Olivia basically disappeared after her awards performance. She did not stay to sit in the audience or appear in any crowd shots. it was not a safe space for her bestie

[@daniellecalder5193]

That second one for SURE. It’s called triangulation in psychology. She is aligning with H. Would she have done that without the issue with Olivia? I personally doubt it.

[@knowledgeseeker713]

"Nothing New“ explains some of it even though it was written years ago. Taylor knew such a thing would happen at some point

[@knowledgeseeker713]

Lol just got to the part where you talk about it too

[@LH-pj4cx]

Thank you so much!!! I cannot express the frustration I have felt about discourse and the way that some swifties will just refuse to admit Taylors role in this. At the end of the day, Taylor is not just more famous and established in the industry, she is also older and more experienced and the thought of anyone in a high ranking position (in Taylors case at the literal top) pushing down an incredibly talented but naive newcomer (who has expressed nothing but admiration for you!!) is really sad. While I understand it from a business perspective, I really can’t from a personal one. I also love what you said about the difference between how Taylor acts towards Olivia and someone like Gracie because I have seen lots of people say that Taylor couldn’t possible feel threatened by younger artists because she promotes so many of them openly on the Era’s Tour. But like you said, none of them really have the mass appeal that Olivia does. I really love Taylor but I am very frustrated by this whole thing and the fact that the majority of people still blame Olivia for this situation because she „copied“ Cruel Summer (which truly is beyond ridiculous)

[@nadaAhmed-nz7ye]

you're the type who called taylor snake back in 2016..making scenarios she did anything without any proof..shows me you just a livi looool

[@LH-pj4cx]

I‘m really not a livie, even though I definitely enjoy and respect Olivias music but I am a big Swiftie. Doesn’t change the fact I feel bad for Olivia because she‘s the one receiving the hate and criticism in this situation even though it affects both of them. What I‘m really sick of is people acting like Taylor is some untouchable saint that could never possible do anything wrong. Nobody is like that. And Taylor isn’t an exception. She has fought so hard to be respected as a songwriter and to get credit and respect for her work and has also had to deal with ridiculous and far-fetchef copyright claims over the years. So I really cannot understand why she would be okay with Olivia being put in the same situation right at the very start of her career. This whole label as being „unoriginal“ and a „copycat“ has been following Olivia around ever since and I don‘t think she‘ll be able to get rid of it anytime soon. Is Taylor the one writing mean comments and hating on Olivia? Of course not. But had she handled the situation differently (more like Hailey Williams, like Zac said) than this whole drama could have been avoided.

[@nadaAhmed-nz7ye]

@LH-pj4cx First of all, no one is perfect..olivia got a reputation for ripping artists, and it started with G4U..not with dja vu..paramore got credited on G4U..and how did paramore handle it better when they got credit..you blaming taylor for actions done by olivia for giving credit..take it up with her loool

[@ClearSky81-mb5ph]

@@nadaAhmed-nz7yeyou don't seem to understand how music works. Almost every artists are inspired by one another, they are thousand to million songs that sound the same because of similar chords and vibes. Ed Sheeran won his lawsuit. Why are you trying to single out Olivia? Many singers/songwriters have interpolated songs from other artists, some of them give credits and some of them did not. Elvis Costello defended Olivia because his song Pump it Up was also inspired by Home Sick Blues of Bob Dylan and Too Much Monkey Business by Chuck Berry. Elvis said, it's his rock and roll works, you take a broken pieces and make a brand new toy. It's interpolation. How did Paramore handle it better? Have you forgotten Olivia was 17-18 years old when her songs/debut album came out, and you expect a teenager to know how music business works on their debut album? Read the music sheet, Misery Business and Good 4 U, both songs have different chords, different melodies and different lyrics and story are miles apart. The only similarity is both songs have same vibes. Hayley did not agree with the credits, but probably one from former members pursue this, that's what they were saying. Songs with same chords and similar vibes are not subject to copyright. Ed Sheeran said, it's a building block of music. It will destroy music and musicians in general. It is similar to the saying, "No one can own the color blue", because it will stop artist from painting. If you grew up in 90s, many songs especially in Pop and Pop Punk and Rock sound the same. It was my childhood.

[@nadaAhmed-nz7ye]

@ClearSky81-mb5ph you are acting as if taylor launched a copyright claim..she didn't.. the credit was added by the artist ... unless you have insider information that taylor demanded credit. Otherwise, take it up with the artist themselves

[@reginanewport-so3du]

As a 38 year old fan of both, I'm all about nuanced and constructive conversations! Thanks for being that channel!

[@RyanStorey1231]

It's not that I have a problem with Taylor feeling threatened by Olivia's success and it's actually pretty understandable from a business perspective to want to protect her empire. But I do think it puts a lot of Taylor's virtue signaling in 2019 about "we all got crowns" and her "Woman of the Decade" speech where she passes the torch in a sense to Billie Eilish and other newer female artists in a more hypocritical light. Something within Taylor definitely changed between the Lover era and now. In 2019, she definitely seemed to be easing herself into the possibility that Lover was going to be her final blockbuster pop era (which it was not for obvious reasons), and she seemed resigned to pass the torch onto Billie Eilish and transition into more of a legacy artist as she entered her 30s. Just because that's what she expected to happen once she turned 30. But then COVID and Folklore happened, it revitalized her waning relevancy, gave her the critical acclaim and clout she never really had before, and with the re-recordings doing as well as they did, she was in a perfect position with Midnights and the Eras Tour to dominate again. Not to mention, Billie Eilish (who believe it or not, was sort of seen as an heir to Taylor's crown in a lot of ways when she broke out in 2019) kind of ended up being a flash in the pan. She still has a large fanbase and is still pretty popular, but Happier Than Ever wasn't as commercially successful as her debut, most of its singles underperformed, Olivia came out of nowhere and kind of stole that thunder, and it seems more and more that Billie is probably going to be more of an album's artist (like Lana Del Rey) than a single's artist. My point being, Taylor's priorities have shifted since 2019 and she still wants to be the one with the crown and she doesn't want anyone else to have their own right now. Especially if it's someone like Olivia, who naively positioned herself as a Taylor Swift fan girl at first - something that I'm sure she regrets now. Again, this is only under the assumption that something did go down between Taylor and Olivia, which we have no actual evidence for. But it's clear that something did, and it does make Taylor look hypocritical after she sang a whole verse in "You Need to Calm Down" about how comparing all the girls who are killing it is reductive and how "we all got crowns". Rings a little hollow now, doesn't it?

[@R_S747]

Not sure we can say Billie is a flash in the pan just because she only had a couple hit songs from her last album, I think we need to wait to see how her future albums perform first. Billie is also selling way more tickets than she ever has before, so clearly her previous album hasn't impacted the amount of people who want to see her live.

[@KateCat420]

I don't think she was ever happy with the idea of stepping aside, and now that she thinks she might not have too she's trying to devalue the competition, which like you said, is heartbreaking hypocritical

[@dreamchaser7603]

It definitely does!!

[@Hereformusic678]

You’re exactly right

[@byyouthgonewild]

Her woman of the decade speech was a cringe-fest 🫣

[@abdullahjaved0330]

I mean look at the critical reviews for GUTS. It's INSANE. NO wondee Taylor feela intimidated. We know mother knows excellence when she sees it

[@lisao2416]

Right on. She knew the excellence on Sour when she saw it, and look now ... Olivia has emerged from "sophomore slump" territory victorious, as did Taylor with her second album. When you know, you know

[@westworlds]

But 😭 am I just naive in thinking that it would be best to make Liv an ally then an enemy? I don't get why she'd be threatened when she has the world in her hands right now. Why choose the Nicki route instead of the Lana one when dealing with new artists? nooooo tay this is a treacherous road, so much can go wrong here.

[@Im_Julissa]

Olivia was overrated from the beginning. I thought Olivia’s songwriting was very mediocre. Like you can tell she’s a new artist. I just think she’s going for an opposite image than Taylor like… a bad girl vibe instead of a good girl

[@westworlds]

@@Im_Julissa okay? That's just your opinion lolllll. Me and millions of others love her. We'll be fine without your stamp of approval. Clearly she must be kinda good for Taylor and her fandom to want to rip her all the time. If she was the flop you want her to be, she wouldn't be living in your heads rent free.

[@lcvelanguage]

THANK YOU for explaining how songwriting is often composite. i’ve been an avid songwriter ever since my very first diary at 5 years old, and as a 17 year old songwriter i can confirm with full certainty that the majority of my songs were not penned with the intention of them ONLY being about one person or one experience, but rather a mixture of different individuals and happenings. i just love the way you speak about everything and offer smart perspectives in your videos. my new fav youtuber !!

[@cowboyliketay]

Everything you said completely resonates with how I’ve felt about this whole situation. What really sealed the deal for me in regard to there being tension between Taylor & Olivia is the silence from Olivia’s friends, Conan Gray & Iris Apatow. Both were vocal Taylor fans, but haven’t posted about her since the Deja Vu incident. That says more to me than Olivia’s silence honestly. Like you said, I’m hoping there’s a cordial interaction between Taylivia at the VMAs, so this can all be squashed. NFR video essay next week? 👀🤞

[@dreamchaser7603]

I am truly disappointed in Taylor about the way she treated Olivia, this is heartbreaking … 💔 She’s acting like a bully, meanwhile constantly talking about unfair treatment of young female artists and their rights in the music industry…It ruins her public image and goes against everything she’s trying to represent. Not to speak about Taylor’s forced friendship with Sabrina, which looks pity. I like Sabrina and have nothing against her. However, Taylor’s involvement into their conflict looks so childish, as if a high schooler is trying to get into the beef between middle school girls, thinking she looks cool 😂

[@Junelily89]

Are you delusional??? Forced friendship with sabrina???

[@dreamchaser7603]

@@Junelily89 I am not! Thank you. I meant it looks forced, which means inorganic and disingenuous. They might be friends now, but it didn’t happen because of a natural spontaneous connection. It was a planned move on Taylor’s or her management’s side. I stand by it!!

[@So_long_london_boy_13_22]

I agree with the first point however I don’t think that Taylor being friends with San has anything to do with Olivia, they were friends before liv was even in the picture.

[@hello-beautiful-stars148]

It's important for fans of Taylor and Olivia to keep in mind that Olivia is 20 years old, was 18 years old at the time that Sour came out, and Taylor is in her early 30s. I think it's respectful to keep a polite distance there and not cultivate a friendship because Olivia is a very young woman just coming out of girlhood and Taylor is a fully fledged adult with almost two decades of experience in the music industry, which inherently creates an imbalanced power dynamic. If we were to look at the same situation and Taylor was a man, fans would speculate negatively at signs of closeness and friendship if it became clear that the two were regularly in contact and spending time together. Staying in the lane of "at the end of the day, we are two people in the same industry reporting for work making art" is in my opinion the most respectful path forward. This reduces the strain on "is there beef or is there not beef?" and focuses on "These are two people doing a job, while the work overlaps, ultimately they are their own people with their own lanes in life." Editing to add that I'm not saying there isn't beef, there clearly is competitiveness and I agree with the video's takeaway. My point is that we should not expect a close relationship between these artists and it's important that Olivia has space to stand firmly in her own identity while both Taylor and Olivia go about creating and sharing their work.

[@TheGrandOFF]

Yet Taylor associates herself with Sadie, Gracie, Sabrina…

[@Raelven]

Excellent point. If the two were not in the same industry, would they be friends? Probably not. The age gap is significant. Why should they have to have a relationship, just because the run into each other at work occasionally?

[@PersonS6]

That depends of what you mean by friends. The very close, tell each other all your secrets, kind of friendship is probably not appropriate between two people with such a large age gap but I don't see why a more casual friendship wouldn't be possible. Friendships aren't like romantic and sexual relationships is that sense.

[@hello-beautiful-stars148]

@@TheGrandOFFtrue and I thought about that as well, the difference to me is that Olivia is experiencing media pressure and scrutiny showcasing her more directly under Taylor’s shadow of being compared to her, whereas the other artists mentioned have a more recognized separate lane (Sabrina and Sadie from acting and Sabrina’s singing, although Sadie was of course a major part of ATW’s short film) and Gracie is a more niche artist who doesn’t receive that level of media comparison to Taylor. Even with being part of the Eras tour like Sabrina and Gracie, their art is more distinctive from Taylor’s where they don’t have that same media pressure as Olivia of her work being encompassed by looking for clues of how her songs emulate Taylor or discuss Taylor in the lyrics. I think that Olivia would need more space/distance for the reasons Swiftologist described.

[@croissant8353]

@@TheGrandOFFGracie? 24. Sabrina? Also 24. Sadie is 21 but all Taylor asked is that she act in her music video, it’s not like they’re best friends and they’re on the same contact level as Taylor and Olivia. 20 and 24 may only be a 4 year age gap but the difference between a freshly 20 year old and a 24 year old is night and day

[@suzie_do_you_copy]

For me it just seemed cute that she would be such a fangirl and Taylor would acknowledge her. Then stuff got weird when for Fearless TV her and Conan were officially Taylor's babies and promoting her stuff, to just like a month later complete radio silence. And it was in the Grammys incident (she won a bunch and dropped one) where I started seeing the fandom division some calling it a fun coincidence and others that she was a try-hard copycat. And to this point I was just very confused so I'm glad you made this video and also that Olivia took the leap into more punk-pop with this record instead of staying with her well known (if you followed her on instagram before) ballady writing style, it sets her apart and it makes her resonate more with the early 2000's nostalgia

[@lalalalalala1999]

her stylist quite literally was at fault for the grammy drop along with the silky gloves , like did u even see the video? she was posing when her stylist was making touchups, moved olivia and the grammy slipped

[@uzumakibarrage9642]

Moments like this kinda pull you out of the parasocial relationship you build with your fav. Like w Taylor you don't really expect a "good girl' to do this stuff. But when you zoom out and realize at the end of the day, she is a singer and a businesswoman, and she has to what she has to do to secure her crown. Although in my opinion, the hostility is a bit much; I feel its just another example of Taylor being insecure of her position in the public eye when compared to the young and upcoming artist Olivia is.

[@pinkmenace2452]

but reading into all of this with no official statements is actually extremely parasocial lol

[@uzumakibarrage9642]

@@pinkmenace2452this is taylor swift we're talking about. Not making official statements and saying things without saying them is kinda her thing. So things are always a little parasocial with her. And for the record in comparison to all the crazy reaching a lot of fellow swifties take part in... this is more just observing a pattern in real life.

[@vankr]

I think it ultimately reflects negatively on Taylor, going after a teenage girl

[@uzumakibarrage9642]

@@vankr It does but i believe she never intended it that way. Was probably purely a business thing. Had she handled it like paramore it would not have come across like that.

[@croissant8353]

@@vankr at the end of the day age doesn’t matter in the industry. It’s all business 🤷‍♀️

[@Alessandrograni]

Imo, this feud shows Taylor’s priorities. Generally, She had 2 choices, either enjoying her success with others (in this case olivia), or being a business women, while risking a potential friendship and she knew the risk. (I say Potential because supporting an artist, doesnt make two directly friends) Also, the friendships between the openers of the eras tour (Gracie etc.) And Taylor feel so forced to me, as if Taylor is trying to prove an unnecessary point. As a businesswomen she succeeded heavily, as a person she fumbled hard. And i think swifties just don't realize this, because they think she's best at everything and beyond perfection. They protect her at all cost. She obv doesn't need to be held accountable for this, but swifties need to stop nodding and agreeing and protecting Taylor at all cost, they're far from reality.

[@gyatiangel]

Actually I’d still do it.. which is agree, protect and love our beloved blondie.. Had been with her since 2005 when I never even understood what ‘Country music ‘was but would always gravitate towards her songs whenever it would come on TV Nothing you or anyone says would stop like us from supporting our Anti Hero 🍭 And I hope these libbies would stop being delusional about olivia.. She starts all the feud by bringing up Taylor all the time and when she gets negative press can’t handle it. Taylor has been through worse but she always proceeded with grace and smart moves. Sorry not sorry

[@Alessandrograni]

@@gyatiangel an opinion I don't agree with whatsoever, but I won't argue about your feelings towards Taylor 👌💪

[@ileray7447]

@@gyatiangeland this is why most Swifties have a bad reputation. Just because you were a fan since 05 doesn’t mean you can’t have an objective POV. You’re probably 35 and up right? I think it’s ok to let Taylor fight her own battles.

[@ileray7447]

I agree about Taylor picking Gracie and Sabrina to open for her. Olivia had stated Gracie as her inspiration for writing Drivers License and a lot of the Sour album and then Taylor just so happens to choose her to open? It’s very strategic and I think she’s trying to get under Olivia’s skin by stating that Gracie is her predecessor. Olivia did nothing wrong in my opinion.

[@arlenec3983]

Agree , this is the reason why Some hardcore swifties are getting a bad rep and being made fun of. Taylor is already in her 30s already. In a few years she’ll be in her 40s. They need to Grow up!

[@iris-xo]

i feel bad for olivia i truly think the constant comparisons wouldnt even be a thing if she never shared how much of a fan she was... but she was genuinely a huge fan and thats what makes it really sad

[@madisons1578]

I wish I could blast your point about songs being composite sketches into everyones ears. As a writer myself (though in other formats) it truly drives me up a wall when people refuse to understand this is how most art is made.

[@tessam162]

Regardless with everything that's going on, I just want Olivia to rise above all these ridiculous issues. She deserves it. She's an amazing artist. I'm getting tired of Taylor's group of friends and their constant drama. I'm all for girl power, but we all know how cliques mentality works. It can be very toxic. I like Taylor and her music. She has every right to fight for her master recordings, but I didn't like how it all went down with Olivia. She could have handled it better.

[@nishthagupta1357]

Ikr

[@mgabss]

It is interesting to see the overlap between livies and swifties. I went to a listening party when Midnights came out (it is EXTREMELY important to note that I live in Colombia, so the swifties here are not as delulu as the ones from the US). The thing is that before the actual listening party started the dj played a couple of Olivia's songs and we went completely feral. I think younger fans of Taylor definitely see a similar appeal in Olivia (including me), we def care about the lyrics in bops, and that's why there's overlap. As you said, I can see them both being queens, but IDK if Taylor herself sees it that way 🤷

[@catastrophicblue]

We will never know what's happening between them. But I guess, for Taylor, getting the credit is just business; it's not personal. But Olivia thought they were closer than that and was hurt that Taylor treated the situation like doing normal business with anybody else. I feel like if Taylor reached out, Olivia would love to be close to Taylor again, But since Taylor feels like she did nothing wrong, she might just let it be what it is.

[@thisismetrying17]

But aren't the credits managed by the teams?

[@emiliass]

tbh they were never chose. taylor being supportive at the start and them meeting once doesn't make them close. i do think olivia might have still been sad that taylor stopped showing support though.

[@andreaf8404]

this sounds reasonable enough

[@catastrophicblue]

@@emiliass yea thats fair. It probably didnt mean much to Taylor but i think it meant a lot more to Olivia, as Taylor was once her favorite artist.

[@catastrophicblue]

@@thisismetrying17 i am not sure but I think taylor team would consult Taylor before making any decisions.

[@jodil7]

I am a diehard Swiftie & think Olivia was 100% ripped off in De Ja Vu! That song is so iconic & what you said is so true- the only similarity is a screamy bridge. I think it’s so hypocritical of Taylor considering she has been in multiple law suits regarding her songs, ie: Shake It Off. I really see this as a petty, jealous move on Taylor’s part & I don’t like it.

[@xandroid87]

Ts slowly copying Lans del Rey music style

[@sociallyenginerd8846]

@@xandroid87 "Everything is copy". The 3LW lawsuit was dismissed by a judge. If you read the alleged "stolen lyrics" it's clear as to why. My father is an entertainment/IP lawyer who does these kind of cases all the time (albeit his clients aren't megastars), the legal analysis of song credits is so boring, but after reading several dumbed-down- yeah I can hear it. If Taylor sued her over that- ? If Olivia gave the credits in some weird good faith/publicity thing then- ? In contrast, even w/ an untrained ear, the first time I heard good 4 U, I thought I was listening to Misery Business- and kept accidentally singing that instead. Smart move on Hayley's part because I didn't even know her name or remember the band Paramore until good 4 U (which I prefer to MB). I love Olivia's music and am so ready for this to be in the past.

[@RMA-b9k]

@@sociallyenginerd8846 Not sure if this was a factor- Jack Antonoff sold his catalog (rights?) to Hipgnosis- their was an article where the founder shops w/ writer and proudly proclaims which music he "owns". Also, in 2020 TS moved to UMG publishing from Sony/ATV. We don't know her contract with them or her label- but I wonder what compromise she made to now be able to own her masters.

[@rhinowings2610]

Cruel Summer came out before Deja Vu

[@RMA-b9k]

@@sociallyenginerd8846 LDR drew inspiration from 50/60's era- but added a modern, yet personal twist. Kinda similar how upcoming artist Stephen Sanchez does w/ that era's aesthetic? Amy Winehouse also drew inspiration from previous artists in earlier times.

[@fizzafatima7661]

I KNEW I could count on you to acknowledge the truth of this situation without swiftie goggles oh I am SO relieved to see an established voice from the fandom giving Olivia her due and benefit of the doubt and acknowledge the punching down that’s happened all without sounding hateful to either party. Ugh bless you

[@nadaAhmed-nz7ye]

what punching down you talking about? can you share with us what did taylor do...or its just imagination loooool

[@lalalalalala1999]

​@@nadaAhmed-nz7yesenseless plagiarism accusations from every corner, from courtney love to taylor, diminishing her artistry as everyone wanted to take a piece for themselves, do you think any of that was easy for a 18 newcomer artist in the industry?

[@lulamae12]

I'd love to know if you think there's any way in which this feud is part of the reason Taylor has been so supportive recently of Sabrina Carpenter, inviting her on the eras tour, saying how much she loves her album, calling her a friend, etc. I don't think Taylor would do those things if she didn't genuinely like Sabrina's music and want to support her. But I think just the fact that she started being so supportive of Sabrina after there seemingly is some tension with Olivia seems like there might be a connection. Also, Sabrina has expressed what a big fan of Taylor she is and how much Taylor inspires her as well, so I wonder what the difference is when Olivia was doing the same thing before things took a turn.

[@bellaaaaaala]

love Sabrina but I wonder if Taylor gets deja vu?

[@noiya.r.n]

I also thought it was a little weird, considering Sabrina has been around for a while (though not all that visible honestly until the whole Driver’s License situation), but Taylor only very recently aligned herself with Sabrina-like post-Sour release… definitely interesting.

[@msvolleyball321]

@@noiya.r.n Swifties and Carpenter (I am in both fandoms) don't want to acknowledge it but Taylor didnt really acknowledge sabrinas existence till last year really. People acting like they were close friends before all this are having some crazy revisionist history

[@libertyJ]

@@msvolleyball321 you are so right. love Sabrina down, but it's so obvious Taylor is using Sabrina as a pawn to hurt Olivia's feelings. The sudden investment in her (and Ice Spice) to suggest Taylor is a mentor, when the truth is that neither of them are threats. it's really disingenuous. Obviously, all three benefit, but none as much as Taylor

[@ovok10]

@@libertyJexactly Sabrina isn’t a threat so she doesn’t mind pushing her like on her tour it’s so sneaky how more people don’t see this is beyond me

[@dancegidance]

Swiftologist never disappoints! Some of these “stans” really need to open their eyes and watch this video. You’ve articulated some excellent points from both sides! Thanks for working so hard to give us such high quality content always ❤ can’t wait for what you have in store for us next!

[@bellaaaaaala]

"Stan's" nah twitter Stan's can be so fake I agree with you so much

[@dancegidance]

@@bellaaaaaala they live in a permanent state of delulu 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@bellaaaaaala]

@@dancegidance I don't even think they exist irl 😭 never met a twitter stan irl 💀

[@Lunearien]

​@@bellaaaaaala met a few, and they're so in denial and blinded istg

[@Alexa-gg4ik]

Thank YOU for being so objective, insightful and balanced. It's impressively done. I genuinely feel for both Olivia and Taylor. Deep in my soul, i know olivia loves taylor, that kind of adoration & emotional attachment to anyone who's been someone's comfort person, especially through your lonely turbulent childhood-teen years... could never be vanquished just like that. Like you said, olivia was incredibly naive at the beginning, i don;t think she ever went about anything with a business perspective (at the start), her rise was so sudden, she didn't know much about the business/personal scrutiny that would come with that level of stardom...thinking she could've continued with the same open way she's expressed her views(aka hardcore swiftie fangirling), not thinking much about long-term effects of it. I never believed she "used' taylor, at all. it's a genuine love. The 1st song that ever made me cry in the car was "teardrops on my guitar" as a young girl. I was just a casual listener of music. Fast forward years later when Covid pandemic hit, everyone couldn't leave our homes in the lockdown, i was bored to death, got online, saw someone on youtube who had covered "all I want", figured I'd search for the actual artist of that song, didn't recognise of the name of the artist at all... saw that it's actually a song from a disney show... that's how I was introduced to olivia (2020, 1 year before driver's license), I liked her unreleased songs. Afterwards I noticed how much she loved taylor, so I thought I'd go back to listening to taylor's music in full again... In a way, olivia rekindled my pre-existing love for taylor. Back then, I never expected olivia to blow up. It's sad, I think for olivia, it's a very emotional love that she has for taylor...years of music, years of interviews she's watched as a child fan, years of singing along, years of looking at taylor as a glorious role model, as a place where she can relax...for taylor, she has never known olivia, besides after she had noticed olivia's cover of 'cruel summer' at home during covid's lockdown... like olivia literally coped with the lockdown/her breakup by listening/fangirling to taylor. so the 'break' would definitely be a heart-wrenching pain for olivia, losing someone she truly loves & is even mocked/ridiculed for loving... while for taylor it would be A LOT easier understandably, nothing much was lost, overall she earned millions. I wish people would be as understanding as you are to this sensitive situation, all the toxic crap online is so unhelpful. Thank you for this video.

[@byyouthgonewild]

Maybe “vampire” is a composite sketch. If her ex-boyfriend is the fame-f*cker, then Taylor is no doubt the “dream crusher” (as she sings it in the clean version). So many people seem to want a bite out of Olivia after her meteoric rise to fame. However, you can’t convince me “The Grudge” isn’t about Taylor. Put yourself in Olivia’s shoes. Imagine your childhood idol discrediting your creativity and taking millions from your work (all during your big debut) - it would be extremely painful and traumatizing. Maybe even more so than a romantic relationship ending. There are so many lines in the song that point to it being about a specific event/person, and the language doesn’t really read as a romantic relationship. No one says they have a “grudge” against their ex. Why would a romantic partner build you up to watch you fall? (That sounds like a competitor) Flowers full of vitriol… you have everything and you still want more? Come on. Olivia is wise to keep it somewhat mysterious, but she wants people to know that she was personally hurt by this. That it wasn’t “just business” to her. Taylor has written plenty about her grudges in the music industry… Katy, Kanye, scooter, that critic who was always telling she couldn’t sing, etc. Some of it has inspired her best music. Why isn’t Olivia allowed to do the same? She’s a student in the swift school of songwriting, after all. Why would it be a disservice for us to notice what she is doing and acknowledge the pain she can only really speak about through song? I think swifties don’t want to acknowledge that Taylor may have actually hurt a fellow pop girl in a way not too different than the big bad men she constantly laments about - discrediting her success and creativity, and capitalizing off a female artist’s work in an unfair way.

[@StaceyLuvsSnom]

The grudge is my friendship breakup songs, the thing about this song is that you can literally put any form of breakup into it and it will work, so it is not about Taylor, it can be about a childhood friend

[@sydneysbs]

Great take as always on this Zach! Your pop culture journalism is honestly award winning! My take on this is very similar. To be honest, I feel bad for Olivia because I really think her team set her up so poorly during her promotion of Sour. They never should have allowed her to go on and on about Taylor and they should have strongly advised her not to say that she was inspired by Cruel Summer while writing Deja Vu, which ultimately allowed Taylor and her team to walk right in and get their dues. As a young teenager new to the industry she would not have had the knowledge or insight to see what doing all of that would potentially lead to, but I believe the adults around her would have and now look, everything she does is a comparison to Taylor rather than allowing her to be her own artist. I must say I have never listened to Sour. I didn't even really know who Olivia was for the first year almost year and a half that Sour was out. The only thing I knew about this new artist at that time was that there was a new Taylor Swift on the scene. I have now listened to a few songs on Sour (some of the singles), but I am actually really grateful that I waited for her sophomore album to really give Olivia a shot. Guts in my opinion is really good, especially for anyone who has lived through the 19-21 year old young woman experience. This album had me laughing and feeling nostalgic for my early twenties trying to figure things out and who I was or wanted to be, and all the mistakes I made along the way. Overall I am really happy for Olivia's success on this album and I think people are being really reductive to her for the constant Taylor comparisons. I can't wait to see how Olivia grows as an artist and what she does next, and I am looking forward to going to my local record store this week and seeing if they have Guts available! Also, all-american bitch is that bitch! Love it so much and it will be on repeat!

[@lunawolf6288]

Me too I’m glad for both success but I’m kinda nervous listening to guts

[@mr.icecream7880]

I feel bad for Olivia. I get that it’s business but it’s a little disappointing how much Taylor has distanced herself from Olivia. It really speaks to her paranoia. I hope that there is some sort of interaction between them, I think Taylor with folklore and the Eras tour doesn’t need anymore reassuring that she still is “the apex predator” .

[@manuel_saenz]

Zach, this was a well thought out video. You do an excellent job at analyzing all the evidence, while approaching it with an interdisciplinary lens of journalism, music theory, and psychological behavior. It never ceases to amaze me on how well you succinctly articulate your thoughts.

[@mkschiavone]

The biggest blind spot I have seen for Taylor is how the female artists she uplifts/befriends longterm, are never capable of being at the meteoric level that she is at. HAIM, Gayle, Phoebe, Sabrina, and more are all great, but I think she and we know are supporting girl characters to Taylor's story. Not capable of dethroning. Even though Vampire doesn't have to be about this situation specifically, Olivia is speaking to the greater theme. She is now famous and everyone else wants a piece of the pie now. Did Paramore have to credit all of the punk bands they were inspired by? Did Taylor have to give credit to the Dixie Chicks, Shania, or Faith Hill? Olivia has every right to feel betrayed, as they all drew heavy influence from artists before their time. They were afforded the luxury of creating art before the internet call out age. Taylor has interpolated, copied, stolen country "twang", and no women put their hand out and asked for money for doing so. We will never probably know what happened, but I just can't get on board with this one.

[@daniellappvp]

But what female artist from her generation is capable of being at her metheoric level?

[@keen9917]

Well said. I came to watch this video not knowing anything about the "feud" and actually learned something. You excel in conducting conversations with a balanced and respectful approach, avoiding any hint of malicious intent. Your ability to present differing viewpoints with consideration and tact is highly commendable. Ultimately, they both operate within the same industry, and there is ample space for all artists. Music transcends boundaries, and I can appreciate both musicians' work without any issue.

[@tinglar5432]

taylor attitude about this is what’s so disappointing tbh especially when she has been accused of similar things with previous songs, especially with lana, and those artists were nothing but gracious with her. lana even collabed with her recently. i hope olivia has a smarter team around her and i think she might need to work with a different producer for lp3 because she has a target on her back and people are picking her songs apart for the silliest things. the drum count on boahg getting accusations is peak stan deluluness. also no hate to gracie i like her too but agree that taylor trying to declare her as an heir to her makes sense. lizzy mcalpine would make way more sense though her direct influences sonically are not necessarily taylor, lyrically i would say yes.

[@stayrigo]

Yeah Lizzy is also a bit more popular than Gracie

[@rhymeswithwitches]

Swifties hate to admit it but Taylor feels threatened by Olivia 🤷🏼‍♀️ not saying she needs to be or that they both cannot succeed and be successful, but a lot of the fandom likes to pretend Taylor is perfect when in reality she repeatedly shares with us her insecurities about “aging out” and being “old in popstar years”. Was some of that envy motivation for Taylor wanting writing credits, possibly leading to Olivia finding Taylor petty? Who knows. I think it’s a likely possibility but nobody wants to admit it for some reason.

[@Declan239]

I’m very conflicted with this topic. On one hand I would like to believe that we are grasping at straws and we are making it seem worse than it actually is (and there is some truth to that) but there are some undeniable factors that show tension between the two. I think the biggest problem was Olivia’s decision to overly push her love for Taylor in the first few months of her career which just lead to so many more comparisons than either party wanted. Taylor does not wanna be replaced. And Olivia being at such a high level and so young would naturally make Taylor Swift, even just a little insecure in her position even if it’s subconsciously. I think her rollout of GUTS has been negatively received by the teenagers on twitter but I think her image has definitely changed. Her image has now become much more of like a party girl who is also very sad which I think is it’s own lane and i can’t wait for her to explore that more in her upcoming projects. They’re both gonna be around for a long time. This tension won’t effect them anymore in my opinion.

[@SallyRoden]

I completely agree with your take. It’s natural for taylor to feel insecure, but her actions have been quite petty. I fear she’s too powerful for anyone to tell her what to do, or not to do, she just lets her emotions take over sometimes

[@Declan239]

@@SallyRoden your right. And it’s not to say Taylor is a bad person or anything of course, everyone has flaws but some of her more petty energy towards Olivia makes her crazy stans feel like they need to have a boxing match with Olivia which is crazy 😂

[@barebear0913]

@@SallyRodentrue. We are all insecure about one thing or another and that’s human. But it’s another to be insecure and act on it and that is where I think Taylor did the wrong thing. She acted on her insecurity and used her immense influence to essentially “bully” a teenager and get undeserving million dollars.

[@Declan239]

@@barebear0913 I respect your opinion but I think your wrong about that. She definitely didn’t “bully” her. From what I know Taylor was just insecure and she distanced herself around the time of Deja Vus release. I really don’t think that Taylor used her influence to bully her I believe it’s exclusively stan twitter delusion which is doing the most. Taylor did a couple of things behind the scenes which in my opinion eliminates the point of her being a “bully” and sending the mob on her.

[@Bluebooty]

@@SallyRodeni seriously don’t understand how it’s petty to want to be given credit when another artist does an interpolation of your work. People are treating taylor like she’s the fucking evil queen in snow white, doing anything to stat on top. Olivia can’t get mad if she takes taylors music, puts it in her album, and taylor wants credit. I love interpolations, personally, but you have to give credit if you take inspiration from somewhere else. Olivia has more money than god. She’s fine.

[@andreaf8404]

i had never realized that taylor doesn't have a manager. makes a lot of her career moves more impressive, doesn't it

[@RMA-b9k]

1st one (started his own company- hired from age 13-15; shared w/ Britney Spears- who worked w/ him from '97) they hired sued her & parents in '07. 2nd one (she hired from her label at 16 in '06- w/ no managerial experience- his background was radio). He had left to prioritize his family just before headlining in '10. Her team includes veterans: Frank Bell (radio veteran- introduced TS to many, network connections, knew her from birth?); Tree Paine (Major label exp. w/ well-known former clients, PR/Marketing- husband heads a branding company); Robert Allen (former tour director for Def Leppard (brother of drummer) & Tim McGraw/Faith Hill)- he actually may do more of the management aspect of the group. She has a few others on her team (lawyer, PA & others) and agents from other companies.

[@Lunearien]

Her parents are business savvy, enough to help her manage everything. Plus they are well connected with great influential people, which makes a more solid team. Because without a manager, she can freely do anything. No pressure to do specific things. That's also shows how petty she is in handling this case. She could've easily calmed her fanbase with a simple Guts shoutout on socials or something, and reject Liv team 50% cuts. 'Woman supporting woman' huh?

[@zakblack1948]

genuinely thank you for touching on the fact that songs are rarely about one specific thing, i loved that you described it as a composite sketch of ideas and feelings and instances, such a perfect way to articulate it. i see so many arguments in so many other music fandoms (i’m personally very involved in emo pop punk post hardcore groups and there is constant speculation and debate about what a song is or isn’t about) and i agree that it is completely reductive and disrespectful to the art to try to make it into some tabloid spectacle.

[@bastetowl3258]

olivia said it herself that her songs are rarely about one specific event or thing, and sometimes they can even be fantasy, so even if a song is descriptive ppl need to realize that artists takes creative license all the time and it’s not like they’re literally sharing their diaries with you

[@Phoenix-kr5yl]

I’m kind of a mixed bag about this situation, so I’m ready to see the video. However, as I see the thumbnail of this video, I don’t think The Grudge is about Taylor. I’m 100% confident that it is about the guy who inspired “1 step forward, 3 steps back” because, in the documentary, she mentioned this song and said that it was written after a call she received on May 8th, 2020, which was a Friday. EDIT: I saw the video, and I agree with many points of it, but I would like to add more nuance and information about the Cruel Summer/deja vu thing and even about the Misery Business/good 4 u thing. In the Rolling Stone breakdown where Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro explained how “deja vu” was created, Olivia herself admitted that she created the bridge by following the Cruel Summer’s bridge structure. I think that was a big mistake by Olivia’s part because, if she did not explicitly admitted where the inspiration came from, then she would’ve got away with it due to so many songs being similar within each others. Due to this mistake, she had to give up 50% of royalties from “deja vu” and give them to Taylor, Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent. And to be honest, even though I don’t think Taylor threatened her, I would not condemn her if she did not like the fact that she was not credited despite Rodrigo openly admitting it. Meanwhile, the Misery Business/good 4 u fiasco was MORE catastrophic because Hayley Williams seemed to distance herself from what happened and the one who threatened to pursue legal action against Rodrigo and her team was Josh Farro, who was not actually in the band anymore and left Paramore on bad terms. That’s why that situation was even more messier than the Cruel Summer/deja vu thing. Overall, I think that there’s not a whole beef between Olivia and Taylor. I don’t think Olivia is psycho to the point that she dedicates a song like “the grudge” to her and I don’t think Taylor has time to loose to argue with a 20 year old girl behind the scenes. However, I think that there’s some sort of justified friction between them and I also appreciate the fact that, after this whole situation about writing credits and interpolations happened, Olivia fired her manager and got herself a more solid and professional team who is guiding her into becoming an established artist on her own without having the label of “Taylor Swift’s child” being attached to her.

[@brusselsprout7634]

Omg thank you I’m glad I’m not alone in this! I do not understand how people are thinking it’s about taylor. If you cherry pick a few lines-sure you could literally make it about anything but the song as a whole very clearly sounds like it’s about an ex lol

[@pinkmenace2452]

most sane comment

[@Phoenix-kr5yl]

@@brusselsprout7634 Actually I don’t think anything on GUTS is about her. I think the albums definitely explores the feelings and relationships she faced at 19.

[@ascendednightingale2456]

I’ve seen people compare Deja Vu to Cruel Summer, and I just don’t get it. They sound nothing alike.

[@Ac_thelivie]

​@@ascendednightingale2456its in the bridge but yeah, people make a bigger thing of it than it is

[@Hereformusic678]

I think the greatest compliment you could give Olivia and her impending legacy as an artist is that TAYLOR SWIFT felt threatened by her. Taylor’s spotlight isn’t going to last forever, and I’m getting the vibe that the eras tour might be her last BIG thing, due to the populace eventually being fatigued by her being…everywhere. I think somewhere inside ts knows the crown is going to be inherited by Olivia, and she’s only delayed it

[@iris-xo]

i think the positive comparisons between olivia and taylor what started the rift for sure... and taylor's song "nothing new" bridge specifically was 100% inspired by olivia to me there's absolutely no way it wasn't - i personally think it's obvious the "vault tracks" are not just recorded in the same exact version they were 10+years ago.. like she def polishes them up and possibly rewrites whole verses, etc.

[@cc1526]

THANK YOU. That bridge was so obviously directly inspired by Olivia and definitely wasn’t written during red. I just don’t believe it sorry.

[@noiya.r.n]

Not to mention, even if most of it was written along with the rest of Red, there’s definitely a reason she chose to make it one of the vault tracks at the time-the first re-recording after Sour was released and the whole copyright claims debacle.

[@SanyaTheShe]

That's an interesting take. I always thought "wow, what a coincidence that it's been written so long ago yet it fits Olivia perfectly now", but maybe you're right, maybe it wasn't a coincidence after all

[@lifekindasucksrn6442]

@@cc1526 right. why would 23 ish year old Taylor be so afraid of getting replaced just when she's almost in her prime? Parts of Nothing New has to have been written later on.

[@giannavillacres1051]

So true. I’m 35yrs old and immediately liked Olivia Rodrigo, despite her being 18 at the time. As for Taylor swift, it took me until the eras tour and TTPD to become a fan and finally listen to most of her discography. I acknowledge she is very talented. Something about Olivia is so darling though.

[@sycamore7855]

over the years I’ve seen a pattern in Taylor swift’s behaviour which tells of her wrong doings- the over compensation. she might be strategic and ruthless in business and money but it always comes at a cost: personal friendships or bad press. and to deal with that bad press she over compensates. whether it was that time she stupidly beefed with Nicki minaj to ‘protect’ herself and then invited nicki on the stage to dismiss the bad press and position herself in a good lighting. or like her sudden friendship + collab with ice spice right after the matty Healy thing. and how she is seemingly super close with Gracie and Sabrina and even invited them as opening performances. miss girl is so overtly calculating and fearful that someone will see through her celebrity facade that she doesn’t even know how to give a normal response like a ‘sorry I fucked you over’ and move on. no she has to twist it somehow, anyhow in her good favour.

[@MareMarMarie]

Or the weird cameo of Katy Perry in YNTCD….? Like that cameo didn’t even make sense!

[@sycamore7855]

@@MareMarMarie exactly!! the moment it became “uncool” to pit women against each other she went crazy out of her way to idk redeem herself??? and made a video with KP. she could’ve just brushed it aside like a normal person like “yeah we don’t get along w eo whatever, it happens” Also the whole incident of taking it so extra personally that her dancers went to work with Katy. She went all “she tried to sabotage me blah blah” lol

[@MareMarMarie]

@@sycamore7855 I can’t see her ever admitting she actually did anything and apologizing. The whole “it was a misunderstanding” is a sign of a narcissist. They can never truly apologize. It’s more of a “I’m sorry if you took it that way” or “I’m sorry I misunderstood” never “I’m sorry I was wrong and basically tried to ruin your career because you dated my ex, my dancers like you more and I didn’t like what you said to me at an awards show despite you being nothing but nice to me”.

[@haseya5679]

It must be so scary for Olivia to be coming up in an industry she knows very little about and then to 'piss off' arguably the biggest person in that industry at the moment who is much older and more established and experienced than her. I think her and her team are handling it really well. Thank you for such a fair and intelligent deconstruction of this situation, you're great at what you do!

[@M-sc5bc]

Exactly it’s so cruel. Notice how Taylor brought Gracie Abrams on tour (Olivia’s old opener and close friend). Taylor is trying to intimidate her and ruin her

[@KaiAstraStylist]

I lost a ton of respect for Taylor after everything with Olivia Rodrigo. Taylor basically Kanye’d Olivia at the start of her career. Think about it, by taking credit for music that wasn’t even copied from her she is publicly saying that Olivia didn’t earn or deserve recognition for her songs and success. Its crazy to me how Taylor knows what that feels like and still did it to someone who loved her so much and was still just a kid. I had no idea hayley williams said she didn’t think she deserved credits, but thats really good of her to admit

[@taylorpeterson2890]

Thank you, I really wish people would stop comparing them and stop speculating which songs are about Taylor. It has been all over my news feed. We all got crowns 👑

[@eddie1278]

Clara Bow is about Olivia and you can’t convinced me otherwise. It’s sad, I really I thought Taylor has also grown and learn from the pre reputation era, because people turned on her not only for the Kanye Kim situation but also for many questionable moves she made. But seems like she is still a teenager and greed in a way like how much money do you need lady? Chill (sorry I just really admired Taylor and feel a little disappointed)

[@cecilec.1650]

I personally think it’s something about songwriting credit, especially what happened with Deja Vu. Olivia commented that "I think it’s disappointing to see people take things out of context and discredit any young woman’s work.”

[@РутаАсадаускайте]

Thank you for this nuanced take! So many swifties on twitter are so up Taylor's ass they cant admit the obvious. I love Taylor and understand it from the business side but the whole credit thing looks like a mean girl move on her part, and i wish she handled it like Hayley did.

[@nadaAhmed-nz7ye]

tell us what move did taylor do? Jake antonoff said he did not know about the credit...it seems you made a scenario in your head and believed it

[@РутаАсадаускайте]

@@nadaAhmed-nz7ye babe, she could've said the same thing Hayley said. Or just, you know... maybe not accept 50% royalties for a song she had nothing to do with lol. It's not like she needs Olivia's money. But you keep believing they're the best of friends and absolutely nothing happened ❤

[@undertheseatv]

@@РутаАсадаускайте that's my take too, ppl argue with me saying "oh taylor and jack did not know".. its business they're bound to know esp with deja vu getting more popular. if it was indeed true that olivia's team offered the credit they did it to avoid issues, but was it really necessary to take in the 50%??

[@berbearlol]

We are so aligned. When I went back and looked at the timeline of what happened, it seems super clear to me that in the beginning they seemed to be kind of feeding off each other's publicity but once Sour dropped and the comparisons amped up something had to give. I'm not going to lie though, when TS had Paramore and Sabrina Carpenter on tour? Coincidence? Maybe. Petty? More likely, tour needs time to plan but maybe not as much for openers... I think Olivia is doing well moving on without the direct comparisons. I don't want another Taylor anyway, I want something new!

[@jessicajoerndt428]

The Grudge is such a beautiful ballad, and it’s obvious that it’s about Taylor. It’s about falling out of love with someone that you deeply admired, and realizing that they’re not the person who thought they were. It’s pretty obvious that Taylor was insecure when Olivia started to rise up because Olivia not only is a very talented songwriter, but she’s a better vocalist than Taylor. And Taylor being the insecure person that she often is and constantly wants to be at the top, she did what she had to do to compete with Olivia, and make sure that all of Olivia‘s tracks stayed under Taylor’s on the charts. It’s very obvious when you look at the dates each came out and how they fell on the charts. Plus the accusation of plagiarism and taking money from an 18 year old. It’s very very obvious and I’m proud of Olivia for letting out her emotions in that song and being the bigger person. And seeing Olivia’s face at the Grammys last weekend when Taylor got up there and grab the award out of Celine’s hands, and announced her new album like it was her own personal concert, Olivia was cringing and so was everybody else. I think that Taylor’s true colors are starting to show, she has become full of herself, and I hope that she changes

[@muckiest566]

wow you are so brave for this

[@theswiftologist]

Someone’s got to

[@shradhachawan4569]

You should experience more of his bravery by listening to his podcast- evolution of a snake! ❤

[@RMA-b9k]

@@theswiftologist I liked how you addressed so many layers & players. Striking a balance at the right time is key. Here are some others that I wonder about: In 2019- Jack Antonoff (& by 4/2021 Nathan Chapman to ICM before 1st re-recording) sold all his catalog/rights to Hipgnosis - founder went shopping w/ a writer proudly pointing in a record store about music he now "owned" In 2020- All of TS music was now under UMG umbrella- label & publishing rights (formerly w/ Sony/ATV). (Any compromise on percentage?) TS & Disney/Nickelodeon linked artists- Britney Spears (shared manger who sued- she had problems finding management after dropping him), JBros (ex), Miley, Demi, Selena (friends- but not album collaborators), Harry (ex), Zendaya, Ariana. [Maybe a bit of friction/issue w/ those handling those artists- manager/agents] Sidenote: In some cases "beef" like in Hiphop/rap draws response. Networking- Joey King (close to Selena), Sabrina Carpenter (JK BFF), Gracie Abrams (JJ Abrams daughter- works frequently w/ J Garner), Beabadoobee (Dirty Hits- 1975 & now J Antonoff is signed with DH), Aaron Dessner (PB, GA, ES, other artists). Industries have overlaps/circles that draw on recommendations. Fanbase & media support/impact- There are both negative & positive attention drawn from many factions. TS still gets dismissed by many (critics/fanbases)- which I doubt OR team would want to draw- so separation to stand out actually would help. I notice that OR has been getting lots of praise for her sophomore follow-up so she is on track. TS is the midst of many projects (film/tour) so I doubt she would want to pull focus from those.

[@Lunearien]

​@@RMA-b9k your long essay is confusing to read, esp that Britney manger what??? 😭

[@RMA-b9k]

@@Lunearien Oops, typo. Meant manager. Sorry for the confusion. Just to bring up that part of TS's catalog is owned by other music entities- not sure how the publishing rights are handled. The new owners of the rights is huge- collecting other artists rights & masters. So hard to say what happened legally. We don't see everything. It gets complex. As for her early peer group- many were with Disney or Nickelodeon- which gave them an advantage for fanbase access & resources. Unfortunately, some of her associations with them became tense (competition & severed relationships). People take sides. But sometime drama (like beef wars in rap) drives sales. TS & BS shared the same manager for a couple years - he sued TS & her parents. Their careers had a different trajectory- but then management made a difference in control & creative choices. The music industry is ruthless- but many players have a role.

[@lstarsabb]

I couldn't agree more it makes me mad, that Taylor talks about sexism in the industry, but then act like a mean girl and then wonder why people drag her. Like all of us Taylor has made a fan in all of us, so I don't think Olivia meant any harm in sharing her praise for her. That is a double edge sword. If she did praise Taylor, she would be called ignorant and disrespectful to the person that paved the way for her, but her saying she looks up to her she's told she is copying her and using her to get ahead in the industry. I get her trying to protect her legacy but she didn't have to make Olivia regret being a fan of hers.

[@abigailmills2603]

9:15 I fully understand liv not viewing her songs as her business product especially as a lyricist and poet myself. I view my work as an extension of myself and my emotions converted into art. I don’t think anyone would view that as a product. I think she was just a naive young artist who just wanted to share her art with the world and I understand that so much. I feel so bad for her in that aspect because I relate so hard and I feel like she also sees the good in everyone and that there’s room for everyone’s art. I also don’t think that many artists who just want to share their art understand the cutthroat nature of the music industry cause they’re like “oh I’ll just put this out bc maybe someone will relate and I’m proud of this” but it’s not like that. I have so much empathy for olivia :(

[@HolyGround777]

Like you mentioned in your last video about Olivia not waiting for inspiration to strike, instead exercising her writing like any other muscle gives me ‘I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try try try’ vibes and I feel like they should have the ability to coexist like similarly to something like Kobe and Jordan, game recognizing game type of thing, but Taylor has woken up and chosen violence it seems😅 I had no idea Taylor actually accepted the credits for deja vu, bad move on so many levels in my opinion.

[@SweetPotato3507]

I literally refuse to form my own opinion until the Swiftologist has spoken on the subject in question😂😭

[@silverbell6836]

Same

[@ziggyG316]

I agree on your analysis on the deja vu drama and Taylor’s silence . It’s just sad and I feel kinda bad for Olivia because she idolized her even before she was in the industry.

[@dudassergio]

This whole situation makes me a little sad, being a die-hard swiftie and a livie as well, specially with GUTS which made me feel so understood and represented, being almost the same age as Olivia herself, I do think that her songs really reflect on our generation and what it's like to be a young-adult nowadays. It's true, pop music is an industry and a business above all, I just hope that we as people learn from it. And I do hope that, in the future, Taylor and Olivia will be able to sort this out. the grudge is a really sad song tho, I just had to say that, its one of my faves lolll

[@lunawolf6288]

Hopefully they will be able to Sort this out ❤ I love both of The singers

[@livieloubelle]

Thank you for this! I’ve been so tired at twitter defending Olivia from the swifties who attack her at every vantage point for every little thing so to see a swiftie process the situation with an effort to be objective and to articulate everything thoughtfully and acceptingly is very much appreciated.

[@nadaAhmed-nz7ye]

what about livies who attack taylor daily? loooool

[@mbbs6192]

​@@nadaAhmed-nz7ye you have to be either very stupid or very obsessed with Taylor to the point of brainrot to not understand the difference between Taylor's humongous fandom bullying Olivia on the daily and Olivia's still tiny, newly-formed fanbase attacking Taylor

[@Patrifice]

It's so ridiculous that anyone would think "the grudge" is about Taylor Swift... Like... Olivia's life does not revolve around an artist she does not know very well personally. She has a life and relationships. And yeah, I'm sure that her team has told her not to talk about Taylor in interviews anymore but I don't actually think Olivia is personally upset with Taylor. I also think that since Olivia released SOUR she also has become less of a STAN in general, even besides the drama. She is making her own music and focusing on that. She has a life, and a career to focus on. And maybe she even realized herself that maybe she should focus on some other influences. Taylor will forever be a piece of her puzzle but surely not the only piece. GUTS shows her incredible range, and on the project she does a lot of things that Taylor would not do.

[@sarahmcdonough2307]

What do you think the Grudge is about then?

[@Patrifice]

@@sarahmcdonough2307 A romantic relationship probably? Like most of her music? Like why would anyone say "but I wanna scream 'how could anyone do the things you did so easily?'" about a famous person, even if they were one's favorite artist, and even if there were some interactions...? Like she's singing about super intense deep painful emotions. Things that make her wanna scream. Even if she was upset about the Taylor thing, it wouldn't cut her THIS deep. She is clearly singing about someone she spent a lot of time with. A lot of time loving on a personal level. She's literally singing about "undying love", and that person "taking everything she loved, and crushing it between their fingers". This is about someone who she gave everything to, and who hurt her deeply, and betrayed her trust. Nothing that we have seen indicates that Taylor and Olivia had THAT kind of relationship with each other. They have met once? Or twice? As far as we can tell.. Olivia has her own life. Most of GUTS is clearly about romantic relationships. And this one is not an exception.

[@FARAHOLICS.]

​@@sarahmcdonough2307for me Vampire and The Grudge is about Taylor. But Olivia will never prevail the truth.

[@s1aym30w]

@@FARAHOLICS. ur weird for thinking that

[@nishthagupta1357]

​@@FARAHOLICS.exactly

[@ninaninafishgirl]

even as a taylor fan i had a bad feeling that taylor or at least the taylor swift machine were doing something shady to olivia. we dont know the specifics but it just doesn’t sit right with me.

[@livelurklaugh]

another possibly important information that explain the different way Olivia moves this time around is, for some time ago she parted ways with her management team in Sour/pre-Sour era. I assumed that's the management that said yes to Olivia to speak about Taylor in press.

[@aaliyahfoster2705]

She switched management when she began taking college-level music classes I think.

[@lindsayschmidt2177]

I lowkey always thought the bridge on Nothing New was directly referencing Olivia, even though it was a vault track from Red, I think she could’ve rewritten the bridge with Olivia in mind: “I know someday I’m gonna meet her, it’s a fever dream, the kind of radiance you only have at 17, she’ll know the way and she’ll say she got the map from me, I say I’m happy for her, then I cry myself to sleep.” At the very least, if they weren’t written recently, the lyrics definitely remind Taylor of Olivia now. ETA: Just got to that part of the video 😅

[@Beaglegirl19]

Honestly, these manufactured "rivalries" the media likes to create is getting so old at this point. It's so tiring seeing women being pit against each other. I don't blame Olivia and Taylor for not trying to go along with it. The media needs to STOP it already. This bullshit has been going on for decades and it needs to end. Multiple pop girls can exist without being "rivals". The media doesn't do that with male artists so, why can't female artists get the same respect. Enough is enough.

[@rosanaconta3416]

Taylor who used Olivia... didn't you see the video?

[@thejoeyjason]

​@@rosanaconta3416and you really went with that huh???? FREAKING STOP IT!!!

[@megchippendale529]

I was literally researching this 2 days ago and wondered why there wasn’t a video on it… thank you. I prefer you do the research and I just sit back, watch and listen

[@annaphallactic]

"Songs are composite sketches." THANK YOU. And it seems like only women songwriters deal with this level of dissection (Carly Simon would have a lot to say about this), and it's so frustrating to watch people assume that all women's work is strictly autobiographical while men don't encounter that, it's just assumed that they're more imaginative.

[@bastetowl3258]

yeah, olivia herself has said that she has multiple inspirations and can take situations from different events in her life and put them in one song. some of them are even based on fantasy but men are seen as inherently more creative

[@evan.c1219]

You are so good at articulating your conversation from both sides, respectfully and never scandalously or maliciously.