Taylor Swift vs. Charli XCX: Inside the Rumored Feud Behind Actually Romantic

Taylor Swift’s new song Actually Romantic has fans speculating it’s a direct diss at Charli XCX and her track Sympathy Is a Knife.

Here’s a full timeline of their rumoured feud, from Reputation Tour beginnings to lyrical shade, chart drama, and the fan frenzy taking over social media.

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Act 1: Tour Buddies Turn Tense (2018–2019)

Back in 2018, things seemed rosy. Charli XCX opened for Taylor on the Reputation Stadium Tour, performing more than 50 shows worldwide. Taylor even praised Charli’s songwriting at the time, calling her work “surreal and inventive.”

But in a 2019 Pitchfork interview, Charli described the tour experience by saying, “as an artist, it kind of felt like I was getting up onstage and waving to 5-year-olds.” While Charli later clarified and apologized, many Swifties saw the comment as a dig at Taylor’s pop-heavy audience.

Taylor tried to smooth things over, continuing to speak highly of Charli publicly. Still, fans clocked the first signs of tension.

Act 2: Brat, Sympathy Is a Knife and Chart Drama (2024)

Fast-forward to June 2024: Charli XCX releases her critically acclaimed album Brat, featuring the song “Sympathy Is a Knife.”

Lyrics like:
“Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick”
and
“This one girl taps my insecurities … I don’t know if it’s real or if I’m spiraling”

immediately sparked theories that the track referenced Taylor Swift. The connection? Taylor’s short-lived romance with Matty Healy (frontman of The 1975) in 2023, while Charli is now married to the band’s drummer, George Daniel.

Charli denied the song was about Taylor, insisting it reflected her own insecurities. But speculation only grew when Taylor’s The Tortured Poets Department reissue dropped in the U.K. just after Brat’s release — a move many fans accused of “chart blocking” Charli from scoring a No.1 album.

At Charli’s shows, fans even chanted “Taylor is dead” — which Charli shut down immediately, refusing to fuel the fire.

Act 3: Actually Romantic – Taylor’s Clapback? (2025)

The drama reignited in 2025 with the release of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. The track “Actually Romantic” instantly sent TikTok, Twitter, and fan forums into overdrive.

Lyrics include:
“I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave”
“High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me”
“You wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face”

Fans immediately linked these lines to Charli’s Sympathy Is a Knife, interpreting the track as Taylor’s not-so-subtle response.

Even the title “Actually Romantic” feels like a play on Charli’s Everything Is Romantic. In the visualizer, Taylor holds a red apple — another possible nod to Charli’s viral track Apple.

Critics remain divided: some say Taylor’s diss is “too on the nose,” while others hail it as the perfect piece of pop shade.

When asked, Taylor insisted the song isn’t about any one person, describing it instead as a reflection on realizing someone has a “one-sided adversarial relationship” with you. But fans aren’t buying the coincidence.

Act 4: Feud or Fan Fiction?

Despite the internet frenzy, neither Taylor Swift nor Charli XCX has confirmed a feud. In fact, Taylor praised Charli’s songwriting as recently as 2024, and Charli has repeatedly said her music isn’t about targeting individuals.

But fans aren’t letting it go. From chart rivalries to lyrical digs, the supposed Swift vs. Charli feud has become one of 2025’s hottest pop culture debates.

For now, the tension lives in a grey area — somewhere between playful coincidences and pointed disses. What’s clear is that this drama is keeping fans and media outlets hooked, proving once again that pop thrives on a little ambiguity and a lot of speculation.

Whether or not “Actually Romantic” is aimed at Charli, the saga cements itself as a juicy chapter in modern pop lore. Taylor Swift and Charli XCX might not be at full-blown “celebrity feud” status, but in the court of fan opinion, the verdict is still out.

One thing’s for sure: this is pop drama at its finest — and we’ll be watching closely to see if either star adds another verse to the story.