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Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift were initially seen as close friends, but rumors of a falling out arose. Yet, according to Rodrigo, there is no animosity between her and her idol.
At the beginning of Rodrigo’s rise to fame, she openly expressed her admiration for Swift, even going so far as to call herself a devoted Swiftie. She spoke about Swift with immense reverence, stating in an interview with SiriusXM, “I feel so lucky that I was born at the right time to be able to look up to someone like her.”
Swift reciprocated with unwavering support for Rodrigo, amplifying her fan base. When Rodrigo covered “Cruel Summer,” Swift praised her talent, saying, “The talent! Love this!” Additionally, Swift took on a mentorship role for the budding artist. When Rodrigo’s hit “Driver’s License” soared to the top of the charts, Swift was among the first to offer warm congratulations, commenting on Instagram, “I say that’s my baby and I’m really proud.”
However, things took a turn when Rodrigo faced accusations of song plagiarism, including two of Swift’s tracks. In response, Rodrigo relinquished millions in royalties and retrospectively credited Swift as a writer. Rodrigo expressed her frustration, telling Time, “It was really frustrating to see people discredit and deny my creativity.” Strangely, both artists ceased interactions, both online and in person, following the legal ordeal. Fans observed that they even seemed to ignore each other at the Grammys, fueling speculation of a rift. Nevertheless, according to Rodrigo, there is no such feud.
Rumors of a feud between Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift were exacerbated when Rodrigo mentioned that she had not yet attended Swift’s record-breaking The Eras Tour, an event attended by a significant portion of Hollywood and the music industry. “I haven’t yet,” she stated in an August 2023 interview with The New York Times, explaining that her absence was due to her busy schedule. “I’m going to Europe this week.”
A month later, when asked directly by Rolling Stone to address the rumors, Rodrigo emphatically stated, “I don’t have beef with anyone.” She emphasized her laid-back nature, asserting, “I’m very chill. I keep to myself. I have my four friends and my mom, and that’s really the only people I talk to, ever. There’s nothing to say.” She added that any speculations were baseless, stating, “There’s so many Twitter conspiracy theories. I only look at alien conspiracy theories.”
Rodrigo acknowledged that she was taken aback when asked to credit Swift in her debut album. She admitted, “I was a little caught off guard. At the time it was very confusing, and I was green and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Is that the phrase?” However, she did not clarify whether this decision was voluntary or influenced by external factors. She mentioned, “It’s not something that I was super involved in … It was more team-on-team.”
Fans of Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift, as expected, remain unwavering in their speculations. Following the release of Rodrigo’s second album, “Guts,” some scrutinized every lyric, leading to the belief that Rodrigo’s songs “Vampire” and “The Grudge” were about Swift. However, Rodrigo was careful not to disclose specific individuals her songs are dedicated to, if any. In an interview with The Guardian, she emphasized her preference for not tying a song to a singular subject, saying, “I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve never done that before in my career and probably won’t.” She expressed surprise at fans’ interpretations of her tracks. Meanwhile, Swift showed support for Rodrigo’s performance of the song in question at the 2023 Video Movie Awards.
Regardless of any speculation, it’s evident that Rodrigo aims to establish her own identity in the industry and not live in the shadow of Swift, or anyone else for that matter. She emphasized, “Young women are constantly compared to each other. I’m the ‘new this’ or ‘this woman meets that woman,’ and that can be reductive.” She added, “I’m just Olivia. I’m doing my own thing. It’s meaningful when people recognize that.”