Taylor Swift's “Actually Romantic” lyrics explored as fans claim singer dissed Charli XCX in “The Life of a Showgirl” track

Rumors of Taylor Swift and Charli XCX's alleged feud resurfaced after Swift addressed an unnamed rival in the song Actually Romantic from her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. The LP, which marked Swift's 12th studio album, was released on October 3, 2025.

According to Cosmopolitan, several fans believe that Actually Romantic was a diss track targeting Charli XCX. Speculations of the alleged diss arose even before the song was released. When Swift unveiled the tracklist in August 2025, fans noted that the album's seventh track was titled Actually Romantic, which they believed was a reference to Charli XCX's song Everything Is Romantic from her Grammy-winning 2024 album Brat.

To add more backstory to the situation, Charli XCX is married to George Daniel, the drummer of British pop-rock band The 1975. The band is fronted by Matty Healy, who was rumored to have dated Taylor Swift in 2023 following her breakup with Joe Alwyn. Additionally, several fans also believe that Charli's song Sympathy Is a Knife from Brat is about Taylor Swift.

In the track, Charli sings about feeling insecure in comparison to an unnamed woman, which is highlighted in the lines, "This one girl taps my insecurities" and "'Cause I couldn't even be her if I tried." Furthermore, the reason many believe the song is about Swift is because of the line:

"Don't wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend's show/ Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick."

Exploring the lyrics of Taylor Swift's Actually Romantic

Taylor Swift's Actually Romantic is dedicated to the singer's unnamed rival, whom she refers to in the second person. Throughout the song, Swift speculates that her rival's supposed hatred is a disguise for their admiration and love for her.

In the first version, Taylor Swift recalled a nickname the person gave her while they were on drugs. She also mentioned the rival high-fiving her ex when they broke up, and alluded to a song they supposedly wrote about her.

"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/ Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face/ Some people might be offended."

In the second verse, Taylor Swift seemingly belittled her rival's hatred for her, describing it as "precious" and "adorable" while likening the unnamed person to a "toy chihuahua."

"Hadn't thought of you in a long time/ But you keep sending me funny valentines/ And I know you think it comes off vicious/ But it's precious, adorable/ Like a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse/ That's how much it hurts/ How many times has your boyfriend said/ "Why are we always talking 'bout her?""

Throughout the chorus and the bridge, Taylor Swift assumes that her rival's hatred for her is a farce to hide their love for her, singing "No man has ever loved me like you do."

Swift, who has often toed the line between keeping her songs PG and mature, decided to be more direct this time as some of her more explicit lyrics are included in Actually Romantic's bridge. She accuses her rival of "talking dirty" and flirting with her, adding that their supposed rivalry was "kind of making [her] wet."

"You think I'm tacky, baby/ Stop talking dirty to me/ It sounded nasty, but it/ Feels like you're flirting with me/ I mind my business, God's my witness that I don't provoke it/ It's kind of making me wet (Oh)/ 'Cause it's actually sweet/ All the time you've spent on me/ It's honestly lovely/ All the effort you've put in/ It's actually romantic/ Really got to hand it to you, to you/ No man has ever loved me like you do."

What did Charlie XCX say about Sympathy Is a Knife?

As of this article, there have been no official reports of bad blood between Charli XCX and Taylor Swift. According to USA Today, Charli was one of the opening acts on Swift's 2018 "Reputation Stadium Tour."

However, in a 2019 article in Pitchfork, the Von Dutch singer said that while she was grateful to Swift for providing her with the opportunity to perform at the tour, the experience was akin to "waving to 5-year-olds." Following backlash from the Swifties, Charli took to social media to clarify her quote. She claimed that her comment had been taken out of context, writing:

"People on the Internet have taken something I said out of context," she wrote. "As I say in the article and have said many times before, I am extremely grateful to Taylor for inviting me to open for her. She’s one of the biggest artists of my generation and the Reputation tour was one of the biggest tours in history."

Then, in 2024, rumors of Charli dissing Taylor Swift circulated on social media following the release of Brat. Seemingly anticipating the backlash, Charli had issued a "brat psa" on TikTok in May 2024, one month ahead of the album's release, where she told fans that the album contained no diss tracks.

During her cover story with New York Magazine in August 2024, Charli addressed Sympathy Is a Knife and rumors of it being a shade at Swift, saying:

"People are gonna think what they want to think. That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I don’t want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt."

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift provided a quote about Charlie XCX in the same interview, lauding the British pop star's "melodic sensibilities" and describing her writing as "surreal and inventive."

Taylor Swift has not confirmed whether Actually Romantic is about a particular person as of this writing.

About the author

With a strong love for the English language cultivated from a childhood filled with reading, Juhi aims to take her readers on a literary journey with every word she writes.

When she's not busy putting her pen to paper, Juhi can be found indulging in her hobbies, such as embroidering and crocheting, while binge-watching TV shows.

Know More

Edited by Juhi Marzia