Taylor Swift's new album seems to refer to Matty Healy
Taylor Swift, the 34-year-old Grammy-winning artist, released her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, on Friday. The album appears to offer fans an insight into her brief romantic involvement with Matty Healy, lead singer of The 1975 pop band, reported People. To recall, Swift dated Healy in the spring of 2023—a decade after initial speculations surfaced. She's currently in a relationship with Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce.
Swift's lyrics suggest a connection to Healy's musical preferences
In Guilty as Sin? from her latest album, Swift hints at "fatal fantasies" for someone from her past while being in a relationship with another. The song contains explicit references to Healy—notably in the opening line where Swift mentions receiving "The Downtown Lights" by The Blue Nile, a band Healy has openly admired. This connection adds depth to speculation, especially considering Healy's inspiration from The Downtown Lights for The 1975's Love It If We Made It.
In 'The Black Dog,' Swift's lyrics reflect past relationships
In The Black Dog, Swift continues to allude to Healy's musical preferences, mentioning The Starting Line, a pop-punk band favored by Healy. Interestingly, The 1975 covered The Starting Line's The Best of Me in concert shortly before Swift and Healy were first spotted together. Meanwhile, the album's title track also seems to hint at Healy. Lyrics about a partner who smokes and consumes "seven bars of chocolate" could be a nod to The 1975's popular 2013 song Chocolate.
Swift's album chronicles emotional journey post-breakup
Despite the happiness conveyed in The Tortured Poets Department, Swift explores the theme of reigniting a past love only for it to end abruptly in another song titled loml. In Down Bad, she expresses feeling abandoned by her loved one. The poignant track I Can Do It with a Broken Heart shares her struggle of performing on the Eras Tour each night with a broken heart. To note, The Eras Tour commenced in March 2023.
Healy and Swift's relationship faced backlash
Healy and Swift's relationship began in 2014, sparking rumors after Swift attended multiple concerts by The 1975 and sported band merchandise. Their public debut as a couple occurred in May 2023, although they parted ways by June. However, their fling faced backlash from some of Swift's fans due to controversial remarks made by Healy on a podcast, for which he later apologized. It remains unclear what caused the separation. Meanwhile, TTPD, per Swifties, also references her other ex, Joe Alwyn.
