"There are people that do weird things"- Addison Rae comments on Taylor Swift and Charli XCX's alleged feud

Addison Rae has commented on Taylor Swift and Charli XCX's alleged feud after the former seemingly dissed her contemporary in her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Addison Rae was asked about her friend Charli's feud with Taylor Swift. Although the two have not publicly been hostile towards each other, fans have speculated an alleged beef between them after both released tracks seemingly dissing each other. Rae said:

"I guess we’ll have to see. But there’s so much more to all these things. There are people that do weird things, and I try to avoid those people."

Rae was also asked about rivalries among pop girls in general, and added:

"It doesn’t have to be a thing, but I get it — it’s entertaining. Historically, there’s always been this friendly or maybe unfriendly competition between people. I think it’s a very natural human thing to want to exceed a standard that someone else has laid out. I’m not really interested it for myself. I think it takes away from the reason I want to do any of this stuff."

One of Swift's tracks, Actually Romantic, from her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, is speculated to be about Charli XCX. This came after one of Charli's songs from BRAT, titled Sympathy is a Knife, was also widely considered to be about Swift.

However, neither singer confirmed such speculation, and it remains a part of fan theories as of writing.

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When Taylor Swift praised Charli XCX following the release of BRAT

Taylor Swift 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour - Source: Getty

In an interview with New York Magazine, Taylor Swift spoke highly of Charli XCX following the release of her 2024 album, BRAT. Her comments came after many speculated that Charli's Sympathy is a Knife is about Swift. She said:

"I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011. Her writing is surreal and inventive, always. She just takes a song to places you wouldn’t expect it to go, and she’s been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off."

In Sympathy is a Knife, Charli XCX describes feeling insecure about another woman. The lyrics also described the woman hanging out at shows of The 1975, where Charli's husband, George Daniel, is a drummer. She also mentioned Daniel by name in the song.

It is speculated that at that time, Taylor Swift was dating the band's lead singer, Matty Healy, with fans believing the song referred to her. The lyrics say:

"I don't wanna share this space/I don't wanna force a smile/This one girl taps my insecurities/Don't know if it's real or if I'm spiraling."

The lyrics further mentioned that Charli XCX seemingly wanted the other woman to break up with her boyfriend soon, so she stopped coming to The 1975 shows.

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

When Charli was asked to comment on the lyrics of the track, she did not mention Taylor Swift, keeping it open to interpretation. She said:

"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's Actually Romantic is a seeming response to Charli XCX's response to her breakup with Matty Healy. Many fans have also interpreted it to be a direct reference to Charli's song, Everything is Romantic. In the lyrics, Swift talks about someone high fiving her ex after a breakup, and wrote:

"I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave / High-fived my ex and then 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 / But it’s actually sweet / All the time you’ve spent on me."

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Swift has since then been engaged to NFL tight end Travis Kelce. The couple are reportedly set to tie the knot next year.

Edited by Pratyasha Sarkar