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Taylor Swift is one of the biggest names in the music industry today. In less than nine months since its inception, her Eras Tour has grossed over $1 billion and has become the highest-grossing concert tour in history. The pop icon has millions of fans all over the globe.
Olivia Rodrigo was one such fan who rose to fame with her viral debut single, Drivers License. It became so popular that the single was placed right below Taylor Swift's tracks on the charts, and Taylor herself complimented her on Instagram. This interaction was the start of their friendship.
Fans assumed that there was a feud between the artists when Taylor's team reportedly asked for credits for Olivia's song Deja Vu. However, Taylor's reaction to Olivia Rodrigo's performance at the 2024 Grammys put all speculations to rest.
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Timeline of Taylor Swift's relationship with Olivia Rodrigo, explained
From an Instagram comment to a standing ovation at the Grammys, here are every major incident that has taken place between Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo over the years.
January 14, 2021: Olivia Rodrigo gushes out about Taylor Swift's comment
Olivia Rodrigo's debut single, Drivers License, was released on January 8, 2021, and climbed up the charts to sit right next to Taylor Swift's releases. Olivia posted a screenshot of her success and shared it on Instagram with the caption:
"next to taylor on the us i tunes chart i’m in a puddle of tears"
In the comment section, Taylor Swift replied:
"I say that's my baby and I'm really proud"
In an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe on January 10, 2021, Olivia described that entire moment and gushed about Taylor Swift's reply:
"And in the grogginess of my sleep, I checked my phone and she commented on my photo and I just about died… just about died. Literally, I’ve looked up to her as long as I can remember, so it was so sweet of her to do that," she exclaimed.
March 2, 2021: Taylor sends Olivia Rodrigo a ring
In an interview with SiriusXM on March 2, 2021, Olivia Rodrigo revealed that Taylor Swift sent her a ring like the one she wore in the Red music video. The Drivers License singer showered Taylor with praise and called her 'the kindest individual in the whole world.'
"She is absolutely the kindest individual in the whole world. Actually, last night—like literally 12 hours ago—I got a package from her with this handwritten note. And she gave me this ring because she said she wore one just like it when she wrote 'Red' and she wanted me to have one like it," she gushed.
April 7, 2021: Olivia Rodrigo confides that a part of Deja Vu is inspired by Cruel Summer
Olivia released Deja Vu on April 1, 2021. In an interview with Rolling Stone on April 7, she said that the bridge of her new song was inspired by the bridge of Taylor Swift's Cruel Summer.
"We wanted to write a bridge. I wanted it to be really high-energy ’cause the rest of the song is so serene and eerily calm,... But I wanted the last bridge to go crazy, and I love ‘Cruel Summer.’ It’s one of my favorite songs ever," she said
Olivia continued:
"I love like the yelly vocals in it, like the harmonized yells that she does, I think they’re, like, super electric and moving, so I wanted to do something like that.”
May 11, 2021: Taylor and Olivia meet for the first time
After many online interactions and interviews, the two artists finally met for the first time. Olivia shared the iconic moment on Instagram.
May 20, 2021: Billboard reports that Olivia Rodrigo interpolated Taylor Swift's song
On May 20, 2021, Billboard reported that Olivia's new song, 1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back, interpolates Taylor Swift's musical number, New Year's Day. Moreover, it also stated that Taylor and her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff have writing credits for Olivia's song.
In an interview with Zach Sang on June 1, 2021, Olivia dissected the interpolation fiasco. She revealed that she got approval from Taylor's side before releasing it.
"We interpolated 'New Year's Day,' which is Taylor's song from Reputation. I came up with the '1 Step Forward' concept, and I sort of wrote a verse and a chorus… I was in the car on a road trip, and when I got home, I decided to sing it over the chords of 'New Year's Day'," she explained.
July 9, 2021: Taylor Swift's name gets added to the Deja Vu credits list
On July 9, 2021, Billboard reported that Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, and Jack Antonoff had been added to the credits list of Olivia Rodrigo's Deja Vu. The credit was reportedly included after Olivia's interview on April 7, 2021, where she talked about her inspiration being Cruel Summer.
October 5, 2021: Olivia Rodrigo finally opens up about the songwriting credit debacle
On October 5, 2021, Teen Vogue interviewed Olivia and asked her about her credit fiasco with Taylor Swift. Rodrigo explained that the "business side of music" was something she found hard to comprehend. However, she said that she was trying to learn that aspect of the business and focus on her love for music.
"Writing songs about how I feel has always been easy and fun for me, and I think the business side of music has been something I've had a harder time learning. I've been sort of growing through that this year, but I've just been trying to remember that I write songs because I love them," she commented.
The 21-year-old also discussed how people take things out of context and criticize her work. She talked about how inspiration plays a major role in music and that she was proud that her job was that of a songwriter.
December 9, 2021: Olivia opens up about her frustration after winning Entertainer of the Year
Olivia Rodrigo won TIME's Entertainer of the Year in 2021. The singer spoke about her alleged credit controversy with Taylor in her acceptance speech and how people discredited her.
"It was really frustrating to see people discredit and deny my creativity," she commented.
Finally, her producer, Dan Nigro, took a dig which many fans thought was directed at Taylor. However, it is a matter of conjecture.
"It seems like people get funny about things when songs become really popular" he said.
September 12, 2023: Olivia finally talks about Taylor Swift
Olivia Rodrigo was finally asked bluntly about her relationship with Taylor Swift in an interview with Rolling Stone on September 12, 2023. However, she denied any controversy and commented that they are only restricted to X (formerly Twitter).
“I don’t have beef with anyone. 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. There’s so many Twitter conspiracy theories. I only look at alien-conspiracy theories.”
The interviewer further probed Rodrigo by asking her how she felt after Taylor's team demanded writing credits on Deja Vu. However, she chose to dodge the question and said that it was more of a team-on-team discussion.
"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? It’s not something that I was super involved in. It was more team-on-team. So, I wouldn’t be the best person to ask."
February 4, 2024: Taylor Swift applauds Olivia Rodrigo's performance at the Grammys
Fans spotted Taylor Swift dancing during Olivia Rodrigo's performance of Vampire at the 2024 Grammys. At the show's end, she stood up and applauded for the 21-year-old singer.
Taylor also clapped for Olivia during the VMAs in 2023. Therefore, from the reaction and what Olivia said in her Rolling Stone interview, we can conclude that there is no bad blood between Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. Fans hope that it continues to be like this, and that they see many more beautiful moments between the two pop stars in the future.
