Taylor Swift breaks down meaning behind Charli xcx-inspired track

Taylor Swift is pulling back the curtain on the lyrics to The Life of a Showgirl standout track Actually Romantic, which fans believe takes aim at fellow pop star Charli xcx.

In an Amazon Music commentary, the pop star, 35, explained that the song is about discovering that someone has been locked in a one-sided rivalry with you without your knowledge.

“It’s about realising someone’s been living in your head rent-free, but you didn’t even know you were in theirs,” Swift said. “It presents itself as resentment or a problem with you, but when you think about it, that’s just attention and affection. Honestly, it’s kind of romantic.”

On the track, Swift paints the picture of an obsessed critic, opening with, “High-fived my ex and then said you’re glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song sayin’ it makes you sick to see my face.”

Instead of lashing back, the Grammy-winning singer flips the script, “But it’s actually sweet, all the time you’ve spent on me… It’s actually romantic / I really gotta hand it to you / No man has ever loved me like you do.”

Charli xcx, 33, has not publicly responded to the speculation. The 360 singer previously toured with Swift as an opener on the Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018 alongside Camila Cabello.