Taylor Swift’s brand-new album, The Life of a Showgirl, is finally out, and it is everything fans could have dreamed of. However, the song that fans had assumed could have been about Travis Kelce, apparently, is not a love song at all! Yes, according to fans, Actually Romantic is a diss track about the Boom Clap star, Charli XCX.
Is Actually Romantic a diss track about Charli XCX?
The Life of a Showgirl is a banger and a complete contrast to Taylor Swift’s last album, The Tortured Poets Department. However, while fans have been correct about certain tracks, their assumptions about track 7, Actually Romantic, has turned out to be incorrect. It seems like the track is not about TayTay’s fiancé; in fact, it is not a love song at all. Instead, fans have come to the conclusion that the track might be calling out Taylor’s fellow musician, Charli XCX.
Speculations started circulating after fans noticed that Actually Romantic featured reframed insults and petty jabs from an enemy, such as being called “Boring Barbie,” into a backhanded love letter. They also pointed out that the Spotify The Life of a Showgirl exhibit in NYC included a personalised Valentine’s Day card. The track featured a line, which read:
“Hadn’t thought of you in a long time. But you keep sending me funny valentines.”
Why would Taylor Swift call out Charli XCX?
The row between Charli XCX and Taylor Swift is reportedly stemming from the former’s remark about performing at the Reputation Stadium Tour. According to reports, Charli XCX drew backlash in 2019 after she made a remark comparing performing at the Taylor Swift concert to entertaining “5-year-olds.” Soon, after she tried clarifying herself. However, it seems like Taylor didn’t forget what she had said. Charli had tweeted:
“People on the Internet have taken something I said out of context. 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.”
Ever since the interview, the fans of Taylor Swift and Charli XCX have been at odds. However, it was in 2024 that Charli’s song was linked to Taylor Swift. Charli, who is married to George Daniel, the drummer of the band, 1975, wrote a song titled Sympathy Is a Knife in 2024, in which she discussed not seeing ‘someone’ at her boyfriend’s concerts anymore and hoping that they would break up. For the unversed, Taylor dated the band’s frontman, Matty Healy, in 2023.
Taylor Swift shows the fans what show business is
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl offers a candid glimpse into the world of the spotlight, glamour, glitz, and full-on show business. The star made the announcement of her 12th album on August 13, 2025, on her now-fiancé, Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast. She surprised fans as her website simultaneously updated with a sparkling cover image of her submerged in bathwater, donning a bedazzled corset. Talking about the album, she stated:
“My day ends with me in a bathtub, not usually in a bedazzled dress. I wanted to glamorise all the different aspects of how (the Eras Tour) felt.”
What are your thoughts on Actually Romantic? Let us know.
Next Read: Taylor Swift Flaunts Her Engagement Ring On ‘Graham Norton Show’ As She Appears For TLOAS Promotion