Taylor Swift with boygenius singers Lucy Dacus (L) and Phoebe Bridgers (R). (Getty/John Shearer)
It’s time to clock in for work in The Tortured Poets Division, as Taylor Swift has simply dropped not one, however two albums – each of which dissect the demise of her latest excessive profile relationships.
On the entire, The Tortured Poets Division – which is break up into two components, after the 34-year-old singer dropped a shock second half hours after the primary was launched – is an intricate post-mortem of her six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn.
Nonetheless, the music legend additionally makes room among the many mammoth 31 songs on the tracklist to intestine her former fling, The 1975 singer Matty Healy, whom Swift briefly dated final Spring, a lot to the fury of her fanbase.
In a single such tune, the title monitor, Swift seemingly berates a associate’s “self-sabotaging” behaviour and seems to say studying about him “coming undone” – a lyric that some followers consider references Healy’s quite a few, notorious controversies.
Healy’s most contentious moments embrace showing on Adam Friedland and Nick Mullen’s podcast The Adam Friedland Present, and laughing alongside because the hosts mocked Swift’s buddy and rapper Ice Spice and mimicked Chinese language and Hawaiian accents.
Nonetheless, regardless of the cryptic mentions of Swift’s relationship with the contentious musician, there’s one lyric that has notably piqued the curiosity of her followers – a reference to a lady referred to as “Lucy”.
Does Taylor Swift point out queer Boygenius singer Lucy Dacus?
In the course of the bridge on monitor two, “The Tortured Poets Division”, Swift makes reference to a lover – assumed to be Matty Healy – who advised “Lucy” that he would take his personal life if Swift left him.
“Generally I ponder in the event you’re gonna screw this up with me, however you advised Lucy you’d kill your self if I ever depart,” the lyric reads.
In a attainable reference to Jack Antonoff, Swift’s longtime collaborator, she continues: “And I had mentioned that to Jack about you so I felt seen, everybody we all know understands why it’s meant to be, as a result of we’re loopy.”
Followers have concluded that the “Lucy” in query is Lucy Dacus, queer singer and one third of Phoebe Bridgers’ Grammy-winning supergroup, boygenius.
Dacus has a connection to each Healy and Swift: final yr, whereas Swift was writing The Tortured Poets Division, boygenius member Bridgers was Swift’s opener on her big Eras Tour. One evening final Could, simply days after Swift’s relationship with Healy turned public, Dacus and fellow boygenius member Julien Baker joined Bridgers to open Swift’s Eras present in Nashville.
Each Bridgers and Dacus have had a documented friendship with Healy, with Bridgers beforehand explaining that she had been a “fan perpetually” of The 1975 frontman earlier than they collaborated in 2020.
Timing-wise, then, it is smart for the “Lucy” in query to be Lucy Dacus – even when Swift herself hasn’t confirmed it herself.
Are Taylor Swift and Lucy Dacus nonetheless pals?
As of February 2024, it seems that Taylor Swift and Lucy Dacus are nonetheless pretty good pals, because the pair had been pictured collectively on the Grammy Awards.
After successful the Album of the 12 months accolade for 2022 file Midnights, Swift introduced the discharge of The Tortured Poets Division – after which reportedly went off stage to congratulate Boygenius on their Greatest Rock Efficiency award.
Are Lucy Dacus and Matty Healy nonetheless pals?
Whereas Taylor Swift and Lucy Dacus nonetheless seem like friends, the identical can’t be mentioned for Matty Healy and Dacus. Final September, Healy deactivated his X/Twitter account after Dacus referred to as him out for an ableist joke he made about her band, boygenius.
Healy‘s joke learn: “I advised Lucy Dacus that ‘Boygenius’ had impressed me and [The 1975 member] George to begin a brand new band referred to as ‘Girlr****d’. I don’t actually hear from her that usually.”
In a brief, scathing response, Dacus replied: “You don’t hear from me in any respect.”
Shortly after the submit went viral, Healy’s account was nowhere to be discovered. Burn.
The Tortured Poets Division is out now.