Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, has finally dropped — and it’s already sending shockwaves through the fandom. While many expected Actually Romantic to be a heartfelt love song for Travis Kelce, it turns out Swift may have had someone entirely different in mind. According to early fan interpretations and social media sleuthing, the song could be a cleverly disguised diss track aimed at fellow pop star Charli XCX.
Is Actually Romantic a diss track about Charli XCX?
Fans began connecting the dots shortly after The Life of a Showgirl hit streaming platforms. Actually Romantic stands out from the rest of the album’s glittering, theatrical tone — it’s biting, ironic, and wrapped in layers of self-aware humor. Lyrically, the song flips casual insults and dismissive remarks from an “industry frenemy” into what sounds like a twisted love letter. One line in particular has caught fans’ attention:
“Hadn’t thought of you in a long time / But you keep sending me funny valentines.”
At first glance, it reads as a sly nod to someone who just can’t let go of old drama. Adding fuel to the theory, Swift’s NYC Showgirl Spotify installation reportedly featured a mock Valentine’s card referencing the track — a detail fans quickly interpreted as shade toward Charli XCX.
Why would Taylor Swift call out Charli XCX?
The rumored feud between the two artists traces back to 2019, when Charli XCX made a controversial remark about opening for Swift on the Reputation Stadium Tour. In an interview, Charli joked that the experience sometimes felt like “performing to 5-year-olds,” a comment that was widely seen as dismissive of Swift’s fanbase. Though Charli later clarified that her words had been taken out of context, saying she was “extremely grateful” for the opportunity, the moment lingered in pop-culture memory.
Things reignited years later, in 2024, when fans speculated that Charli’s song Sympathy Is a Knife referenced Taylor Swift indirectly. Charli, who is married to George Daniel of The 1975, included lyrics that seemed to allude to someone who no longer attended her partner’s concerts — a possible dig at Swift’s brief romance with The 1975 frontman, Matty Healy, in 2023.
Given this tangled history, it wouldn’t be far-fetched for Actually Romantic to serve as Swift’s lyrical rebuttal — a polished, showbiz-style clapback where she turns cattiness into art.
What The Life of a Showgirl represents
Beyond the gossip and speculation, The Life of a Showgirl feels like Taylor Swift at her most theatrical and self-aware. Announced on August 13, 2025, during an appearance on Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast, the album explores the duality of fame — its dazzling beauty and its underlying exhaustion. The album cover, featuring Swift submerged in bathwater wearing a rhinestone corset, captures that tension perfectly.
Speaking about the album’s concept, Taylor explained:
“My day ends with me in a bathtub, not usually in a bedazzled dress. I wanted to glamorize all the different aspects of how the Eras Tour felt.”
From heartbreak to high camp, The Life of a Showgirl seems to blend glitter with grit — and if Actually Romantic truly is a subtle jab at Charli XCX, it’s proof that even when Taylor’s dishing out shade, she does it with show-stopping flair.