So, is Olivia Rodrigo’s newest hit song Vampire really about her feud with Taylor Swift?

Olivia Rodrigo’s newest song Vampire has been blowing up on TikTok, and it’s been playing 24/7 on my Spotify. It’s pretty easy to hear the song is Olivia’s way of venting some anger about someone, and rumours have been swirling that the song is really about her feud with fellow artist Taylor Swift.

The song, which is the lead single from the singer’s forthcoming album Guts, references a “bloodsucker, fame f***er, bleedin’ me dry like a goddamn vampire!”

The two have been allegedly feuding for a while, and Olivia was recently asked in an interview about whether the song was about Taylor. While she didn’t confirm the rumours, she didn’t deny them either, saying “how do I answer this?”

“I mean, I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve never done that before in my career and probably won’t. I think it’s better to not pigeonhole a song to being about this one thing,” she said. “I was very surprised when people thought that.”

In a press release for Vampire, Olivia said she wrote it because she was “upset about a certain situation” and when she went to the studio and sat down at the piano alone in December “the chords, melody, and lyrics just poured out” of her. “It’s a song about feeling confused and hurt”, she summarised. On Instagram, the star said it was “very cathartic” to finish it as she wrote: “Writing this song helped me sort through lots of feelings of regret, anger, and heartache.”

Despite labelling herself as “the biggest Swiftie in the entire world” a few years ago, Olivia confirmed she has not attended any of Taylor’s Eras tour shows. So what exactly went on between them that has fans believing the song is about their drama?

When Driver’s License charted at number three on iTunes, directly below two of Taylor’s songs, Olivia proudly shared a screenshot to Instagram and wrote, “Next to Taylor on the US iTunes chart I’m in a puddle of tears.” Taylor sweetly reciprocated the affection by commenting “I say that’s my baby and I’m proud.” 

When her debut album Sour came out just days later, Taylor’s musical influence over Olivia’s work was at its most apparent in her song 1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back which credits Taylor after using an interpolation of her track New Year’s Day. While this interpolation was authorised by Taylor’s team and dutifully credited by Olivia, in July, weeks after Sour’s release, fans noticed that Taylor had been retroactively credited on Olivia’s blockbuster single Deja Vu.

Taylor and her collaborators Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent’s names were added alongside Olivia’s and songwriter-producer Dan Nigro. This addition was apparently due to the reported interpolation of Taylor’s song Cruel Summer in the hit.

The credits meant Olivia had given up a huge sum of money in royalties, with Taylor, Jack, and St. Vincent said to receive a combined share of 50 per cent of the royalties for Deja Vu. Olivia did not publicly address the situation at the time, but in a Rolling Stone interview with Alanis Morissette in October 2021, the two women bonded over encountering “mean girls” in the industry.

And the rumour that Taylor and Olivia had fallen out was fuelled earlier this year when they didn’t pose for a photo together at the Grammys, despite Taylor being pictured with several of her fellow artists.

Taylor has also been growing closer to Sabrina Carpenter, who was largely speculated to be Olivia’s love rival during her Sour era and is even believed to be “the blonde girl” Olivia references in Driver’s License. Shortly before Olivia announced Vampire, Taylor revealed Sabrina would be joining her on her international Eras tour as a special guest.

So, with everything in mind, it’s perhaps unsurprising some fans believe Olivia’s lyrics about feeling used and blindsided by somebody she once loved could be about her former idol. Whether it’s about Taylor or not, it’s a certified tune so I’m here for it either way. 

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