Charli XCX has shared a cryptic post that she's back in the recording studio - just days after fans linked her to a possible diss on Taylor Swift's new album, The Life of a Showgirl.
Over the weekend, the 33-year-old musician posted a five-second clip from inside a studio, accompanied only by a heart emoji.
The update might have gone unnoticed if it hadn’t come just days after Swift released the track 'Actually Romantic', which many believe directly references the British singer-songwriter.
The latest buzz centers around a potential lyrical back-and-forth between the two pop stars, sparked by Charli’s 2024 album Brat, which included the standout track 'Sympathy Is A Knife'. Though Charli never named names, the lyrics are about her complex feelings of being in the public eye, her self-doubt, and inner comparisons between herself and other women.
Given that Charli is married to George Daniel of The 1975 and Swift, 35, briefly dated his bandmate Matty Healy in 2023, fans quickly speculated that the track was a veiled reference to the 'Cruel Summer' singer.
“I'm so apprehensive now / Don't wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend's show /Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick," Charli sings on the track, adding: "'Cause I couldn't even be her if I tried (Why?) / I'm opposite, I'm on the other side (Why?) / I feel all these feelings I can't control (Why?)."
But the 'Apple' star addressed the rumors directly in a TikTok video last year, explaining that the songs on the critically acclaimed album weren’t aimed at anyone in particular.
“I just wanted to come on here and clarify that there aren’t [diss tracks],” she said. “The tracks in question aren’t diss tracks, they’re really just about how it’s so complicated being an artist, especially a female artist, where you are pitted against your peers but also expected to be best friends with every single person constantly, and if you’re not, you’re, like, deemed a bad feminist. And that, to me, is such an unrealistic expectation.
“So yeah, these songs are about as a woman, as an artist, some days you can feel on top of the world, some days you can feel unbelievably insecure. Other days you can feel highly competitive, some days you can feel like literal trash, and it’s really emotional and complicated to deal with, and you’re not supposed to talk about it, but these songs do talk about it. And I’ll probably be chastised for that,” she added.
She doubled down in an August 2024 interview, saying: “That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I don’t want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt.”
Still, when 'Actually Romantic' dropped last week as the seventh track on The Life of a Showgirl - mirroring Brat’s own seventh track, Everything Is Romantic - fans couldn’t help but draw connections.
“I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave,” Swift sings in the track’s opening lines. “High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face.”
Later, she flips the narrative: “It sounded nasty, but it feels like you’re flirting with me… It’s actually romantic… Really got to hand it to you / No man has ever loved me like you do.”
So far, Charli hasn’t commented on the speculation, and her team declined to respond to media inquiries following the release of Swift’s album. But the 'Von Dutch' songstress' surprise studio teaser on Sunday (October 5) has fueled theories that a musical response may already be in the works.
"Now THIS is how you clap back. Showgirls show, not tell," one user said. Another quipped: "Not like us for white women incoming."
A third joked: "We’re going from Nicki vs Cardi immediately into Taylor vs Charli xcx," while a fourth added: "And now u gotta put out the hardest banger you ever put out in yo life good luck babe."
Despite the perceived tension, Swift has publicly praised Charli’s artistry. In her New York Magazine cover story, Swift described Charli’s songwriting as “surreal and inventive,” noting that she’s admired her work since her 2011 debut.
The two artists also share a professional history as Charli joined Swift onstage during the 1989 World Tour in 2015 and later opened for her on the Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018.