Ouch.
In an interview with Time later that year, Rodrigo addressed the whole plagiarism fiasco, saying: “It was really frustrating to see people discredit and deny my creativity.” There have been no cuddly photo opps, or even kind public words, between Olivia and Taylor since.

Fair enough, Taylor touched her money.
And she didn’t stop there: in a coincidence that seems too snarky to be accidental, in June of this year Swift invited singer Sabrina Carpenter – long rumoured to be “the other woman” in the real-life love triangle depicted in Rodrigo’s Drivers License – to be the opening artist on her international Eras tour, including its Australian leg next February.

Classic Taylor.
You said it, not me. Of course, when Vampire, the first single off Rodrigo’s new album was released in June, listeners were quick to suggest its lyrics were aimed at Swift. “I used to think I was smart, but you made me look so naive/ The way you sold me for parts, as you sunk your teeth into me,” particularly perked ears.

Well, I mean, that’s hardly convincing.
This is where things get uncomfortable. To many listeners, Vampire’s clearly about some loser guy Rodrigo dated (the internet’s landed on 27-year-old DJ, Zack Bia). And the prevailing narrative – that Taylor, at 33, is supposedly jealous of her younger heir apparent’s burgeoning success – stinks of misogynistic bias. It’s that classic game of pitting female pop stars against each other for our cultural amusement. Remember Whitney vs Mariah, Britney vs Xtina, Mariah vs Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga vs Madonna, Taylor vs Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj vs Miley Cyrus, Miley vs Selena Gomez, Selena vs Ariana Grande, Ariana Gra...

Yes, we get it. So what’s the pair’s take on it all?
This also hasn’t helped. Swift’s been quiet and, during a recent interview with The Guardian when she was directly asked about those Swiftian readings of Vampire, Rodrigo offered a vague response. “I mean, I never want to say who any of my songs are about... I was very surprised when people thought that,” she said.

Doesn’t really clear it up, does it?
It’s polite, but that answer placated nobody. Since the release of Rodrigo’s second album Guts on Friday, bored kids and online stirrers – the conspiracy theorists of the future – have taken their Swift-tinted glasses to all of Rodrigo’s new songs. In their eyes, all of her songs could be about Swift. But their current obsession? The Grudge.

That horror movie with Sarah Michelle Gellar?
No, another The Grudge. It’s a song on Rodrigo’s new album, featuring these lyrics:

“I have nightmares each week about that Friday in May
One phone call from you and my entire world was changed
Trust that you betrayed, confusion that still lingers
Took everything I loved and crushed it in between your fingers
And I doubt you ever think about the damage that you did
But I hold on to every detail like my life depends on it
My undying love, now, I hold it like a grudge
And I hear your voice every time that I think I’m not enough.”

Oh yeah, that’s definitely about Taylor Swift destroying Olivia Rodrigo’s childhood dreams and stealing her money, it’s so obvious.
And this is where we find ourselves, a young generational talent’s work – personal, emotional, artistically considered – being judged through the lens of a pop star feud. It feels unfair. And now you’ve made me complicit.

Relax, you’re not that important.
Kinda like this whole thing you made me explain.

And so, what’s next in the whole saga of Olivia and Taylor?
Well, there’s the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, where the two are up for the same awards in multiple categories, including Video of the Year, Song of the Year, and Song of the Summer.

Awkward.
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