Taylor Swift and Matty Healy have known each other for nearly a decade, but the duo is back in the spotlight thanks to Swift’s latest album “The Tortured Poets Department.”
The two musicians first sparked dating rumors in 2014. Although Healy denied it at the time, they remained friendly over the years and seemed to kindle a romance in 2023.
According to reports, that fling was short-lived, lasting just about one month — but it was creatively fruitful for Swift. Here’s a breakdown of everything we know about their relationship.
Healy took the stage at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee wearing a piece of Swift’s “1989” album merchandise. The photos of him performing quickly went viral online.
Swift even reshared a photo of Healy on her personal Tumblr, tagging the post, “#thats my favorite band though #WHAT.”
Swift shared a video from the concert on Instagram, which showed her and Selena Gomez singing along to The 1975’s single “The City.” She quoted lyrics from the song in her caption: “Yeah you wanna find love, Then you know where the city is.”
She also shared a collection of Polaroid photos with Gomez and Ellie Goulding, captioned simply, “The 1975 at The Palladium.”
Members of One Direction were also spotted at the show, which sparked rumors of a reconciliation between Swift and Harry Styles. The two singers reportedly dated in late 2012 and split in early 2013.
Because Swift has confirmed that clothing is one of her favorite Easter egg mediums, fans theorized that her 1975 merch was a hint about a forthcoming collaboration.
During a radio interview with Shazam Top 20, Healy revealed that he met Swift backstage when she attended his band’s concert in Los Angeles.
“I met Taylor Swift, that was really nice,” he told host Angus O’Loughlin, per E! News. “We exchanged numbers. Let’s see what happens.”
He added: “I mean bloody hell, what am I going to do? Go out with Taylor Swift? She’s a sensation, I wouldn’t say no.”
Around this time, while promoting “1989,” Swift repeatedly said she was happy being single and condemned speculation about her dating life.
“It’s not as boy-centric of an album because my life hasn’t been boy-centric,” she told Rolling Stone in September 2014.
“I feel like watching my dating life has become a bit of a national pastime,” Swift continued. “And I’m just not comfortable providing that kind of entertainment anymore. I don’t like seeing slide shows of guys I’ve apparently dated.”
As Seventeen magazine wrote at the time, Swift and her “model besties” had “the ultimate girls night” at The 1975’s show at Terminal 5 in New York City.
Swift was joined at the concert by Victoria’s Secret angels Martha Hunt, Lily Aldridge, and Karlie Kloss, as well as all three Haim sisters. She later shared a selfie with Hunt and Aldridge on Instagram, writing in the caption, “I’m in love with @marhunt and @lilyaldridge.”
At the concert, Swift was photographed dancing with her friends on the balcony, getting especially cozy with Kloss. Some concertgoers also claimed they saw Swift and Kloss “making out.”
The following day, a representative for Swift denied that Swift and Kloss were kissing.
“It’s sad that on the day it’s announced Taylor has three Grammy nominations for ‘Shake It Off,’ I have to shake off this crap,” a representative for the singer told Us Weekly.
The day following the concert, publications like Us Weekly, Just Jared, and MTV ran headlines that focused on Swift’s rumored romance with Healy.
Even Vanity Fair got involved in the speculation, publishing an article that detailed the “evidence” of Swift and Healy’s relationship.
Five days before Swift turned 25, she asked the public for an early birthday present.
“I’d like for you to stop accusing all my friends of dating me,” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet, adding the hashtag, “thirsty.”
Healy addressed the speculation during a radio interview with Australia’s 2DayFM.
“It’s all bloody fake. It’s a farce,” he said when asked about Swift, per E! News.
“We met each other, we exchanged numbers in the same way that a lot of people in this kind of world do, and we spoke occasionally,” he said. “She’s the biggest pop star in the world and I’m in Australia. There’s no relationship or anything happening. It’s just funny how people really, really buy into that.”
Swift won the international female solo artist award at the 2015 Brit Awards. She also performed her hit single “Blank Space.”
She later attended the after-party at London’s Soho House, where she was seen hanging out with Healy, Kloss, Goulding, radio host Nick Grimshaw, and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.
In an interview with Q magazine, which has now been password-protected online, Healy spoke about being publicly linked to Swift.
The “Somebody Else” singer, who had previously been linked to Halsey and, more recently, FKA twigs, criticized the media’s coverage of his “flirtation” with Swift.
“I didn’t make a big deal out of it myself,” he said, according to NME. “It’s not really anything to talk about, because if she wasn’t Taylor Swift we wouldn’t be talking about her. She wasn’t a big impact on my life. It’s just interesting to me how interested the world is about Taylor Swift.”
He continued: “If I had gone out with Taylor Swift I would’ve been, ‘Fucking hell! I am NOT being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.’ You know, ‘FUCK. THAT.’ That’s also a man thing, a de-masculinating, emasculating thing.”
He later clarified his comments, writing in a lengthy thread on Twitter, “I am not a misogynist.”
“I was for a very short time immersed in a celebrity world that I found confusing and scary. At that time, I had fears of being ‘somebody’s boyfriend’ (remember this is all speculation as we never dated!) before even being recognized for my music or presence as a person in my own right,” he wrote, per Elle.
“Now I don’t pride myself on being more intelligent, or worldly, or wise, or progressive, or even regressive than the next man but I DO pride self on being honest,” he continued. “I was being HONEST about all the thoughts, feelings, and situations that come along when people ASSUME you are dating the most famous woman on the planet. I am telling you from experience it’s an all-consuming whirlwind and something that for me elicited a lot of self-exploration.”
He also described Swift as “one of the most gracious, hardworking, creatively gifted, and beautiful women that I have had the pleasure to meet,” and condemned the “never-ending questions” he has received about their interactions.
Shortly before the release of “Midnights,” Swift’s 10th studio album, a fake tracklist began circulating online. It included a nonexistent song titled “In My Dreams” featuring The 1975.
Healy shut down the rumored “leak” on Twitter, writing, “I would love that! But unfortunately FAKE NEWS.” (He has since deleted his account.)
Ultimately, the only artist to be featured on “Midnights” was Lana Del Rey, who dueted with Swift for “Snow on the Beach.”
Swift’s “Midnights” was released just one week after The 1975’s fifth album “Being Funny In a Foreign Language.” Both were coproduced by Jack Antonoff.
During an interview with Audacy’s DTS Sound Space, Healy revealed that Swift heard some of his album in advance, thanks to their mutual friend and producer.
Related stories
“She heard bits of it through Jack,” he told KROQ hosts Klein and Ally.
Asked if she “returned the favor,” Healy revealed that he collaborated with Swift during the creation of “Midnights.”
“We actually worked a bit on that, but then the version of it never came out,” he said, adding, “It was for reasons that are not to be criticized. She’s amazing.”
Amid reports about Phoebe Bridgers breaking up with Paul Mescal (and being spotted out and about with Bo Burnham), Healy shared a cheeky photo with the “Punisher” singer on Instagram.
The image shows Healy kissing Bridgers while Burnham stands in the middle with his arms around their shoulders.
Healy captioned the post, “Gay Poets Society,” referencing the 1989 classic film “Dead Poets Society.” (He has since deleted his account.)
Bridgers and Healy have been friends and collaborators for several years; she was featured on The 1975’s “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America,” the ninth track on their 2020 album “Notes On a Conditional Form.”
Bridgers also appeared in the band’s 2022 music video for “I’m In Love With You.”
Similarly, Bridgers and Swift have been friends since collaborating on “Nothing New,” a vault track on Swift’s 2021 album “Red (Taylor’s Version).”
The two singer-songwriters have since praised each other in interviews and posed for prom-inspired pictures. Bridgers was also tapped as one of the openers for Swift’s Eras Tour.
A post shared by Jordan Curtis Hughes (@jordhughesphoto)
Swift surprised fans at The O2 in London during The 1975’s At Their Very Best Tour.
She delivered the first-ever live performance of her hit single “Anti-Hero,” as well as an acoustic cover of The 1975’s “The City.”
One month after Swift’s split from Joe Alwyn was made public, The Sun sparked renewed rumors of Swift and Healy’s romance.
“She and Matty are madly in love. It’s super-early days, but it feels right. They first dated, very briefly, almost 10 years ago but timings just didn’t work out,” an anonymous source told the British tabloid.
The source also claimed that both Swift and Healy are “incredibly supportive of their respective careers.”
“They are both massively proud and excited about this relationship and, unlike Taylor’s last one — which was very much kept out of the spotlight, deliberately — she wants to ‘own’ this romance, and not hide it away,” the source claimed.
Fans spotted the British rocker watching Swift perform at Nissan Stadium in Tennessee. Just one day before, Healy wrapped the Australian and Asian leg of The 1975’s tour with a performance in Manila.
Healy returned on Saturday for Swift’s second show at Nissan Stadium, joining Bridgers onstage and playing guitar throughout her opening set. (They also shared a quick kiss onstage.)
On both evenings, Healy was spotted in the VIP section alongside Bridgers, fellow tour opener Gracie Abrams, and Swift’s model pals Aldridge and Gigi Hadid. He was filmed by fans singing along to “Lover” and dancing to “Shake It Off.”
He returned once again to watch Swift perform on Sunday, despite a four-hour lightning delay. They were apparently spotted driving to Swift’s Nashville condo after the concert ended, according to photographs published by the Daily Mail.
“Taylor and Matty like each other,” an anonymous source told ET. “Taylor has a crush on Matty and they are having a good time hanging out. Matty also thinks Taylor is awesome and incredibly talented, too. They dated briefly in the past.”
Another source told the outlet that Swift and Healy were reunited through Antonoff, though she “isn’t sure” she’s “ready to commit” to a relationship with him.
A representative for Swift did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
The pair were photographed by fans at the members-only club in New York City, despite rules prohibiting photography on the premises. (Page Six later reported that three memberships were revoked due to the images.)
An eyewitness told Page Six that Healy and Swift were “cuddling and kissing” during their time at the exclusive venue. They were also seen hanging out with Antonoff.
During her days off from The Eras Tour, Swift was repeatedly spotted entering and leaving Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village.
On May 16, Healy accompanied her out of the studio and into an awaiting car.
The musicians were also joined at the recording studio by many other celebrities, including Antonoff and his fiancée Margaret Qualley, Kendrick Lamar (who has collaborated with Swift in the past), and Florence Welch, among others.
When Swift invited Ice Spice as a special guest for The Eras Tour in New Jersey, she praised the rapper onstage and explained how they got connected.
“She sent a note: ‘If you’d ever like to do a collab, I’d love to.’ What she didn’t know at the time is that when I was streaming for the tour, I was listening to pretty much exclusively just her music,” Swift said. “When we went in the studio, I not only fell in love with her but decided she is the entire future.”
However, some fans questioned if Swift’s motive to collaborate could have been spurred by damage control. Three months prior, Healy appeared on “The Adam Friedland Show” and laughed along as cohosts Friedland and Nick Mullen made jokes about Ice Spice’s body and ethnicity.
Once fans began circulating clips from the podcast in April, Healy apologized for the comments during a concert in Auckland, New Zealand.
“I never meant to hurt anybody,” he said, per NBC News. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you and, like, Ice Spice, I’m sorry. It’s not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued, it’s cause I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a dick. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry. I don’t want anything to be misconstrued as mean.”
For her part, Ice Spice said she “didn’t really care” about the Healy controversy.
“When I had heard that little podcast or whatever, I was so confused. Because I heard ‘chubby Chinese lady’ or some shit like that, and I’m like, ‘Huh? What does that even mean?'” she later told Variety, adding: “He apologized to me a bunch of times. We’re good.”
For the record: Swift and Ice Spice have remained close friends, attending several award shows and music festivals together over the following months.
TMZ was the first to report the news, with a source telling the outlet that Swift was “single” again.
Shortly after, People dropped its own report about the breakup.
“She had fun with him, but it was always casual,” a source told the magazine. “They are no longer romantically involved.”
Swift’s fifth album “1989” was written and released in 2014, around the same time Swift and Healy met.
As part of her “Taylor’s Version” series, Swift rerecorded the album and released five extra songs “from the vault,” meaning they were cut from the original tracklist.
One of those is “Slut!” — a sparkly, starry-eyed love song that addresses the sexist criticism of Swift’s dating life.
The final version of the song lists Swift, Antonoff, and Patrik Berger as cowriters and coproducers. Swift is the only performer. However, some fans received vinyl orders of the album that listed Healy as another cowriter.
The physical lyric booklets reveal an earlier version of “Slut!” was meant to feature The 1975. Fans have theorized Healy’s verse was removed after his romance with Swift ended earlier that year.
Swift’s 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was heavily marketed as a breakup album. Although many fans expected Swift to address her six-year relationship with Alwyn, most of the lyrics appear to reference Healy instead.
In a prologue for the album, included in the physical CD booklet, Swift recalls jumping into a new relationship after her previous one had ended, which resulted in a “mutual manic phase.” She characterizes this love affair as passionate yet destructive.
Songs like “The Tortured Poets Department” and “Down Bad” are full of specific details that point to Healy, creating images that align with his well-known aesthetic: typewriters, tattoos, cigarette smoke. “But Daddy I Love Him” is particularly telling: Swift seems to chastise her own fans, many of whom were vocal about their disapproval of Healy. (Some even circulated a petition asking Swift to break up with him.)
“I’d rather burn my whole life down / Than listen to one more second of all this bitching and moaning,” she sings. “I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing.”
Further down the tracklist, “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” unpacks Swift’s painful and sudden breakup with a guy she mocks for wearing a “Jehovah’s Witness suit.” She accuses him of trying to buy pills from a mutual friend and “rusting my sparkling summer.”
“In public, showed me off / Then sank in stoned oblivion,” she sings. “You said normal girls were boring / But you were gone by the morning / You kicked out the stage lights, but you’re still performing.”
“This period of the author’s life is now over, the chapter closed and boarded up,” Swift clarified on social media. “There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed.”
Read next
Jump to
