The main pop girlies are fighting! Or so says the internet, anyway. A new conspiracy has taken over X and Reddit, with Charli XCX fans convinced that Taylor Swift is intentionally trying to block Brat on the UK charts.
With Charli’s critically acclaimed sixth studio album continuing to scale up the charts, Swift last night announced that she would be releasing a new The Tortured Poets Department digital album with bonus tracks and first draft phone memos for UK fans. Fans of Charli are seeing this as a deliberate attempt to block Brat from climbing the charts. Some theorise that this is because of Swift’s previous relationship with Matty Healy, the lead vocalist of The 1975 – if you didn’t know, Charli is engaged to Healy’s bandmate, George Daniel.
this is a deliberate attempt to block brat. why is taylor swift threatened by charli xcx you annoying greedy bitch ily but you are on top of the world let charli have her moment her album is worlds better than yours https://t.co/jaJjdlLh10
This isn’t the first time since Brat was released that fans have connected Swift and Charli. Some fans have speculated that Charli’s song “Sympathy is a Knife” is a dig at Swift. In verse two of the song, Charli sings: “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s shows / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick”. While Charli has confirmed that there are no diss tracks on Brat, her fans are still convinced that the song is about Swift and Healy’s short relationship.
Maybe the pair are fighting, and Swift released special UK editions of her album on purpose, or maybe it’s just the internet pitting two women artists against each other again. But honestly, who cares! If we’re going to be mad about anything in this situation, let’s be angry about the gross rise of re-release culture. Swift has been dominating the charts by dropping multiple versions of her albums, charging fans £15.99 to rent (and not buy) her latest tour film, and producing myriad other ways to make more money while she makes worse art. It’s a boring, capitalist nightmare, and it’s ruining the music industry.
