Olivia Rodrigo Shuts Down Taylor Swift Feud Talk With Grace

When you’re 23 and your songwriting gets picked apart by the entire internet, it’s tempting to get defensive. But Olivia Rodrigo isn’t playing that game anymore.

During a Thursday, May 29 appearance on the New York Times’“Popcast”podcast, the singer addressed the relentless online speculation about tension between her and Taylor Swift, 36—a narrative that’s been simmering since her debut album Sour dropped in 2021. Rather than feed the drama, Rodrigo took the high road, explaining that she’s made peace with the noise.“I think I tried to not let it get to me or upset me. I think I just try to keep it trucking,”she said.“It was so long ago. I think there’s no use in harping on it.”

The whole thing started when fans noticed similarities between Rodrigo’s“Deja Vu”and Swift’s“Cruel Summer.”Swift was retroactively added as a songwriter and received credit on the track—a development that sparked conspiracy theories and endless debate about whether there was actual friction between the two artists. Before that, Swift was already credited on Rodrigo’s“1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back,”which sampled her song“New Year’s Day.”

But here’s the thing: Rodrigo’s made it crystal clear she’s not interested in beef. In a September 2023 Rolling Stone interview, she said it plainly:“I don’t have beef with anyone”in the music industry. She doubled down on that vibe during Thursday’s podcast, emphasizing that she’s just a fan of music who happens to make it.“I love music and nobody can take that away,”she explained.“There’s so much good music to be a fan of.”

The bigger picture here speaks to a real issue in pop music—how quickly public attention can weaponize innocent creative overlaps into manufactured feuds. Rodrigo faced a similar situation with“Good 4 U,”when similarities to Paramore’s“Misery Business”led to her retroactively adding Hayley Williams and Josh Farro as songwriters. That decision reportedly cost her millions in royalties. It’s the kind of thing that could embitter a young artist, yet Rodrigo continues to lean into gratitude instead of grievance. She’s a fan first, an artist second, and she’s not letting the noise convince her otherwise.