Charli XCX appears to have subtly responded to Taylor Swift’s rumored diss track, “Actually Romantic,” from The Life of a Showgirl.
The song, widely believed to reference Charli’s 2024 hit Sympathy Is a Knife, has sparked fresh speculation about tension between the two pop stars.
On October 5, Charli posted a short studio clip on Instagram, showing her back at work with producer George Daniel. The video, captioned with a simple heart emoji, featured a dramatic string arrangement that fans interpreted as a subtle nod to Swift’s recent release.
— Charli (@charli_xcx) October 5, 2025
Swift’s track “Actually Romantic” seems to mirror themes from Charli’s Brat album, particularly “Sympathy Is a Knife,” where Charli sings about insecurity and jealousy surrounding another woman—rumored to be Swift—during her now-husband’s band tour. On her new song, Swift flips the narrative, calling out someone who called her “Boring Barbie” and rooting for her breakup, adding that the obsession feels “actually romantic.”
Though Charli denied Sympathy Is a Knife was about Swift in a 2024 interview with New York Magazine, the timing of her recent post reignited fan theories. Swift’s lyrics and her own comments at The Life of a Showgirl release party only fueled the rumors further.
The two artists share a long history—Charli opened for Swift’s Reputation tour in 2018, and they once performed together during the 1989 era. Whether this latest exchange marks tension or playful artistry, fans are keeping a close eye on both stars’ next moves in what could be pop’s most poetic rivalry yet.
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