Overview

• The Life of a Showgirl was released Oct. 3, with “Actually Romantic” quickly emerging as the album’s most scrutinized song.
• Opening lyrics reference being called “Boring Barbie,” an ex being congratulated for ghosting, and “you wrote me a song,” which many connect to Charli XCX’s 2024 “Sympathy Is a Knife” and the artists’ ties to The 1975.
• In an Amazon Music introduction, Swift describes the song as realizing someone had a one-sided adversarial relationship with her and choosing to read that attention as flattering.
• Fans and outlets cite the visualizer showing Swift holding a red apple as a possible nod to Charli’s Brat-era track “Apple,” though Swift does not identify a target.
• Charli has previously said “Sympathy Is a Knife” reflected her own anxiety, and online reaction to Swift’s song includes backlash labeling her a bully, while neither artist has confirmed a direct feud.