Celebrity singer/songwriter Taylor Swift had been in a long term relationship with Joe Alwyn, a British actor, for over six years. Swift credits Alwyn for many of her more recent romance lyrics and believes she has never loved someone as she loved him. However their romance seemed to be ill-fated with an abrupt end during her Eras Tour. On April 15th, 2023, an apparent “insider” from ET Online reported that the two had “amicably split” which sent fans into a confused outburst.
Swift kept her relationship with Alwyn more private than her past flings. However, she did memorialize her entire relationship with Joe throughout her next 5 studio albums, especially in Lover. As a result, listeners can create an intricate and personal breakdown of Taylor and Joe’s six-year romance by piecing together multiple songs. While the lyrics are up to subjective interpretation, it’s obvious that Swift had her ups and downs with the security of the relationship but it tended to stay positive.
While many songs highlight the best qualities of Joe’s love for Taylor, fans have been quick to notice that in many songs Taylor may have foreshadowed her impending split with her “London Boy.” In her album Folklore in her song “Peace”, Swift speculates if it “would be enough if I could never give you peace?” Unfortunately, three years later, Joe seems to have given Taylor the answer she feared all along. A source told the public that the split was amicable and “not dramatic.” “The relationship had just run its course,” the insider added, explaining that this is the reason why Joe had not been seen at any of Taylor’s concerts
after her Eras Tour kicked off last month. While neither Taylor nor Joe have directly confirmed the news, another insider close to the singer later told People that the breakup happened a few weeks ago and was largely triggered by “differences in their personalities.”
Recently, Swift has performed three shows in Tampa, Florida and fans were quick to put together some context clues and hints Swift seemed to be dropping. Swift uses a song when she goes off stage for a costume change and reappears in a new attire for a new era of her work. The transition song for the previous shows has been “Everything Has Changed,” up until her shows after the breakup rumors began. Many Swifties believe this is a subtle clue confirming her new singleness, as “Everything Has Changed,” is about a happy relationship. The song she played instead was “Holy Ground” which is off of the same album but instead is about looking back at a past failed relationship. Furthermore, before the singer performed “Lover,” a song about being currently in love, Swift gave a mini introduction speech to her audience. “Some of these may be songs that started being written about my life or something that I felt at one point…but when you sing them tonight they will be about you and your life,” Swift explained before singing. While these aren’t absolute confirmation for the breakup, based on Swift’s past affinity for dropping easter eggs and subtle clues, it seems as though the lovers on Cornelia Street are officially separated.