It’s been exactly one year since Taylor Swift fans were leaving flowers on Cornelia Street to mourn the end of her relationship with Joe Alwyn — but both her fans and the singer have come a long way.
Us Weekly confirmed on April 8, 2023, that Swift, 34, and Alwyn, 33, called it quits after six years of dating. The following month, Swift released the Midnights vault track “You’re Losing Me” as an exclusive CD edition sold to fans during her Eras Tour — and speculation that the breakup shouldn’t have been since a surprise began as the ballad details the slow deterioration of a relationship.
“I wouldn’t marry me either / A pathological people pleaser / Who only wanted you to see her,” Swift sings. “And I’m fading thinking / Do something, babe, say something / Lose something, babe, risk something / Choose something, babe, I got nothing to believe, unless you’re choosing me.”
Producer Jack Antonoff later confirmed that Swift penned the single in December 2021. After breaking down the lyrics and considering the new timeline, fans theorized that Swift was seemingly unhappy in her relationship but attempted to make it work. At the time of Swift and Alwyn’s breakup, a source exclusively told Us that Swift’s A-List celebrity status contributed to the twosome’s split.
“Joe is very shy and never liked all of the attention that came with dating one of the most popular singers in the world,” the insider explained, noting that the actor “didn’t like having to be on all the time.” The source quotes echo some of Swift’s biggest fears established in her songs — that she can never give a partner “peace” because of her high-profile life.
Following the release of “You’re Losing Me,” Swift continued to put out music as she released her rerecordings for Speak Now and 1989 in July 2023 and October 2023, respectively.
In addition to releasing new music amid her successful tour — which cemented herself as a billionaire — Swift also made time for new romance. She briefly dated The 1975’s Matty Healy from May 2023 to June 2023. One month after Swift and Healy’s breakup, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce tried to shoot his shot with the “Karma” singer but failed at the time.
The tight end, 34, revealed on his podcast with brother Jason Kelce, that he saw Swift perform at her Kansas City stop in July 2023. At the show, Kelce wanted to give Swift a friendship bracelet he made for her with his number on it but didn’t have a chance to give her the gift.
Swift revealed in December 2023 that shortly after Travis “very adorably” put her “on blast” she decided to reach out. The pair began dating before she attended her first football game in September 2023. Swift became a staple in the football stands as she cheered on Travis and the Chiefs all the way to the Super Bowl.
During Swift’s romance with Alwyn, she was notably private about their relationship. However with Travis, Swift didn’t shy away from letting the world know about how they are each other’s biggest cheerleaders.
“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Swift explained in her December 2023 TIME 2023 Person of the Year interview. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”
As Swift and Travis’ romance progressed, fans began to compare Travis and Alwyn especially with how they fielded questions about the singer. Alwyn famously dodged a question about Swift’s music in 2018 while Travis proudly admitted he includes his girlfriend’s music in his everyday playlists. After Swift and Travis proudly packed on the PDA during the Super Bowl and post-game celebrations, videos of Swift and Alwyn rushing to their cars to avoid any photographs taken resurfaced, another example of the difference in the romances.
With Travis by her side, Swift continued to achieve career milestones. Swift made history at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards History, with her fourth Video of the Year win for her song “Anti-Hero.” In October 2023, she released the film version of her Eras Tour. The movie topped the box office during its opening weekend. Five months after its theatrical release, The Eras Tour found its streaming home on Disney+ and became the No. 1 most streamed music film.
In February 2024, Swift took home the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. During her acceptance speech, Swift surprised fans when she announced her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.
“I needed to make it. It was really a lifeline for me,” Swift shared during her February concert in Melbourne. “It sort of reminded me of why songwriting is something that actually gets me through life and I’ve never had an album where I’ve needed songwriting more than I needed it on Tortured Poets.”
After announcing the album, fans began to theorize that TTPD was going to focus on her and Alwyn’s breakup. The name of the CD is similar to the name of Alwyn’s group chat “The Tortured Man Club” with pals Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott.
Shortly after announcing TTPD, Swift dropped the tracklist and fans started to analyze the various title names. Many theorized that “But Daddy I Love Him,” “Fortnight,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and “So Long London” could be nods toward Alwyn.
Ahead of its release, Swift partnered with Apple Music to create five exclusive playlists from her discography that match the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. In Swift’s version, the playlists tackle heartbreak and include the titles: “I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life Songs,” “You Don’t Get to Tell Me About Sad Songs,” “Am I Allowed to Cry? Songs,” “Old Habits Die Screaming Songs” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart Songs.”
Swift’s denial-themed playlist features several songs that she wrote about her romance with Alwyn including “Lavender Haze,” “Lover,” and “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.” The inclusion of “Lover” on the playlist sent Swifties in a frenzy over the once-considered romantic song, which has been speculated to be about Alwyn. Since the song dropped in 2019, many fans have selected the tune to be their wedding song.
“Taylor putting Lover on the ‘I love you, it’s ruining my life’ playlist makes me want to SOB,” one fan wrote via X. “Taylor Swift saying Lover is a song about denial is possibly one the most unhinged things she’s ever done,” another penned.
Eagled-eyed Swifties also noted that “Sweet Nothing” and “Betty” were also on the playlist and that Alwyn received songwriter credit on the tracks under the pen name William Bowery.
The Tortured Poets Department drops on April 19.
