Matty Healy, the frontman of the popular band The 1975, has addressed the release of Taylor Swift’s latest album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ While Healy has yet to listen to the entire album, he expressed confidence in its quality. Speculation has been rife that several songs on the album, particularly the title track and ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,’ are about Healy, who had a brief romantic involvement with Swift in 2023.
Since its release, fans have eagerly dissected Swift’s lyrics on social media, theorizing that a significant portion of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ centers around Healy rather than her ex-boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn. Upon its release, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ received a three-star review from NME, with critic Laura Molloy expressing disappointment in the album’s shortcomings. However, Swift herself emphasized the album’s importance to her, stating that it stemmed from an urgent need to write.
Throughout ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ Swift makes numerous references to other artists. Lucy Dacus, one-third of the Grammy-winning group boygenius, is believed to be the inspiration behind the name-drop in the title track. Additionally, Charlie Puth receives a mention in the same song, and fans speculate that ‘thanK you aIMee’ may be directed at Kim Kardashian. Scottish indie band The Blue Nile is also acknowledged in ‘Guilty As Sin?,’ which is seen as another nod to Healy. The Starting Line, an American pop-punk band from the 2000s, responded to Swift’s mention of them in ‘The Black Dog.’
Following the album’s release, Swift will resume her extensive ‘Eras Tour’ in Europe next month, with subsequent stops in the UK and Ireland scheduled for June. As part of the tour, Swift is slated to perform eight shows at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium this summer, with support from Paramore.
