Charli XCX wrote the song "Sympathy Is a Knife," which many fans and media speculate is about Taylor Swift. The track, from Charli's 2024 album "Brat," reflects Charli's own feelings of insecurity and anxiety related to her connection with Taylor Swift, who had a brief relationship with Matty Healy (a bandmate of Charli's husband). Charli has described the song as relating to her own anxieties rather than as a direct diss. In response, Taylor Swift wrote the song "Actually Romantic," from her 2025 album "The Life of a Showgirl," which many interpret as a direct reply to Charli's "Sympathy Is a Knife." In "Actually Romantic," Taylor addresses an unnamed rival whom fans believe to be Charli, turning the tension into a sarcastic and playful expression of flattery toward the obsession Charli displays in her song. Taylor acknowledges the rivalry but recasts it as a form of attention and affection, calling the time spent on her "actually romantic." Thus, Charli XCX's song about Taylor Swift is "Sympathy Is a Knife," and Taylor Swift's response is "Actually Romantic".
