Olivia Rodrigo is not spending her new album rollout chasing every online theory about Taylor Swift.
The 23-year-old singer-songwriter addressed the long-running speculation during an appearance on The New York Times Popcast, where she was asked about public scrutiny around her relationships with other artists. The prompt included renewed attention after Rodrigo and Swift were photographed leaving a Paul McCartney concert around the same time.
Rodrigo did not treat the moment as proof of a feud. “I don’t really read too far into it,” she said, according to PEOPLE. She called that level of speculation “par for the course.”
Rodrigo Said She Cannot Chase Every Online Theory
Rodrigo said following every fan theory about her personal life would be impossible to manage.
“If I dove into every internet detective sleuth that, like, got things right or wrong about my life, or any of my relationships, I think I’d just go crazy,” she said, according to PEOPLE. “There’s just not enough time in the day.”
She also connected that mindset to the reaction around “Drivers License,” her 2021 breakout single. Entertainment Weekly reported that Rodrigo said the early attention made her feel detached from the speculation because she had to detach “in order to literally be okay.”
The Swift Speculation Started Before This Album Cycle
The Rodrigo-Swift speculation has followed years of fan attention around Rodrigo’s debut album Sour. Rodrigo credited Swift and Jack Antonoff on “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back,” which interpolated Swift’s “New Year’s Day.”
Swift, Antonoff, and Annie Clark, who records as St. Vincent, were later added to the credits for “Deja Vu” after listeners compared parts of the song to Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”
Entertainment Weekly reported that Rodrigo has said she was “a little caught off guard” by the crediting issue and described it in a 2023 Rolling Stone interview as “more team-on-team” than something she personally handled.
Rodrigo Has Already Said She Has No “Beef”
Rodrigo has pushed back on the feud framing before. In 2023, she told Rolling Stone that she did not have “beef” with anyone and described herself as private and low-key.
She also declined to confirm fan theories about whether “Vampire” was written about Swift. Rodrigo told The Guardian that she does not like publicly assigning her songs to one specific person because it narrows the meaning of the work.
On Popcast, Rodrigo gave a similar answer when asked about the idea of a “frost” between her and Swift. Entertainment Weekly reported that she said she tries not to let it upset her and focuses on making songs she loves, being kind, and moving forward.
The Comments Arrive Before Rodrigo’s Third Album
Rodrigo’s Popcast appearance comes ahead of her third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. Pitchfork reported that the album is due June 12 via Geffen and reunites Rodrigo with producer Dan Nigro.
The official Apple Music listing identifies the album as a 14-song pre-release and says it will arrive June 12.
That rollout gives old Swift questions a new opening, but Rodrigo’s answer stayed narrow. She acknowledged the speculation without turning it into a new feud story.