Did Taylor Swift Write Songs About Matty Healy for 'TTPD'?

Taylor Swift and Matty Healy

Heading into the release of Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, fans assumed the pop star's 11th studio album was going to be mostly about her six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn. But now, after an unverified version of the record leaked more than 24 hours early, it seems many tracks might actually be inspired by Swift's fling with musician Matty Healy.

Keep reading for a look back at Swift's situationship with the frontman for The 1975 and why it was so controversial.

Related: Your Complete Guide to Taylor Swift's Relationships and Dating History

When did Taylor date Matty Healy?

Shortly after her split from Joe Alwyn in April 2023, Swift was linked with Matty Healy, edgelord extraordinaire and frontman of The 1975. The pair previously had what Healy called a "flirtation" in late 2014 through early 2015.

In September 2022, it was rumored that The 1975 would be featured on Midnights. Healy confirmed in November 2022 that he and Swift did work together on some material, but none of it made the final cut for the album.

Fast forward to January 2023: Swift made a guest appearance at The 1975's concert in London. By that May, Healy and Swift were dating. He was spotted at Swift's Eras tour shows, leaving a recording studio with her and holding hands at a private New York City eatery.

What was the Matty Healy controversy?

Swift came under fire for dating Healy, who spoke about watching Black women be "brutalized" in pornography and for laughing at racist jokes about Ice Spice on a podcast.

In April 2023, during a performance in Auckland, New Zealand, Healy acknowledged the latter controversy and apologized to Ice Spice, saying his apology was “not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued. It’s because I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a d—. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry.”

Later that year, during the band’s performance at the Hollywood Bowl in October, Healy told the crowd, “I think it is important to take inventory of yourself so you become aware when your intentions and your actions don’t align. So, because some of my actions have hurt some people, I apologize to those people, and I pledge to do better moving forward.”

Related: It Pays to Be the People's Rap Princess! All About Ice Spice's Net Worth In 2024 and How She Made It

When did Taylor and Matty break up?

In early June, Swift and Healy split—and just days before that was announced, she dropped a music video and remix for her song "Karma" featuring none other than Ice Spice. Still, a source told People, there was "no drama" between the exes.

"She had fun with him, but it was always casual," the source said. "They are no longer romantically involved."

Did Taylor Swift write songs about Matty Healy for 'The Tortured Poets Department'?

That's the theory! Fans posit that he's the subject of several of her new tracks, including "Guilty as Sin," "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived." Throughout the album, many of the song lyrics seem to pit her restricted life with Alwyn against her attempt at a freer life with Healy.

Also, judging from the lyrics of those songs, there may have been a little drama between the exes, despite what that People source said. In "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," for instance, Swift ends the song with the following lyrics:

And in plain sight, you hid
But you are what you did

And I'll forget you, but I will never forgive
The smallest man who ever lived

Next, Taylor Swift's Net Worth and How She Became a Billionaire