What Taylor Swift's New Album 'Evermore' Reveals About Joe Alwyn and Whether They're Engaged or Married

From ELLE

The moment Taylor Swift announced the release of evermore and the music video for its lead single "willow"—featuring her in a white bridal-like dress—fans have speculated that she might announce she's been engaged or secretly married to her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, in the album's music. Swift and Alwyn, a 29-year-old British actor, have been dating for four years now. They don't share much publicly about their relationship, but occasionally sources will talk to People, Us Weekly, Entertainment Tonight and other outlets about how well things are going between them.

At midnight, Swift didn't overtly confirm she's engaged or suggest there's been any change to her relationship status with Alwyn. In fact, "champagne problems," a song she and Alwyn wrote together, shuts the engagement theory down completely at first glance with its lyrics "I never was ready so I watch you go/Sometimes you just don't know the answer/'Til someone's on their knees and asks you/'She would've made such a lovely bride/What a shame she's fucked in the head,' they said," and "Your mom's ring in your pocket/My picture in your wallet/Your heart was glass, I dropped it/Champagne problems."

But as Swift explains in her note, like folklore, evermore's lyrics are rooted in fiction too: all 17 songs are, actually. "Before I knew it there were 17 tales, some of which are mirrored or intersecting with one another," she wrote. She called out the plot of "champagne problems" specifically, describing it as "the one where longtime college sweethearts had very different plans for the same night, one to end it and one who brought a ring."

As the entire album is anchored in fiction, there's nothing there that disputes the message Swift sent through folklore's music: that Swift still envisions a long term future with Alwyn. evermore is the sister album to folklore, after all, and its songs continue what Swift did on folklore, blending fact and fiction.

"A tale that becomes folklore is one that is passed down and whispered around," she wrote when folklore was released. "Sometimes even sung about. The lines between fantasy and reality blur and the boundaries between truth and fiction become almost indiscernible. Speculation, over time, becomes fact. Myths, ghost stories, and fables. Fairy tales and parables. Gossip and legend. Someone’s secrets written in the sky for all to behold. In isolation, my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve."

Even if Swift's music didn't spell out her relationship status with Alwyn, Swift herself gave an update during her Entertainment Weekly interview released this week. She referred to Alwyn then as her "boyfriend," effectively shutting down engagement rumors and any breakup ones.

The two remain committed to their privacy, as are their families. Ahead of evermore's release on Thursday, The Daily Mail contacted a member of Alwyn's family to ask whether Alwyn and Swift are secretly married. The person laughed and responded, "I'm sorry, I'm not going to say anything," presumably because that's Swift and Alwyn's news to tell if or whenever it happens, not that person's to a British tabloid.

Swift and Alwyn are serious about their future, though, as Entertainment Tonight reported earlier this month. "Joe has provided such a great support system for Taylor," the outlet's source said. "He is the one constant in her life that she can truly rely on. Joe has helped Taylor with her music, inspiring it. She is so grateful for him and in love with him. He is her cheerleader and rock. They have spoken about their future together, and they love celebrating the holidays together and are looking forward to that."

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