Taylor Swift has responded to the consistent speculation about her relationship with Joe Alwyn in a new track, “Lavender Haze”.
The singer-songwriter released her 10th studio album, Midnights, on Friday (21 October).
In The Independent’s five-star review, the work is described as Swift’s “darkest and most cryptic yet”, with reviewer Helen Brown advising listeners to “Turn the lights off and let these songs prowl around you”.
The album’s opening song, “Lavender Haze”, has quickly generated discussion among fans for its lyrics, which seemingly reference her six-year relationship with Alwyn.
“All they keep asking me / Is if I’m gonna be your bride / The only kinda girl they see / Is a one night or a wife” she sings, before the chorus: “I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say/ No deal/ The 1950s s*** they want from me.”
Swift and Alwyn have endured countless headlines speculating over their relationship status, with reports earlier this year claiming that they are engaged. Neither has confirmed or denied the reports.
“Talk your talk and go viral / I just need this love to spiral,” Swift later asserts in the song, suggesting that she isn’t concerned about the internet chatter.
Prior to the album’s release, there was discussion among fans regarding the meaning of the track’s title. Some wondered whether the song would mark the artist revealing that she is queer, due to the colour purple being frequently associated with bisexuality.
However, in a video posted to social media earlier this month, the star revealed that she’d heard the term while watching Mad Men.
“I happened upon the phrase ‘Lavender Haze’ when I was watching Mad Men,” Swift explained.
“I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the Fifties where they would describe being in love.
“If you were in the lavender haze,” she continued, “then that meant that you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful.”
