Over the past four years, Swift has received four new albums and two remastered records from Taylor Swift, but perhaps none shocked fans more than reports of her split from Joe Alwyn . Entertainment Tonight reported on April 8 that the 12-time Grammy winner and the British actor split after six years of dating, saying their breakup was "not dramatic" and happened just weeks ago when she Before the Eras tour started, Alvin had not yet participated.
Fans were shocked by reports of their split, and in typical Swift fashion, they went out of their way to show it off. Swifties in New York City descended on Swift's former apartment on Cornelia Street, which inspired the 2019 Lovers to sing "Cornelia Street" to mourn the breakup, as captured on Twitter and TikTok That way. Fans even laid flowers and knelt at the door, which elicited mixed reactions from fans.
Swift has chronicled her six-year relationship through songs across her past five studio albums, most notably 2017's Reputation , which detailed the beginnings of her then-secret romance with Alwyn, and 2019's Lover , her most romantic album to date. Their relationship turned into a partnership when Alvin co-wrote songs for Swift's last three albums , Folk, Forever, and Midnight, under the pseudonym William Bowery, setting the stage for their romance And creative partnerships offer a small window.
On April 10, just days after news of their split went public, Swift went on to Cornelia Street to express her condolences, and they all agreed on one thing: They were still in denial. "I can't believe it," Valentina Wadakier, whose current favorite Swift song is "Enchanted," tells Bustle. "It's sad, it's heartbreaking, and if I didn't have a boyfriend right now, I'd be like, 'Love doesn't exist.'" Some fans, like Tiffany Johnson, whose favorite Swift song is also "Enchanted," isn't Rule out the possibility that these reports are false. "It came from an anonymous source," she said. "Joe is working. They're both very busy people, so it makes sense that he wouldn't be at all the shows."
Fourteen-year-old fan Giselle Saravin, whose current favorite song is "Delicate," has come to terms with the breakup, but she initially had a very strong reaction after reading about it The physical reaction led her to go to Cornelia Street with her mother. "I cried so much that I threw up. It was terrible," she admitted. "It's a true love story. I feel like a lot of her relationship was worried about her writing songs about them, but they wrote songs together. The way they talked about each other and the way she sang about him, it was so beautiful."
Swifties are coping with breakups in different ways. Celena De Leon's current favorite song is "Cardigan," and she tells Bustle that she "immediately started listening to all the music to get that feeling." Ayesha Rancan, whose favorite song is "Marjorie," was one of the fans who sent flowers to her Cornelia street photos. "That's the kind of person Joe seems to be," she said. "I think a lot of people thought this was the end." Some fans appreciated the effort, with Saravin calling it an "appropriate" reaction and a bit too much for others. “I think it’s crazy, but I think it’s true for everyone,” DeLeon said.
However, nearly everyone agrees that the mere fact that people are coming to Cornelia Street shows how invested Swift is in her life and career. "I think it's a testament to our loyalty that people are actually going to come forward even if no one dies, you know?" Rankan said. It’s also a powerful reminder of how deeply her music connects with listeners. "If I wrote an album ' Lover ' about someone and broke up with them, I don't think I would be able to get through it," said Avery Spranger, whose favorite song is "Let It Be." "It's definitely a parasocial relationship. Everyone who's ever been in love has a connection to these albums."
At the end of the day, Swifties care most about Swift's happiness, not their own sorrow. "I just hope her fans can accept how she feels in this situation," said Jules Decaves, whose current favorite song is "The Champagne Problem." "She was probably going through a lot of emotional stuff, and some of the things people said really came out of pocket." As Spranger said, she'll be able to listen to "Cornelia Street" again without crying, and Swift Te is still going through it. "I think if I listened to 'New Year's Day' right now, I would be suicidal," she said. "But at the end of the day, I'm still going to listen. It's just going to be different."
