Griff’s star is on the rise, with the UK musician tapped to open for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. She’s also one of Olivia Rodrigo’s close friends, but there are rumours she’s been told to put her friendship with the “vampire” singer on hold due to “Bad Blood” between Olivia and Taylor.
ICYMI, there was a bit of drama that went down between Olivia and Taylor in 2021. Olivia was a self-declared Swiftie, publicly praising the pop star whenever she could, but everything changed when her single “deja vu” started climbing the charts.
After Olivia said she was inspired by Taylor’s “Cruel Summer” bridge, she was forced to give Taylor Swift, St. Vincent and Jack Antonoff writing credits. She’s since been quiet about all things Taylor, with her bestie and former Swiftie Conan Gray even saying he didn’t have time to listen to Midnights after it was released.
Olivia’s dad supposedly retweeted some shade towards Taylor, and Taylor’s recent close friendship with Sabrina Carpenter (you know, the ‘blonde girl’ from “drivers license”) seems like a statement. There’s a pretty strong fan theory about the drama here.
Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift met in 2021. (Image: Instagram @taylorswift)
So how does Griff fit into this? Well, you see, Griff and Olivia became close during the Brits, but The Sun recently reported the singer was warned to stay away from Olivia to keep Taylor onside. Spicy.
It’s all just rumours at this point, so please take the below with a grain of salt!
“[Griff and Olivia] got on well and were really supportive of each other. They have shared experience of the industry and it was great to see them getting on so well,” the source spilled.
“When Griff’s team were told about the approach from Taylor, Griff was advised that distancing herself from Olivia might be the best course of action,” they alleged.
“Supporting Taylor on her Eras Tour is a massive opportunity for her and they didn’t want anything [to stop] that [from] happening.”
The insider also told the publication that Griff was supposed to go to the launch party for GUTS in 2023, but was “advised to give it a wide berth”.
Griff is opening for Taylor Swift in June. (Image: Instagram @taylorswift)
Fans turn on Taylor Swift over Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams and Griff drama
Olivia was previously close friends with Gracie Abrams, with the “I miss you, I’m sorry” singer opening for the pop star on the SOUR tour. The pair don’t seem as close now, after Taylor asked Gracie to open for her Eras Tour in the US.
Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams in newly shared photos. 🌹 pic.twitter.com/YPBV0ALEKo
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 24, 2022
Fans have slated Taylor on X (formerly Twitter), saying they believe the latest rumours after what happened with Gracie.
“I’m sorry but this is so clearly the case… why do you think Gracie Abrams suddenly stopped talking to Olivia. People are just choosing not to see it at this point,” one person said.
“Literally this – Gracie was one of Olivia’s first industry friends and even opened for her on SOUR: now she’s close with Taylor and doesn’t interact with [Olivia] and we’re supposed to believe that isn’t related?” another asked.
“I can 100 per cent believe this tbh,” a third wrote.
“It’s from The Sun IDK if it’s true but all I know is that there’s an evident pattern with that woman… the way she feels this threatened by someone almost half her age is insane,” another pointed out.
Which Olivia Rodrigo songs are about Taylor Swift?
While Olivia has steered clear of mentioning her drama with Taylor, she didn’t deny that “vampire” was about the pop star. With lyrics including “I used to think I was smart / But you made me look so naive / The way you sold me for parts / You sunk your teeth into me,” there’s a chance that Taylor was partly to thank for that bop.
But if you take a closer look at GUTS, there’s one song called “The Grudge” that Livies associate with Olivia’s former idol. It doesn’t seem to be about romantic love, and the song details a betrayal from somebody Olivia held up in the highest regard.
The very first sentence hints towards two major events in her life. “I have nightmares each week about that Friday in May,” she croons, potentially talking about the moment she finally met Taylor at the Brit Awards in May 2021, or her SOUR release date of Friday, 21 May.
“We both drew blood, but those cuts were never equal,” she sings later, possibly referring to Taylor’s royalty cuts from “deja vu”.
Taylor is also known for sending flowers to her peers and fans, so is it just a coincidence that Olivia sings about “flowers filled with vitriol” and “you built me up to watch me fall” in the song? Possibly, but I’m taking that as another clue.
Did Taylor actually start beef with a teenager? (Photo: Getty)
The smoking gun, as far as I’m concerned, is Olivia’s use of 13 in the song. 13 has been a special number for Taylor Swift: her birthday is on 13 December, it’s her lucky number, and her first number one hit had a 13-second intro. Swifties also know that Taylor loves to add Easter Eggs into her songs, for example, adding a 27-second intro to “Last Kiss” because Joe Jonas supposedly dumped her during a 27-second phone call.
With this in mind, Olivia’s choice to have a 13-second intro and a 13-second outro on “The Grudge” seems deliberate. Plus, the outro is mostly silence, but the timer still clicks along – it’s certainly a bold statement.
It’s unlikely we’re ever going to see Olivia elaborate on her beef with Taylor in public, but who knows – maybe she’ll give us some hints when she lands in Australia later this year. I’m ~manifesting~ an interview so I can ask the important questions!
Feature image: Getty
