Asked whether she’d ever demand songwriting credit from a younger artist, Olivia Rodrigo had an answer: “I don’t think I would ever personally do that.”
The question came up because of her own experience. Taylor Swift called Olivia Rodrigo “my baby” when “drivers license” took off. Months later, Swift, Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent received a combined 50% of the publishing on Rodrigo’s “deja vu.”
Rodrigo was 18. Looking back in 2023, she said she’d been “a little caught off guard” by the change. The process was “team-on-team,” she wasn’t “super involved,” and she said she “wouldn’t be the best person to ask” about the decision.
Separately, she described how little she’d understood about that side of the business. “I was so green as to how the music industry worked, the litigious side.”
Their public relationship had started with plenty of encouragement. In January 2021, Rodrigo posted about “drivers license” appearing beside Swift on iTunes. Swift commented, “I say that’s my baby and I’m really proud.” Rodrigo told Zane Lowe she “just about died” when she saw it. They hadn’t even met yet.
Swift also sent Rodrigo a ring resembling one she’d worn while writing Red. By May, they were posing together at the BRIT Awards.
Rodrigo had openly said the “deja vu” bridge was inspired by “Cruel Summer.” The added songwriting credits were reported on July 9, 2021. An influence she’d publicly celebrated now came with a publishing split, though the details of the negotiations between their teams remain unclear.
Elsewhere on her debut album, Sour, the arrangement had been in place from the start. “1 step forward, 3 steps back” used chords from Swift’s “New Year’s Day,” with approval, and credited Swift and Antonoff from release.
Then came another credit change. That August, Paramore’s Hayley Williams and former guitarist Josh Farro received writing credits and a combined 50% of the publishing on “good 4 u,” following comparisons with “Misery Business.” The teams had already been in contact.
Williams’s response to her publisher’s announcement was, “Our publisher is wildin rn.”
The changes fueled speculation that Rodrigo and Swift had fallen out. In 2023, Rodrigo said, “I don’t have beef with anyone,” and, “I have my four friends and my mom.” She also said she was “very surprised” that listeners thought “vampire” was about Swift.
Their public appearances haven’t settled the question. Swift stood and sang along during Rodrigo’s “vampire” performance at the February 2024 Grammys. At a Paul McCartney concert on March 28, 2026, they were reportedly in the same circle, though the account left it unclear whether they were speaking to each other.
On May 28, 2026, Popcast co-host Jon Caramanica asked Rodrigo about the supposed “frost” between them. She said she tried not to let it upset her and focused on making songs she loved.
Discussing her answer on June 3, Shameless hosts Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald read something more pointed into her emphasis on kindness. They interpreted it as a suggestion that Swift’s camp hadn’t shown Rodrigo the same kindness. That was their reading; Rodrigo herself didn’t say whether the two were on good terms.
She said she tried “to be kind and good to other people and supportive of other people,” adding, “that’s all you can do.”