3 Times Fans Think Singers Tried to Diss Other Artists With Their Lyrics

Growing up, you likely heard the phrase, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Well, I’ve got news for those who care. That phrase doesn’t apply to the music industry. Here are a few examples of artists trying to diss other creatives in their songs and who fans speculate they may be singing about.

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Charli XCX and Taylor Swift

There are few Charli XCX and Taylor Swift fans who don’t have an opinion on the supposed drama between them. Especially because it lies at the heart of their recent successes. For those that live under a rock, in 2024, Charli XCX dropped the Brat album, which took the charts by storm with hits like “Apple”, “360” and “Von Dutch”. Another standout track, “Sympathy Is A Knife” is rumored to be about Taylor Swift. Or, as Charli puts it, “this one girl” who “taps [Charli’s] insecurities.”

There are lots of theories surrounding this one, but a major piece of evidence concerns the band the 1975. At the time, Charli was dating 1975 drummer George Michael, and Swift was dating lead singer Matty Healy. In the second verse, Charli sings: “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.“

Swift would later release what many fans believe is a callout to Charli with her song “Actually Romantic”, off of The Life Of A Showgirl album.

Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo

If you were anywhere near the pop scene in 2021, you know that the love triangle between Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Joshua Bassett was all anyone was talking about. It all started when Olivia Rodrigo released “Driver’s License”, a song about driving around the suburbs, which references a certain “blonde girl” in the first verse. Since Joshua Bassett had been seen hanging out with Disney bombshell Sabrina Carpenter in recent months, it didn’t take long for fans to put two and two together. Carpenter held nothing back with “Skin,” which she put out less than a month after “Driver’s License” was released.

In the verse she sings, “Maybe you didn’t mean it / Maybe blonde was the only rhyme.”

Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears

Timberlake and Spears were an it-couple for several years before they ultimately broke up in 2002. And then, at least for Spears, all hell broke loose. In August of that year, Spears decided to take a hiatus, an attempt at peace, which was greeted with Justin’s new song “Cry Me A River” a few months later. The track accused Britney of cheating on her former partner, with lyrics like “You don’t have to say / What you did / I already know / I found out from him.” A music video with a Spears lookalike would later follow.

Britney’s response to the accusations was candid. “I think it looks like such a desperate attempt, personally,” she told Rolling Stone. “But that was a great way to sell the record. He’s smart.”

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