A collaboration between Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo would be a dream come true for pop music fans. The musicians have formed a close friendship, and they already have a following. The best things in life are sometimes right under our noses. Swift, it turns out, had a small role in Rodrigo’s debut album. Taylor Swift’s appearance on Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour will have you shaking your head.
Since she began releasing music, Swift has been a vocal supporter of Rodrigo. When Rodrigo’s “drivers license” arrived in January 2021, Swift said she was “proud” of him and later sent her a slew of thoughtful gifts. Fans rejoiced when the two pop stars finally met at the 2021 BRIT Awards. The photo of their first meeting went viral, so imagine fans’ surprise when they learned Swift’s name was on Rodrigo’s album credits.
Fans discovered a familiar name on track No. 4, “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back,” after the album credits for Sour were released on May 20 (one day before the album’s release). Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff were among the writers, and the news was almost too much for fans to bear.
However, Rolling Stone has confirmed that Swift and Antonoff did not collaborate on the track, and that it is simply an interpolation of Swift’s song “New Year’s Day.” The act of using a melody from a previously recorded song is referred to as interpolation.
Nonetheless, the song was a nice nod to Swift’s music. Swift is known for including Easter eggs in her music and videos, and it appears that Rodrigo followed in her footsteps with “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back.” When the numbers one and three are placed next to each other, they form the number 13, which is also Swift’s lucky number.
Rodrigo has been forthcoming about how important Swift’s music is to her. Rodrigo told SiriusXM on March 3rd, “I think she’s incredible.” All of her encouragement, genuine compassion, and excitement for me has been surreal.” She also told Rolling Stone in April 2021 that Swift’s “Cruel Summer” inspired her to write “Deja Vu.”