The pouring rain in Foxborough, Mass., couldn’t dampen Taylor Swift’s spirits as she performed there this weekend. The singer told concertgoers she’s happier than ever. The comments came after weeks of speculation that she’s dating The 1975 frontman Matty Healy.
Swift opened up about her personal joy before segueing into her song “Question…?” on Saturday, according to TikTok footage from the concert. “I kind of feel like telling you, like, I don’t know, I’ve just never been this happy in my life in all aspects of my life ever before,” Swift said at her concert. “And I just want to thank you for being a part of that.”
She continued: “It’s not just the tour. I don’t know, I just sort of feel like my life finally feels like it makes sense, so I thought I’d play this song, which brings me a lot of happy memories.”
Earlier this month, Swift was spotted holding hands with Healy at New York City’s Casa Cipriani. Days later, the duo was photographed leaving a Greenwich Village recording studio together.
Not all Swifties are on board with the pairing, though. In an open letter to Swift — shared on Twitter with the hashtag #SpeakUpNow,” a reference to Swift’s album “Speak Now” — fans say Healy has been “involved in acts and controversies” that “deeply trouble” them.
The letter continues: “From engaging in racist remarks, making offensive jokes, and admitting to watching degrading pornography in which people of color are being humiliated and assaulted, his actions contribute to the perpetuation of hate, stereotypes, and objectification, which targets and hurts some people from the Jewish, Black, Chinese, Hawaiian, Inuit, LGBTQ+ communities, as well as women.”
In one such controversy, Healy appeared to do a Nazi salute during a recent concert as he sang a lyric about Kanye West — in a possible reference to West’s antisemitic comments — as The Independent reported in January.
Then, in February, Healy and the hosts of the podcast “The Adam Friedland Show” landed in hot water after joking that rapper Ice Spice sounded like an “Inuit Spice Girl” and a “chubby Chinese lady” and then imitated Chinese and Hawaiian accents, per Billboard. Healy apologized to Ice Spice at a New Zealand concert in April.
During that same podcast episode, Healy also discussed consuming pornography from a website known for videos of humiliation and brutalization of women, most of whom are Black, according to Insider.
And now the #SpeakUpNow fans are calling on Swift to demonstrate “genuine remorse” and commit to “personal growth and education” after associating with Healy. “While individuals have the right to make their own choices and form relationships, we believe that it is essential for those in the public eye to take a stand against discrimination and hold themselves and their associates accountable,” their letter continues.
In a tweet that has gotten more than 1,900 likes, Twitter user @laurenelectro shared the #SpeakUpNow letter and said that she has canceled her pre-order of Swift’s “Speak Now” vinyl record. “I just don’t feel comfortable giving her my $$$ now,” @laurenelectro wrote.