Studying Time: 3 minutes

A new Taylor Swift album is upon us, which implies that followers are as soon as once more eagerly dissecting the lyrics in quest of hidden disses and coded confessions.

A few of the most obsessed-over traces are featured in “Father Determine,” the track that — as Swifties accurately guessed when the observe checklist was launched final month — options an interpolation of the George Michael track by the identical identify.

As ordinary, Taylor’s sights appear squarely geared toward her haters — however there’s some debate over precisely which enemies she’s concentrating on this time.

‘Father Determine’ appears to be Taylor’s means of lashing out at a number of foes

The track sees Taylor spinning a yarn about an bold younger singer and the mentor who winds up exploiting her.

“Your inconsiderate ambition sparked the ignition / On silly selections, which led to misguided visions / That to meet your goals, you needed to eliminate me,” Swift sings.

So the obvious targets listed below are Scooter Braun, who infamously bought the rights to Taylor’s music, and Scott Borchetta, the previous head of Large Machine Data, who minimize the cope with Braun.

“This empire belongs to me,” Taylor sings in a later verse, seemingly celebrating the truth that she’s lastly managed to purchase her masters again.

A show with unique version merchandise for Taylor Swift’s new album, “Lifetime of a Showgirl” is seen at Goal on October 02, 2025 in New York Metropolis. (Picture by Valerie Terranova/Getty Photos)

So case closed, proper? Nicely, there is perhaps extra to the story right here.

How does Olivia Rodrigo issue into the ‘Father Determine’ narrative?

Again in 2021, a copyright dispute over Rodrigo’s track “Deja Vu” ended with Swift getting a songwriting credit score and 50 % of its royalties.

It’s been extensively rumored that Rodrigo vented her frustration towards Swift — whom she’d as soon as considered a mentor — on her 2023 track “Vampire.”

So when Taylor addressed an adoring protege and sang, “You remind me of a youthful me” on “Father Determine,” it’s not shocking that many followers jumped to the conclusion that she was referring to Olivia.

Olivia Rodrigo attends The Drop: Olivia Rodrigo at The GRAMMY Museum on October 03, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Picture by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Photos for The Recording Academy)

“I confirmed you all of the tips of the commerce / All I requested for is your loyalty, my expensive protégé,” Swift sings on the observe, later including, “I noticed a change in you / My expensive boy / They don’t make loyalty like they used to.”

Maybe in a second of self-reflection, Taylor noticed the similarity between the 2 conditions.

Or possibly followers are as soon as once more delving a lot too deep into Taylor’s lyrics.