Taylor Swift picked quite the night to perform two songs that feature some iconic takedown lyrics. Both “I Forgot That You Existed” from Lover and “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” from Reputation are savage tracks that call out those who have wronged the pop star. So, you can imagine the weight they carried when Swift sang them together as surprise songs. Now, Swifties have also realized that she chose to mash these two tracks up on a significant day that alludes to the idea that she may have been dissing Scooter Braun through this performance.
As Swifties continue to speculate about Taylor Swift’s upcoming projects, they’re also paying close attention to the choices she makes on the Eras Tour. We know that she plants Easter eggs all over her work, so it’s not farfetched to think that she’s sending a message through this surprise song combo. Plus, she sang these two tracks that call out the people who have done her dirty in Cardiff on Scooter Braun’s birthday.
Coincidence? The fans think not, as @pieceofurheart posted:
i forgot that you existed x this is why we can’t have nice things on scooter braun’s birthday? #CardiffTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/Nc39vaqZhZJune 18, 2024
Lots of fans caught on to this coincidence, and they think the performance could have been intentional. Swift and Barun have seemingly been in a feud for years. When Braun purchased Big Machine Records, the singer’s former label, in 2019, he got the majority ownership of her master recordings. This has led to the “The Man” singer re-recording her first six albums, and she’s made it pretty clear through her music and performances just how fed up she is with this deal.
As I mentioned, fans were quick to note how connected the song selection could be to Scooter Braun, as @take0utcoffees wrote:
taylor has one random tuesday show on june 18th which happens to be scooter braun’s birthday … thinking thoughts
Along with this happening on his birthday, there are some other coincidences surrounding this performance that also add more to the ongoing theory that Swift was dissing Braun through this mashup.
For one, in the fall of 2023, he reportedly parted ways with Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and other longtime clients. Then a few days before the singer’s performance in Cardiff, the music mogul announced on Instagram that he was retiring from music management.
Also, a documentary titled Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood will premiere on the 2024 TV schedule today (June 19) for those with a Max subscription.
📹 | FULL video of Taylor performing ‘I Forgot That You Existed’ x ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/atdBhioVSrJune 19, 2024
Basically, there are just a lot of things that line up and point to Swift possibly calling out Braun. While it’s not confirmed in the slightest, there’s no question that this is a lot of interesting coincidences. Plus, when you watch the performance (which you can see above), hearing all the lyrics together really re-emphasizes her feelings about being wronged, and one of the biggest wrongs that happened to her was because of the former music manager.
We’ll likely never get official confirmation about this mashup and who it was about. However, these Swifties have made a compelling argument that it could have been a diss at Braun. The singer does love her dates and Easter eggs, so it really could go either way.
