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The &34;Life of a Showgirl&34; track, which details a paternal relationship between a wealthy benefactor and a young singer, has sparked multiple theories. Let'

The "Life of a Showgirl" track, which details a paternal relationship between a wealthy benefactor and a young singer, has sparked multiple theories. Let's break 'em down.

Why fans think Taylor Swift's 'Father Figure' is about Olivia Rodrigo and Scooter Braun

The "Life of a Showgirl" track, which details a paternal relationship between a wealthy benefactor and a young singer, has sparked multiple theories. Let's break 'em down.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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October 3, 2025 12:01 p.m. ET

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Taylor Swift in 2024; Olivia Rodrigo in 2025. Credit:

Noam Galai/Getty; Neilson Barnard/Getty

Taylor Swift is in her mob boss era.**

The singer takes aim at another one of her enemies and threatens to have them "sleeping with the fishes before you know you're drownin'" on "Father Figure," a highlight off her new record, *The Life of a Showgirl, *that features an interpolation of the 1987 George Michael hit. But who exactly has Swift taken up her pen against? Her fanbase has theories. **

After the song was released early Friday, Swifties quickly landed on three possible suspects: Scooter Braun, Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta, and ingenue songstress Olivia Rodrigo. We're here to break down why — so just step into our office.

Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour.

Andreas Rentz/TAS24/Getty

But first, a little context. Borchetta is the founder of Big Machine Records, the first label that Swift signed to in 2005. He sold Big Machine — and the rights to Swift's masters — to Braun's Ithaca Holdings in June 2019. The sale was personally devastating for Swift, who was not given a chance to buy back her own catalog, and this inspired her to begin recording the "Taylor's Versions" of her past albums. **

With that in mind, it's easy to see how "Father Figure" could be about Borchetta or Braun. In it, Swift weaves a tale about a paternal relationship between a wealthy benefactor who takes a young singer under their wing only for the pair to spar once the power dynamic flips and the musician becomes more powerful.**

"Your thoughtless ambition sparked the ignition / On foolish decisions, which led to misguided visions / That to fulfill your dreams, you had to get rid of me," Swift sings on the track, which many Swifties have noted could be a reference specifically to Borchetta selling her catalog to Braun.

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George Michael estate reacts to Taylor Swift's 'Father Figure' song on 'Life of a Showgirl' album

In another verse, Swift reminds her subject that "this empire belongs to me," which fans also interpreted as a nod to her buying her masters back in May. **

So how does Rodrigo fit into this narrative, exactly? Well, this one is a little more complicated. It's no secret that Rodrigo was a huge Swift fan in her early days, citing her as a major inspiration at the height of her "Drivers License" fame. Swift seemed to reciprocate the adoration, at one point mailing Rodrigo her own *Red (Taylor's Version)*-esque ring in 2021.**

However, rumors of a potential rift between the singers began to spread in 2023, after the release of Rodrigo's song "Vampire," which calls out an unnamed "bloodsucker" who is "bleedin' me dry like a goddamn vampire." Soon after its release, Internet sleuths alleged that the track was about Swift, pointing to the artists' copyright dispute over Rodrigo's song "Deja Vu" that ended with Swift getting a retroactive songwriting credit and 50 percent of its royalties. **

Rodrigo shook off the speculation, calling it nothing more than "Twitter conspiracy theories" back in September 2023, but she and Swift haven't seemed as closely aligned as they were before and still find themselves fielding hearsay about an alleged feud to this day.

Given their history, Swift's "Father Figure" could easily allude to Rodrigo, a formerly up-and-coming star to whom Swift provided mentorship early in her career, only for them to go their separate ways in the end.

Taylor Swift in 2025; Olivia Rodrigo in 2024.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Frazer Harrison/Getty

"I showed you all the tricks of the trade / All I asked for is your loyalty, my dear protégé," Swift sings at one point, later adding, "I saw a change in you / My dear boy / They don't make loyalty like they used to." **

Swift also repeatedly notes that she "saw potential" in her subject, admitting, "You remind me of a younger me." The latter line seems to parallel Swift's *Tortured Poets Department* song "Clara Bow," which some fans have interpreted to be at least partially about Rodrigo. In that song, Swift sings, "'You look like Taylor Swift / In this light / We're loving it / You've got edge she never did / The future's bright / Dazzling.'"

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While she has never pointed fingers, Swift told Amazon Music for the release of *The Life of a Showgirl* that "Father Figure" features some of her favorite moments on the album. "I remember writing the lyrics, sitting there being like [*laughs to herself*]," she said. "It's the stuff that I've always wanted to say. The first line of the second verse is my favorite line in terms of a visual. You think about what it means, and then you realize it's just a very descriptive way to say something, and I love that line."

Artwork for Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl'.

Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot

The line to which she's referring? "I pay the check before it kisses the mahogany grain."**

"I also love the key-change chorus lyrics," Swift told Amazon Music. "It was a blast to write. I love stepping into a character like that."**

So, is "Father Figure" about Rodrigo, Braun, or Borchetta? Who's to say it's not about all three? Or, as Swift notes, maybe she's just playing a character. Regardless, we know she's a mastermind, so we can assume that none of the shading was accidental.

*The Life of a Showgirl* is out now.**

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Music"

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