Fans Are Convinced Dua Lipa Subtly Shaded Taylor Swift in a New Interview

Taylor Swift fans are raising their eyebrows at something Dua Lipa said in a new interview, which many believe could have been a dig at the “Anti-Hero” songstress.

Lipa was promoting her brand new album, Radical Optimism, which dropped Friday, May 3, just two weeks—or should we say a “Fortnight”—after Swift dropped her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.

While talking about her latest project on the Q with Tom Power podcast, Lipa opened up about the “massive stigma” she believes has plagued pop music, especially for female artists.

The 28-year-old singer claimed it’s difficult for female pop artists to be “taken seriously unless you’re behind a piano or a guitar than if you’re just making songs that feel good that have the aim to make you feel positive.”

The “Levitating” songstress said she doesn’t “want to subscribe” to the idea that positive songs are lacking “depth,” because she feels that “sometimes writing things that are optimistic that are happy that do have depth is maybe harder because a sad feeling is much easier to tap into.”

Swifties—who have already taken to the internet to point out that Swift, 34, is known for playing an acoustic song on the piano and on the guitar at her Eras Tour shows—have also drawn a connection to the theme of Swift’s new album, which also notably has no shortage of sad songs.

Swift’s fans became even further convinced that Lipa subtly shaded the “Cruel Summer” singer later in the interview when she talked about putting her personal experiences into her songs.

“I can talk about my personal experiences, but I don’t have to necessarily like say a name she said,” before adding, “I don’t have to put someone on blast in order for me to get my catharsis.”

Some Swifties took Lipa’s comment as an indirect jab at Swift, who has been criticized for bashing past lovers in her lyrics for nearly her entire career.

“That’s for sure a dig at Taylor,” one person insisted on Reddit. “We all know Taylor loves to low key put people on blast lol.”

“Let me see.. Which singer sits behind a piano or guitar & who’s currently put 2 of her exes on blast through her latest albums?” another sarcastic user wrote. “Gee.. I wonder who that might be 🤔😁.”

However, it’s clear from Lipa’s interview that she never actually mentioned Swift by name, nor did she seem to be talking about any specific artist other than herself.

“I don’t think she’s shading her at all,” one person said in defense of Lipa while someone else agreed, writing, “I literally don’t see the shade.”

“Dua strikes me as a strong, confident person who is describing her writing process,” another user added. “Not everyone thinks about TS nonstop.”

“When I write my songs, that’s my therapy,” Lipa said in the new interview. “How I choose to dress them up, that’s my therapy.”