Taylor Swift Reveals How Joe Alywn Helped Her to ‘Move Past’ Major Fears of Vocalizing Political Beliefs

After years of remaining silent, Taylor Swift has found her political voice, something she credits to boyfriend Joe Alwyn. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the “Willow” singer opened up about her decision to speak out on the political climate in 2018, explaining that not only did her boyfriend of four years help her “move past” her fear and take a political stance, but he also helped inspire “Only the Young,” the political track that debuted for the Miss Americana documentary.

In an emailed interview with the outlet, the singer-songwriter explained that “as a country musician,” she was “always told it’s better to stay out of [politics].” Swift did just that until “the Trump presidency forced me to lean in and educate myself.” Swift said she began “having conversations with family and friends about politics “and learning as much as I could about where I stand,” adding that she found herself “talking about government and the presidency and policy with my boyfriend, who supported me in speaking out.” With Alwyn’s encouragement, the singer did just that in October 2018 when she endorsed Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen, who ultimately lost to Republican Marsha Blackburn in a lengthy Instagram post in the Tennessee Senate race.

Swift’s experiences taking a political stance were documented in the 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana. That documentary featured the song “Only the Young,” a politically charged anthem Swift wrote after the political disappointments.

“Almost the entire process of creating that song, I was fighting back tears because I was so sad about the results of the midterm elections in my state and the losses faced by superb Democratic candidates in states like Georgia and Texas,” Swift said of the creative process. “I didn’t want the defeat and hopelessness I felt for our country’s future to get the best of me. I didn’t want to weep. I wanted to have hope. Writing ‘Only the Young’ helped me push through that moment in my life and gave me the hope to keep fighting for what I believe is right.”

Reflecting on her decision to vocalize her political beliefs, which she has done numerous times in the years since her initial 2018 post, Swift said she is “proud to have moved past fear and self-doubt and to endorse and support leadership that moves us beyond this divisive, heartbreaking moment in time.”

Swift and Alwyn have been dating since 2016, though they have chosen to keep their relationship relatively low-key, only being spotted out together on a handful of occasions. As many Swifties know, Alwyn has quickly become something of a muse for the singer, and they have him to thank for several of her newer tracks partially, including “betty” and “evermore” from her two latest albums, folklore and evermore. Swift’s next album, the re-recording of 2008’s Fearless, is set to drop April 9.