Taylor Swift pulled off yet another surprise during her June 14 Eras Tour performance in Liverpool, and it’s one for the books!
The 34-year-old megastar brought back a blast from the past, performing a mashup that included a stripped-down version of Rihanna and Calvin Harris’s hit “This is What You Came For,” seamlessly blended with her own song “gold rush” from the evermore album. Talk about a musical cocktail!
Now, for those who might be living under a rock or just have a life outside of pop culture (who are you?), here’s the tea. This chart-topping banger, which hit the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 3 in 2016, was actually penned by none other than Taylor herself. Yup, she wrote it while undercover as Nils Sjöberg during her relationship with Calvin Harris. Talk about a plot twist worthy of a soap opera!
A fan captured part of the performance on X (formerly known as Twitter—yes, it’s still a thing, no matter what your grandma calls it), and it’s pure magic. Picture this: Taylor, guitar in hand, strumming along like she’s at a cozy campfire, while fans belt out the chorus in unison. Goosebumps, anyone?
This isn’t Taylor’s first rodeo with this song on stage, but it sure feels like a full-circle moment. When “This is What You Came For” dropped, everyone was scratching their heads wondering, “Who the heck is Nils Sjöberg?” Surprise! It was Taylor all along, and the big reveal came the same year.
Calvin Harris, ever the drama king, cleared things up with a statement that was part compliment, part clapback. He acknowledged Taylor’s lyrical prowess and her contribution to the song, saying, “And she sings on a little bit of it too 🙃 Amazing lyric writer and she smashed it as usual.” But wait, there’s more! He added, “I wrote the music, produced the song, arranged it, and cut the vocals though. And initially she wanted it kept secret, hence the pseudonym.”
Cue the popcorn, because Calvin wasn’t done. “Hurtful to me at this point that her and her team would go so far out of their way to try and make ME look bad at this stage though,” he whined. “I figure if you’re happy in your new relationship you should focus on that instead of trying to tear your ex-bf down for something to do.” Ouch. Somebody call a burn unit!
Eventually, Taylor switched the writing credit to her real name, putting the whole pseudonym saga to rest. And here we are, enjoying her epic live mashups and wondering what other surprises she has up her sequined sleeves.
Rock on, Taylor. Rock on.
📹 | Taylor performing a mashup of “This Is What You Came For” x “gold rush” #LiverpoolTStheErasTour
— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSwiftLA) June 14, 2024