7 of Taylor Swift’s Most Trusted Co-Writers

Swifties are raving over Taylor Swift’s newly released single, “Carolina,” for the upcoming film adaptation of Where The Crawdads Sing. But this is not the only news the Grammy-winning artist has been in recently. Swift also re-released her song “This Love,” off of her album 1989 for the new young adult film, The Summer I Turned Pretty. Of course, for Swifties, this leads to speculations over an upcoming re-release of 1989, her fifth studio album. Because if Swifties adore anything, it’s a (Taylor’s Version) added to her albums.

After all, if you are a fan of Swift, then you quickly master the art of speculation. Whatever the case, Swift never fails to find herself in the limelight of entertainment.

In honor of her music, whether it’s a new song or a re-release, we are celebrating Swift’s co-writers that have helped get her where she is today. Below is a list of just some of Swift’s best and beloved collaborators.

Jack Antonoff

Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter, Jack Antonoff has played a major role in building Swift’s career, from her Reputation (2017) era onward. First collaborating on her hit single “Look What You Made Me Do,” the two met at the MTV European Music Awards in 2012. They didn’t pay it much mind and continued to cross paths by happenstance for years until they finally decided to collaborate. And behold, the start of an unstoppable duo and an even stronger friendship. Antonoff also has his own band, Bleachers, and has worked with other “girlie pop” musicians like Lorde, Lana Del Ray, and St. Vincent. You could say that he is a powerhouse in music production and songwriting.

Aaron Dessner

During the pandemic, Swift had reached out to guitarist Aaron Dessner of the indie-rock band The National, because she admired his work. The story goes that she texted Dessner out of the blue, “This is Taylor. Would you ever be up for collaborating remotely with me?” Together, the two created the 2021 Album of the Year, folklore. Dessner is also a member of the two-man band, Big Red Machine, with whom Swift wrote and performed duets with. Dessner, Antonoff, and Swift became a trio for both of the sister albums, folklore and evermore.

Justin Vernon

You might know Vernon better as his stage name, Bon Iver. The musician is the second member of Dessner’s band, Big Red Machine, so it’s no surprise that the two have collaborated together. Vernon has also played influential roles in folklore and evermore, writing the songs “Exile” and “Evermore” with Swift.

“William Bowery”

Swift has been with boyfriend and actor Joe Alwyn for as long as her Reputation (2017) era. During folklore, Alwyn co-wrote songs with Swift under the pseudonym “William Bowery.” For most of 2021, nobody could put a face to the name. Swift and her collaborators from folklore joked about the name, and thanked him on stage at awards shows when he wasn’t around. But the reality of it is that Alwyn played a phenomenal role in both the heart-wrenching folklore and evermore. He plays the piano in many of her songs, and has co-written “Betty,” “Exile,” “Champagne Problems,” and “Coney Island.”

Max Marten, Shellback

The two Swedish icons have produced and written songs that brought American pop stars from Britney Spears to The Backstreet Boys to the surface of pop culture. It’s no surprise that they have had as much of an impact on Swift either. The two co-wrote Swift’s Red (2012). They’re most known for the record “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” among others, to which they wanted Swift to sound like a child jumping off of a swing whenever she belts, “we!”

St. Vincent

So we’ve gone through a long list of influential men who have collaborated with Swift. Now it’s time for an unexpected turn. That’s right, St. Vincent, otherwise known as Annie Clark, helped Swift co-write songs for her record Lover (2019). One in particular that they worked on together is the funky pop song “Cruel Summer.” St. Vincent has also collaborated with Antonoff, which makes Swift no stranger to six degrees of separation.

Ali Payami

Another Swedish superstar, Payomi supported Swift in producing and co-writing 1989 (2014). She first collaborated with Swift on the hit single “Style,” and continued to work with her throughout her albums 1989 and Reputation. Payami has also worked with The Weeknd, Katy Perry, and Ariana Grande in the past.

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