On Saturday evening, news broke that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn broke up. It was first published on People’s website, stating that the couple had been separated for “a couple of weeks” at the time of publishing. 

Joe Alwyn, British actor known for his role as Robert Dudley in Mary Queen of Scots (2018), was largely unknown in American pop culture until he was seen with Taylor publicly. Swift and Alwyn first met at the Met Gala in 2016 as quoted in her song “Dress” from the Reputation album. The couple got together in early 2017 amidst a point in Taylor’s life when she was shrouded with controversy and stayed out of the public eye. Alwyn is noted to have collaborated with Swift on many tracks across her albums Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights under the pseudonym William Bowery.

The breakup shocked Swifties everywhere, seemingly coming out of nowhere. However, though the exact time of the split has not been explicitly released, Swift changed her Eras Tour setlist on March 31, swapping Folklore‘s sweet anthem about soulmates titled “Invisible String,” for a more nostalgic tune, “The 1,” from the same album. Furthermore, at her April 1 concert, Swift’s surprise songs were “Death by a Thousand Cuts” and “Clean”, two songs known for their stories about getting through a major breakup.

Many are questioning if the breakup is real as Swift has warned against listening to the news outlets in a countless number of her songs over the years. But as more major media sites release segments regarding the couple, the story only becomes more plausible and convincing. 

Taylor Swift has been given the unfortunate stereotype of a girl who cycles through boyfriends far too often, but this new status might allow her to reclaim some of that individuality young girls everywhere admire so much.