Celebrity

Posted on Nov 14, 2020

Taylor Swift Explained Why She Used A Pseudonym For The Rihanna–C*lvin Harris Song

"Love a pseudonym."

by Ryan Schocket

BuzzFeed Staff

This week, Rolling Stone revealed the latest stars of its "Musicians on Musicians" series — Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney.

In the interview/conversation, the two legends discuss music, fame, and songwriting.

Paul began talking about the concept of writing under a pseudonym, sharing that he's actually written songs under the name "Fireman."

"Love a pseudonym," Taylor replied.

Now, let me give you some US History 101.

Back in 2016, when Taylor was dating C*lvin Harris, she decided to use a pseudonym "Nils Sjöberg" when she wrote the Rihanna–Calvin song "This Is What You Came For."

Now as fans, WE knew Taylor had written the song and we knew she did so because she didn't want the song and her writing to be overshadowed because she was dating someone else who was high-profile. Also, it was a way to flex her "I can write any genre and make a hit" muscle we know she has.

And we basically confirmed it when we spotted it in the "Look What You Made Me Do" music video in 2017.

Still, we never heard her talk about it!

"I think when a pseudonym comes in is when you still have a love for making the work and you don’t want the work to become overshadowed by this thing that’s been built around you, based on what people know about you," Taylor told Paul.

"That’s when it’s really fun to create fake names and write under them," she added.

When Paul asked if Taylor had used pseudonym and if it was public knowledge, she said, "I think it is now, but it wasn’t." Keep in mind, Taylor is notoriously private, especially lately, so her sharing this was awesome to read.

"I wrote under the name Nils Sjöberg because those are two of the most popular names of Swedish males."

"I wrote this song called 'This Is What You Came For' that Rihanna ended up singing. And nobody knew for a while. I remembered always hearing that when Prince wrote 'Manic Monday,' they didn’t reveal it for a couple of months."

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Taylor Swift Explained Why She Used A Pseudonym For The Rihanna–C*lvin Harris Song

This week, Rolling Stone revealed the latest stars of its "Musicians on Musicians" series — Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney.

In the interview/conversation, the two legends discuss music, fame, and songwriting.

Paul began talking about the concept of writing under a pseudonym, sharing that he's actually written songs under the name "Fireman."

"Love a pseudonym," Taylor replied.

Now, let me give you some US History 101.

Back in 2016, when Taylor was dating C*lvin Harris, she decided to use a pseudonym "Nils Sjöberg" when she wrote the Rihanna–Calvin song "This Is What You Came For."

View this video on YouTube

Now as fans, WE knew Taylor had written the song and we knew she did so because she didn't want the song and her writing to be overshadowed because she was dating someone else who was high-profile. Also, it was a way to flex her "I can write any genre and make a hit" muscle we know she has.

And we basically confirmed it when we spotted it in the "Look What You Made Me Do" music video in 2017.

Still, we never heard her talk about it!

"I think when a pseudonym comes in is when you still have a love for making the work and you don’t want the work to become overshadowed by this thing that’s been built around you, based on what people know about you," Taylor told Paul.

"That’s when it’s really fun to create fake names and write under them," she added.

When Paul asked if Taylor had used pseudonym and if it was public knowledge, she said, "I think it is now, but it wasn’t." Keep in mind, Taylor is notoriously private, especially lately, so her sharing this was awesome to read.

"I wrote under the name Nils Sjöberg because those are two of the most popular names of Swedish males."

"I wrote this song called 'This Is What You Came For' that Rihanna ended up singing. And nobody knew for a while. I remembered always hearing that when Prince wrote 'Manic Monday,' they didn’t reveal it for a couple of months."

It's the way Taylor's a genius and the most fascinating person ever for me. Thank you for sharing, Tay/Nils. <3

Taylor Swift Explained Why She Used A Pseudonym For The Rihanna–C*lvin Harris Song

This week, Rolling Stone revealed the latest stars of its "Musicians on Musicians" series — Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney.

In the interview/conversation, the two legends discuss music, fame, and songwriting.

Paul began talking about the concept of writing under a pseudonym, sharing that he's actually written songs under the name "Fireman."

"Love a pseudonym," Taylor replied.

Now, let me give you some US History 101.

Back in 2016, when Taylor was dating C*lvin Harris, she decided to use a pseudonym "Nils Sjöberg" when she wrote the Rihanna–Calvin song "This Is What You Came For."

View this video on YouTube

Now as fans, WE knew Taylor had written the song and we knew she did so because she didn't want the song and her writing to be overshadowed because she was dating someone else who was high-profile. Also, it was a way to flex her "I can write any genre and make a hit" muscle we know she has.

And we basically confirmed it when we spotted it in the "Look What You Made Me Do" music video in 2017.

Still, we never heard her talk about it!

"I think when a pseudonym comes in is when you still have a love for making the work and you don’t want the work to become overshadowed by this thing that’s been built around you, based on what people know about you," Taylor told Paul.

"That’s when it’s really fun to create fake names and write under them," she added.

When Paul asked if Taylor had used pseudonym and if it was public knowledge, she said, "I think it is now, but it wasn’t." Keep in mind, Taylor is notoriously private, especially lately, so her sharing this was awesome to read.

"I wrote under the name Nils Sjöberg because those are two of the most popular names of Swedish males."

"I wrote this song called 'This Is What You Came For' that Rihanna ended up singing. And nobody knew for a while. I remembered always hearing that when Prince wrote 'Manic Monday,' they didn’t reveal it for a couple of months."

It's the way Taylor's a genius and the most fascinating person ever for me. Thank you for sharing, Tay/Nils. <3

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