Taylor Swift & Matty Healy’s Relationship Timeline: From A ‘1989’ T-Shirt To Alleged Lovers

Taylor Swift and Matty Healy have truly taken the internet by storm after making their first public outing as a rumored couple while leaving a party in NYC just a few days ago. However, the connection between the two musicians has traced back almost a decade — and for those who are new here, there’s a lot to unpack. Let’s get into it.

The two were first linked back in 2014, after Healy wore a 1989 shirt during his concert with The 1975 in Minnesota. That same month, Swift attended one of the band’s concerts, where they later met the same night.

“We exchanged numbers, we’ll see what happens,” he said. “Would I go out with Taylor Swift? I mean, she’s a sensation. I wouldn’t say no.”

Shortly after Swift went to the concert, she was also spotted returning the t-shirt favor, as she rocked some of the band’s merch.

Then, 2015 happened. In February, Swift and Healy hung out together at an afterparty for the Brit Awards. However, the night prior, Swift had been introduced to a certain DJ ex (Calvin Harris) — and went to date him for about a year.

Healy also denied that the two dated, notoriously calling it emasculating in March of 2016, which has since made the rounds as a quote again. “F*cking hell! I am NOT being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend,” Matty said in an interview with Q Magazine (via NME). “You know, ‘F*CK. THAT.’ That’s also a man thing, a de-masculinating, emasculating thing.”

He would later apologize on social media. “I didn’t even date Taylor, but the media’s incessant and brutal obsession with her has meant that even a guy who DIDN’T DATE HER has been so battered by their never-ending questions that he’s inevitably said something that can be lifted and molded into something that resembles ‘shade’. It’s really sad,” Healy’s statement on Twitter later read.

Things then got pretty quiet in terms of the two’s friendship. Swift had been dating actor Joe Alwyn for years, up until the news of their breakup arrived. Meanwhile, Healy had begun working with Swift’s frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff, on The 1975’s latest album last year.

Healy had also reportedly done some work on Swift’s recent Midnights album, but it was scrapped. Still, because of this, it wasn’t all that surprising when Swift popped up at The 1975’s January 2023 London concert to perform “Anti-Hero.” (She even posed for a photo with his mom.) At least, not until a certain tabloid kicked off the relationship news…

“She and Matty are madly in love. It’s super-early days, but it feels right. They first dated, very briefly, almost ten years ago but timings just didn’t work out,” a source told The Sun, when the news first broke at the start of this month.

Over the past few weeks, Swift and Healy have appeared to thrown lots of easter eggs about their relationship out — both to one another (mouthing “You know who you are, I love you” at their respective concerts) and the general public (Swift playing his notable favorite as a surprise song.)

Healy attended all of Swift’s Nashville and Philly Eras shows so far. They were also photographed holding hands at a separate recent party — and Healy was spotted heading to and from the pop star’s apartment.

What a journey it has been for these two.