Taylor Swift and Matty Healy met backstage at The 1975's concert in Los Angeles on November 19, 2014. Swift attended the show with Ellie Goulding and Selena Gomez. Later, during an appearance on the Australian radio program Shazam Top 20, Healy recounted how he and Swift exchanged numbers. When the host suggested that he and Swift could become the next big celebrity couple, Healy responded, "I mean, bloody hell, what am I going to do, go out with Taylor Swift? She's a sensation. I wouldn't say no." On November 22, Swift was photographed in Los Angeles wearing a black plaid skirt and a The 1975 tank top. Around the same time, she was also being linked to her ex, Harry Styles. Entertainment Tonight even reported that Styles attended The 1975's concert and had a friendly reunion with Swift. However, The Mirror cited a source disputing this, stating that only Goulding and Gomez were present, not Styles. In December 2014, Swift attended another The 1975 concert in New York City—this time with Karlie Kloss. On December 10, Us Weekly reported that Swift and Healy were secretly dating. "It's very new, and they're having fun," a source close to Swift told the outlet. "They're seeing where things go." The report also claimed that Healy had been actively pursuing Swift and frequently texting her. By January 2015, Healy publicly denied the dating rumors, calling the idea that they had been together for two months "ridiculous." "It is bloody fake. It's all fake. It's all a farce," he said on Shazam Top 20. "There's no relationship or anything happening." He explained, "We met each other. We exchanged numbers in the same way a lot of people in this kind of world do. And we spoke occasionally. Then she's the biggest pop star in the world, and I'm in Australia. There's no relationship or anything happening. It's just funny how people really buy into that." He added, "So that didn't really happen. As much as it'd be amazing for me if it did, unfortunately, it didn't." In February 2015, Swift was photographed with Healy, Nick Grimshaw, and Ellie Goulding at Universal Music's BRITs after-party following the BRIT Awards ceremony. That same night, Swift reportedly met her later-boyfriend, Calvin Harris. In March 2016, Healy once again denied that he and Swift were ever romantically involved during an interview with Q Magazine. He characterized their dynamic as a flirtation and stated that the idea of dating Swift would have been "emasculating." "So the one time I did have a flirtation with a girl, it ends up going everywhere," he said. "I mean, I got on E! News, and people were like, 'Who's Matt Healy?' so that was cool. But I didn't make a big deal out of it myself. It's not really anything to talk about because if she wasn't Taylor Swift, we wouldn't be talking about her. She wasn't a big impact on my life." The day after Healy's "emasculating" comment sparked backlash, he released a statement clarifying his remarks. The tweet has since been deleted. Healy wrote at the time, "Now I may admit to being an idiot on occasion, but I am not a misogynist. This suggestion makes me really sad." He elaborated, saying that when the dating rumors emerged, he found himself briefly immersed in a celebrity world that he found "confusing and scary." He added, "At that time, I had fears of being 'somebody's boyfriend' (remember, this is all speculation as we never dated!) before even being recognized for my music or presence as a person in my own right." Healy also addressed Swift directly, saying, "I have said on countless occasions that I found her to be one of the most gracious, hardworking, creatively gifted, and beautiful women that I have had the pleasure to meet. I personally have a lot of respect and admiration for her. Why would I not?" In September 2019, Healy expressed interest in working with Swift on an acoustic album during an appearance on Neil Griffiths' podcast The Green Room. "I would never slag Taylor off. I think Taylor's amazing," he said. "Taylor Swift doing an acoustic record? I can't think of a record that would sell more than that. Like, Taylor Swift's intimate return to country. Of course, you'd wanna produce that! She's [probably] gonna sit on that idea, but Taylor, if you ever want someone to help you set up the mics for your acoustic record, just so you know, I'm there." In September 2022, rumors emerged that Healy and Swift had collaborated in private. Healy initially dismissed them as false but later revealed in November that The 1975 had, in fact, worked with Swift on her album Midnights. However, their collaboration didn't make the final album. "We actually worked a bit on that, but the version of it never came out," Healy told KROQ's Klein/Ally Show. He also defended Swift's decision to exclude their work, saying, "It was for reasons that are not to be criticized. She's amazing." On January 12, 2023, Swift, who was still dating Joe Alwyn at the time, made a surprise appearance at The 1975's London show, where she performed "Anti-Hero" live for the first time and covered The 1975's "The City." Swift and Alwyn's breakup was reported on April 8. Nearly a month later, on May 3, The Sun reported that Swift and Healy were dating and would go public during Swift's Nashville Eras shows. On May 5, Healy flew from the Philippines to Nashville to attend Swift's concert. Though she did not publicly confirm their relationship, fans noticed that both Healy and Swift mouthed the phrase, "This one is about you. You know who you are. I love you," on stage during their respective performances. Their relationship continued to make headlines until June 5, when TMZ reported that they had broken up. A source close to the situation simply described Swift as "single." A month later, The Sun speculated that Swift and Healy were back together, citing an anonymous source. However, representatives close to both Swift and Healy quickly denied the rumors to People, stating that the two were no longer in contact. On April 19, 2024, Swift released her eleventh studio album The Tortured Poets Department, and fans speculated that several tracks, including "Down Bad," "Guilty as Sin," "The Black Dog," "Fresh Out The Slammer," "Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus," and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," referenced Healy. On April 24, a paparazzo asked Healy about the supposed "diss tracks." Healy, appearing unfazed, responded, "Oh, I haven't really listened to that much of it [the album], but I'm sure it's good." By October 2024, Healy addressed why he doesn't plan to write songs about his relationship with Swift on the Doomscroll podcast, "A lot of artists become very interested in their lore," he said. "But I would kind of just be lying if I made a record about all the stuff that was said about me or my casual romantic liaisons." However, in January 2025, The Sun reported that Healy's upcoming music might include lyrics referencing Swift, including a track titled "God Has Entered My Body," with the line: "Keep your head up, princess, your tiara is falling." Healy later sarcastically responded to the speculation in a Reddit comment, writing, "Huge if true."