Who is Joe Alwyn, Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriend and alleged target of the singer’s new album

Singer Taylor Swift released her 11th album this Friday (19), titled “The Tortured Poets Department”. Fans wasted no time and soon pointed out supposed hints to her ex-boyfriend, British actor Joe Alwyn. In previous albums, she has spoken about relationships with other exes, such as Joe Jonas, Jake Gyllenhaal and Harry Styles.

This time, one of the hints would be in the album’s fifth track “So Long, London”, in which the singer details how she tried to save a failed relationship. In “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”, she writes about how she is productive even with a broken heart, using her tour The Eras Tour as a reference.

Even the name of the album seems to have been an allusion to the actor. In an interview with Variety in 2022, Joe said he maintained a message group with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott called “The Tortured Man Club”.

It wouldn’t be the first time that the actor has targeted the singer in his songs, but only now has he appeared in a negative light. Taylor’s previous albums, such as “Reputation” and “Lover”, are filled with references to her relationship with Joe, in songs such as the romantic “Delicate” and “London Boy”.

Taylor also released an extended version of the new album called “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” with 15 new tracks.

BUT AFTER ALL, WHO IS JOE ALWYN?

The 33-year-old British actor was born in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, in the county of Kent, about 50 km from London. He is related to composer William Alwyn, known for his work on films from the 1950s.

Joe began his career in the drama “Billy Lynn’s Long Walk” in 2016 and has acted in other productions such as “The Favourite” and “Two Queens”. His most recent work was in the series “Conversas Entre Amigos”, in which he plays the protagonist Nick.

Soon, he can also be seen in “Kinds of Kindness”, the new film by Yorgos Lanthimos, director of the feature film “Poor Creatures”.

Using the pseudonym William Bowery, Joe showed his songwriting side by writing some songs with Taylor for the Grammy-winning albums for Best Album of the Year. The collaborations were for 2020’s “Folklore”, on the songs “Exile” and “Betty”, as well as “Champagne Problems”, “Coney Island” and “Evermore” from the 2021 album “Evermore”.

JOE ALWYN’S ROMANCE WITH TAYLOR SWIFT

Taylor and Joe dated for six years, from 2017 to 2023, and the actor saw his name in the spotlight after starting his romance with the singer. Despite Taylor’s stardom, they maintained a low-key relationship and were rarely spotted at public events.

Taylor is the main topic related to Joe in searches on Google Trends, and the actor’s name reached its peak in searches in April 2023, when rumors about their breakup emerged. The data covers the period of the last five years.

The relationship began at a troubled time for the singer, who was trying to release a new album after the success of her album “1989”, amid a rivalry with ex-couple Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

At the time, the breakup appeared to have been amicable and “not dramatic,” according to Entertainment Tonight (ET). However, it took everyone by surprise, because in the singer’s tenth album, “Midnights”, in the song “Lavender Haze”, she writes about what it’s like to be deeply in love with someone.