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Grammys: Taylor Swift and Harry Styles reunite backstage eight years after break-up

Short-lived relationship rumoured to have inspired at least two of Swift’s most famous 1989 tracks

Adam White
Monday 15 March 2021 11:06 GMT
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Taylor Swift and Harry Styles reunite at Grammys

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Taylor Swift and Harry Styles briefly reunited backstage at the Grammys, eight years after the pair’s short-lived relationship.

The pair, who both took home major awards at last night’s ceremony, dated between late 2012 and early 2013, and were regularly spotted on outings together in New York.

Styles is also rumoured to have inspired at least two tracks on Swift’s 2014 album 1989, specifically “Style” and “Out of the Woods”. Of the latter, Swift once said it was inspired by a real-life relationship in which “every day was a struggle”.

While attending the Grammys, Swift and Styles were filmed interacting in the socially distanced backstage area, with the pair slipping off their masks to talk for a few minutes.

The interaction was celebrated by fans, who have historically dubbed the pair “Haylor”, with many attempting to decipher via lip-reading what they said to one another.

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“Harry could have also said to Taylor ‘Congrats on the album’,” one person suggested.

“So here I am signing a petition for Harry Styles and Taylor Swift to collab,” wrote another fan. “Please we need HAYLOR content.”

In 2017, Styles said that he “didn’t know” whether “Style” and “Out of the Woods” were about him, but added: “I’m lucky if everything [we went through] helped create those songs. That’s what hits your heart.”

Three years later, Styles said that it was “flattering” to possibly be the subject of some of Swift’s songs.

“I think about what it means to me to write a song about somebody else and for somebody else to do that, it’s like flattering,” he told Howard Stern. “Even if the song isn’t that flattering, you still spent time on it and ultimately, using Taylor as an example, she’s a great songwriter. So at least they’re good songs.”

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At last night’s Grammys, Swift became the first woman to win three Album of the Year awards – a record only achieved previously by male artists Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.

Styles also won Best Pop Solo Performance for “Watermelon Sugar”.

Read the full list of Grammys winners here.

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