If there’s one thing I’ve learned from looking up A-lister facts, it’s that fame is a tiny, tiny village.
For instance, you might not have known that Christian Bale voiced both Thomas in Pocahontas AND Howl in the English-speaking Howl’s Moving Castle.
Maybe you were unaware that Donny Osmond performed the singing parts of Li Shang in Mulan (I definitely was).
My point is, celebs often have their manicured fingers in a lot more pies than we’d expect ― and Rihanna’s “This Is What You Came For” hit is one such case.
The iconic song was created with Calvin Harris, the Scottish DJ and producer. And while the author of the song was officially listed as Nils Sjoberg, it turns out that that was just a pseudonym ― for singer, songwriter, and Harris’ ex, Taylor Swift.
What?
Yup, that’s right ― Taylor Swift’s reps confirmed to PEOPLE that she penned the lyrics to the song, while TMZ says she wrote the song, played it on the piano, recorded it on her iPhone, and sent it to Harris. The collab was meant to be secret, it seems.
While promoting the song, Calvin Harris told Ryan Seacrest in an interview that when it came to collaborating with Swift, “We haven’t even spoken about it. I can’t see it happening though.”
This apparently upset the singer, who would break up with the producer shortly afterwards (to date Tom Hiddleston, whose mum she started hanging out with pretty much immediately).
Well then.
I know! And apparently, Harris was upset that Swift’s reps shared her involvement with the song.
“I wrote the music, produced the song, arranged it and cut the vocals though. And initially she wanted it kept secret, hence the pseudonym,” the producer tweeted at the time, per Variety.
“Hurtful to me at this point that her and her team would go so far out of their way to try and make ME look bad at this stage though.”
He added: “I figure if you’re happy in your new relationship you should focus on that instead of trying to tear your ex bf down for something to do,” he said (referring to her new fling with Hiddleston).
Harris also said that Swift sings a “bit” on the track, and said she was an “amazing lyric writer.”
“I know you’re off tour and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy ETC but I’m not that guy, sorry. I won’t allow it,” he finished, before signing off with “Please focus on the positive aspects of YOUR life because you’ve earned a great one… God bless everyone have a beautiful day.”
The tweet has since been deleted (the online Alexandrian library smoulders still), but the song attribution will live forever in our permanently-altered brains.
