Fans Accuse Taylor Swift of Recycling a Jonas Brothers Hook, Reigniting the Olivia Rodrigo Debate

If you thought Swift world would calm down after release week, think again. Taylor Swift dropped her new album 'The Life of a Showgirl' and, surprise, the internet immediately started dissecting it. The latest debate: did the title track with Sabrina Carpenter lift a little too much vibe from Jonas Brothers' 2019 single 'Cool'?

The comparison fans won’t shut up about

A clip making the rounds on X (posted Oct 3, 2025 by user @painsirhc) lays Swift’s 'The Life of a Showgirl' next to the Jonas Brothers’ 'Cool' and, yeah, the resemblance in the melodic groove during specific lines is hard to un-hear. Lyrics aren’t the same — Swift sings about the life of a showgirl while the brothers are basking in feeling cool — but the hooky feel in those sections lines up enough that people are asking questions.

So… where are the credits?

This is where it gets a little inside baseball. Glamour pointed out that Genius briefly listed the Jonas Brothers under 'The Life of a Showgirl Interpolations' — which usually signals that permission was granted to borrow part of an existing composition. Then the listing vanished. As of now, that credit is not visible on Genius.

Important caveat: Genius is crowd-sourced. It’s not the final word on who’s officially credited. Interpolations typically require permission from the original writers or their publishers, and those credits live in liner notes and publishing databases, not just on annotation sites. If Swift’s team cleared something behind the scenes, we’ll likely see it show up in the official paperwork. If they didn’t, expect more noise.

Why this is touching a nerve: the Olivia Rodrigo precedent

Part of the reason this mini-controversy is getting traction is the recent history between Swift’s camp and Olivia Rodrigo. Quick refresher:

• Rodrigo has long been a vocal Swift fan. Back in April 2020, she celebrated Swift posting a clip of her singing 'Cruel Summer' on Instagram.
• When 'Deja Vu' rolled out, Rodrigo told Rolling Stone the bridge was inspired by the energy of 'Cruel Summer' — those stacked, shouty vocals.
• Eventually, Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff received co-writing credits on 'Deja Vu' due to the similarities.
• That kicked off a chain reaction: Hayley Williams and Josh Farro were added as co-writers on 'Good 4 U' after fans compared it to Paramore’s 'Misery Business'.
• Billboard reported that Rodrigo gave up 50% of royalties, which added up to millions.
• Rodrigo later addressed the noise in Teen Vogue:

I just feel like sometimes there’s so much noise and criticism and weird things going on in the world. I hope people know that deep down, all that I do is write songs and talk about how I feel, and that’s the most important thing to me. Everything else, I think, is not so important.

Now, fans are flipping the script. They’re pointing out that Rodrigo was brand-new at the time — we’re talking second single territory — and 17/18, figuring out the business. Some are calling for the Jonas Brothers to 'reverse card' Swift over 'Showgirl'. Whether that’s fair or apples-to-oranges depends on what the official credits say for Swift’s track, which, at the moment, remain unclear.

Meanwhile, another 'Showgirl' interpolation was cleared fast

Not every borrow on the album is murky. Track 4, 'Father Figure', openly interpolates George Michael’s 1987 hit of the same name from his 'Faith' album. The writing credits reflect that: Swift, Max Martin, Shellback, and George Michael are all listed. The song is widely read as being written from the perspective of Swift’s former label boss and Big Machine co-founder Scott Borchetta — a spicy angle fans immediately clocked.

Michael’s estate said they were happy to grant permission, framing it as something George would have wanted. So on that track, the paperwork was handled and the intentions were public.

Where this lands

Is 'The Life of a Showgirl' channeling 'Cool' by design, or is it one of those unavoidable pop coincidences? Until the official credits pipeline settles, we’re in wait-and-see mode. Given the Rodrigo saga, it’s not shocking that fans are scrutinizing Swift’s moves under a microscope.

What do you hear — coincidence, homage, or something that should be credited? Sound off.