Is 'Death Wish' About Taylor Swift? Producer Aaron Dessner Says No

Gracie Abrams released her new album Daughter From Hell on July 17, 2026. The second track, "Death Wish," contains lyrics like "you're everything I'll never be, you thrive off making enemies" and "I ruined your self-promotion plan," which led fans to speculate the song was aimed at Taylor Swift — Abrams having previously opened for Swift's Eras Tour.

Producer: the song has nothing to do with Swift

The National member and Daughter From Hell producer Aaron Dessner shot down the theory directly in an interview with Billboard, saying the track is "absolutely not" about Swift. Dessner has worked with Abrams for six years and also produced Swift's 2020 albums folklore and evermore.

Dessner told Billboard that when the song was written, Abrams was drawing on a friend's relationship — specifically her friend's ex — not anyone he himself knows.

Abrams' own account lines up with this. Performing the song live for the first time at London's O2 Arena in March 2025, she told the crowd it was written for "a friend who was recently dating a huge narcissist," joking that she'd heard a lot of stories about that relationship.

Years of public friendship with Swift

Part of why speculation landed on Swift is the pair's long, public friendship. Abrams once praised Swift in a Cosmopolitan cover interview, saying no man comes close to her in shaping pop culture. She also covered Swift's "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" at her own headline show at the Kia Forum last year.

At the final Vancouver stop of the Eras Tour, the two performed together, blending Abrams' "I Love You, I'm Sorry" with a remix of Swift's "Last Kiss." Abrams also attended Swift's wedding to NFL player Travis Kelce on July 3.

NME gave Daughter From Hell three stars, noting that while the title track aims for reflection, the album overall comes off somewhat dull.