• Lady Gaga released her seventh studio album Mayhem on 7 March
  • One track on the album is How Bad Do U Want Me
  • Fans thought it sounded like Taylor Swift was singing backing vocals on the song
Taylor Swift Lady Gaga
Fans thought Taylor Swift was singing on the new Lady Gaga track. Credit: IMAGO/ Zuma Press Wire

Lady Gaga has released her seventh studio album Mayhem, much to the anticipation of Little Monsters. However, one thing that fans did not expect was some Taylor Swift-sounding vocals on one track, How Bad Do U Want Me. Gaga’s new album was released on 7 March and includes hits like Die With a Smile with Bruno Mars and Abracadabra. Both Swift and Gaga have had frequent musical collaborations in the industry, but never with each other.

The work for Gaga’s album began in 2022 when she started to work on new material. New music was teased throughout 2024 until she released Disease in October, the album’s lead single. Swift, on the other hand, released her latest studio album, The Tortured Poet’s Department in May 2024. Now Gaga’s new track has fans going wild, but why do they think Swift is singing on the song?

Read on to find out.

Is Taylor Swift singing on the new Lady Gaga track?

Lady Gaga Taylor Swift
Lady Gaga. Credit: Imago

At the minute, there isn’t a definitive answer to that question. You have to listen to How Bad Do U Want Me for yourself!

The funky dance-pop track is about a man who wants another woman, presumably Gaga while being with someone else. Many fans thought the song was giving Swift vibes, mainly from the 1989 era, one of Swift’s transformative albums into the pop genre. Also, does anyone think this sounds like Gorgeous?

The song does not explicitly state that it features Swift in the vocals, but fans are still convinced. Swift is also not credited as a writer on the song which is usually a big indicator that she is involved. In 2016 when Calvin Harris released This Is What You Came For featuring Rihanna, Swift wrote the lyrics. There is also a version of her singing the song, and her songwriting credit was under the alias Nils Sjöberg.

Writing credits for the track are Lady Gaga, Michael Polansky, watt & Cirkut.

Read More: Sabrina Carpenter makes subtle dig at ex on tour

However, the internet believes in this case she is involved.

What did the internet say?

The internet had mixed reactions to the theory that How Bad Do U Want Me featured Swift. Some were convinced and happy about the alleged collab, but many Gaga fans were irritated by the comparisons and shut them down.

Taylor Swift would earn Lady Gaga a number one?

On X, one user joked: “When Taylor Swift jumps on the How Bad Do U Want Me to remix and we go number 1 for 30 weeks.”

Everyone knows both Swift and Gaga have immense charting power, so this could actually work!

Another fan, seemingly a Swiftie remarked that the song was “so Taylor coded”. They also emphasized that this was “complimentary”.

It IS Taylor Swift, according to fans

Meanwhile, other fans insisted it was the Fortnight singer’s vocals on the track. A Swift fan account wrote: “Taylor Swift *allegedly* is singing the background vocals of Lady Gaga’s song “How Bad Do You Want Me”.

Others also claimed there were “Taylor Swift background vocals” on the song, despite not having any proof, but hey, fans are nothing if not optimistic.

Surprisingly, another fan posted an unverified (and probably AI) version of Swift singing lyrics from the song. Remember what happened with the Fortnight AI song, guys…

Many other fans of Swift joked that there should be an ‘ft’ to show she was featured on the track.

Lady Gaga fans were annoyed by the rumors

However, many of Gaga’s fans were irritated by the rumors. An X user was even annoyed by a “Taylor Swift song” being on Mayhem.

Whether you agree or not, it DOES sound like one of her songs!

On the other hand, another fan talked about their annoyance around the comparisons. They said: “Stan culture during a pop girl’s album release has now become making it about Taylor Swift, whether it be dragging her for promo or making up rumors that she’s featured on the album for promo”.

When new albums come out, there are lots of comparisons made, especially between pop girls on social media.

Stop the comparisons, say Gaga fans

Other fans wanted the comparisons to Swift to stop altogether. An irritated fan wrote: “Can ya’ll stop trying to make how bad do u want me a Taylor Swift song?”

Even one of Swift’s fans denied that it was her on the vocals. The fan claimed that they brought out the backing vocals and listened. The fan concluded, “It’s just Gaga…”

So the mystery continues…

Have Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift commented on the rumors?

No, both of the singers have remained silent on the rumors. Since Gaga’s album just came out, it doesn’t seem like fans would get a response that fast anyway. If they respond, we will be sure to update you!

author avatar
Sophie Humphrey
Sophie Humphrey is a freelance writer and journalist. Sophie has seven years experience in journalism and has a keen interest in pop culture and entertainment. Sophie has worked for the likes of Time Out London, The Upcoming and Screen rant.
See Full Bio