Did Taylor Swift Write a Song Ripping on Katy Perry?

Both Taylor Swift and Katy Perry have had difficult breakups with John Mayer, but Swift insists the story behind a vitriolic song on her upcoming 1989 album "wasn't even about a guy! It had to do with business," she says in an interview with Rolling Stone. Technically, "Bad Blood" might not even be about Katy Perry—Swift demurred from naming names when talking about the song—but by piecing together lyrical and situational clues, BuzzFeed claims "it's not hard to figure out who she's talking about." The song, which Swift tells Rolling Stone wasn't meant "to create some gossip-fest," talks about a fellow female performing artist who for years insulted and sabotaged Swift, including by "[trying] to hire a bunch of people out from under me" and "sabotage an entire arena tour," Swift says.

BuzzFeed speculates she could be talking about three backup dancers who reportedly ditched Swift for Perry last year—and E! notes that Perry tweeted today, "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing...," a Mean Girls reference that could be a hint that Perry is indeed the song's subject. "For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not," Swift says in Rolling Stone of her unnamed colleague. "[Then] she did something so horrible. I was like, 'Oh, we're just straight-up enemies.'" As for why she wrote the song, Swift says, "I'm surprisingly non-confrontational—you would not believe how much I hate conflict. So now I have to avoid her. It's awkward." But, she adds, "Sometimes the lines in a song are lines you wish you could text-message somebody in real life. I would just be constantly writing all these zingers—like, 'Burn. That would really get her.'" The album is due out in October. (More Taylor Swift stories.)