Lady Gaga just released her album Mayhem – her seventh studio album and the record where it truly feels like she’s been invigorated with the spirit of her former, pop dominating self. Rather than chasing trends or giving us easy listening balladry as she’s been wan to do over the past few years, Mayhem is a chaotic genre jumping beast with teeth. There’s been a lot of chat about Lady Gaga reheating her own nachos in memes since Abracadabra came out, with Gaga herself saying she loves her nachos and she invented them. Fair play. But if there’s any nacho theft going on on Mayhem, it’s on How Bad Do U Want Me – a song so Taylor Swift coded that it’s a better Taylor Swift pop song than Taylor herself has made in years. But there are now loads of rumours that Lady Gaga has hidden Taylor Swift as a feature on Mayhem all over Twitter.
With loads of AI edits circulating and rumours spiralling on a secret Taylor Swift feature on Mayhem by Lady Gaga, here’s what we actually know.
People think the backing vocals might be Taylor
THERES TAYLOR SWIFT BACKGROUND VOCALS ON HOW BAD DO YOU WANT ME BY LADY GAGA #MAYHEM pic.twitter.com/Beas1Ec8zU
— khia asylum creator (@POPATEEMYHEART2) March 6, 2025
It didn’t take many listens of Mayhem for people to think that How Bad Do U Want Me sounded extremely Swift coded. The melody, the chorus – it has all the hallmarks of Taylor Swift at her poppiest and it’s very interesting to hear Lady Gaga explore this sound. Nachos stealing is of course the order of business.
There is an AI edit going round of Taylor Swift singing on the track, and whilst it’s very good at replicating what that might sound like – it is not true.
| Taylor Swift *allegedly* is singing the background vocals of Lady Gaga’s song “How Bad Do You Want Me” pic.twitter.com/N7YMEISJhZ
— swiftiesflorals (@swiftiesflorals) March 7, 2025
There is no credit to Taylor Swift anywhere to be found in the Mayhem liner notes, so unless Lady Gaga truly buried it deep as a little easter egg it seems like she was just majorly inspired by Taylor Swift’s sound rather than actually featuring her on the record.
It’s reminiscent of the rumours when Cowboy Carter was dropped by Beyoncè last year that Taylor Swift sang back up vocals on Bodyguard. That too, was just a rumour.
However – Taylor Swift has been known to secretly do backing vocals before. She did so on then boyfriend Calvin Harris’ This Is What You Came For which eventually was released by Rihanna.
Maybe this Taylor coded song is just Gaga teasing a single release WITH Taylor? It would truly be a pop cultural collapse.
