Taylor Swift's Former Classmate Speaks On What Peers Really Thought Of The Singer

Taylor Swift has shown time and time again that she isn't afraid of telling her side of the story. When "Dear John" was released, John Mayer told Rolling Stone that her songwriting technique was "cheap," as he mentioned that writing and releasing songs for revenge wasn't the way to go about things. "I think it's abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, 'Wait till he gets a load of this!'" he said.

In November 2021, Swift brought up the past again for Mayer when she started re-recording and re-releasing her albums. "John is trying his best to avoid the attention he's been getting from Taylor's new album," an insider told Us Weekly, noting that he's been receiving hate comments from fans. "It's like he's faced with the humiliation [of the split and song about the drama] all over again."

Jake Gyllenhaal also received some backlash after the singer and songwriter re-released a 10-minute version of "All Too Well." In February 2022, the "Spiderman: Far From Home" actor told Esquire that he doesn't believe the song is about him, but cryptically added, "At some point, I think it's important when supporters get unruly that we feel a responsibility to have them be civil and not allow for cyberbullying in one's name." And now, it seems that more of the singer's past peers are speaking out about not being Swifties.

When Taylor Swift was in high school, she dreamed of being a singer. She mentioned that she picked up a guitar and learned how to write songs when someone received a demo from her and told her to keep trying. In a Dateline interview, Taylor said she would find time to write in class, mentioning that she had bits and pieces of lyrics scattered in her algebra notebook. But it doesn't look like she was one of the popular girls back then.

Jessica McLane posted a TikTok video claiming that she went to the same high school — Hendersonville High School — as the singer and songwriter, stating that she was a freshman when Swift was a junior. She explained how "Teardrops on My Guitar" became a hit song, which forced the singer to be homeschooled — adding that rumors started spreading that Swift bought her fame. McLane claimed that her peers "hated" Swift, but it stemmed from jealousy.

The singer's "Fearless" album gives people a small glimpse of her high school life with songs like "You Belong With Me" and "Fifteen." But according to Insider, Swift's song "You're on Your Own, Kid" from her recently released "Midnights" album dives into her dreams and aspirations of being a singer while in grade school. From the lyrics, it seems she knew she didn't fit in, so she used songwriting as a way out.