Taylor Swift isn’t backing away from confessional songwriting anytime soon, and she’s calling on more male artists to embrace that same level of emotional honesty, just like Sombr.
In a recent interview with The New York Times published on April 29, the global pop star broke down the craft of songwriting and addressed the double standard female artists often face when their music gets deeply personal.
Recognized as one of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters by The New York Times Magazine, Swift used the moment not just to reflect on her own journey, but to highlight and uplift others in the industry..
A Big Interview, a Bigger Compliment
Swift acknowledged that there is a real difference between venting on Instagram Live and having the skill and “expertise” to shape those feelings into a song.It was in that context that she name-dropped Sombr.
“I’m a massive Sombr fan, of his songwriting and his lyrics are so intensely confessional,” she said.
She then quoted a line from his song “Undressed”, off his 2025 debut album “I Barely Know Her”: “I don’t want the children of another man to have the eyes of the girl I can’t forget.”
“Are you kidding me?!” exclaimed Swift. “Having a male artist say stuff like that is really good for the cause of women to be able to say stuff.”
Who Is Sombr?
Sombr is the stage name of “Shane Michael Boose”, a 20-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer from New York City.
Born on July 5, 2005, Boose grew up on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, spending his childhood skateboarding in Chinatown and listening to subway buskers. He began making music on GarageBand as a kid and released his debut single, “Nothing Left to Say”, independently in 2021.
He signed with Warner Records in 2023 after his song “Caroline” went viral on TikTok. His two breakout singles, “Back to Friends” and “Undressed”, both climbed into the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2025 and became top-ten hits in multiple countries. His debut album, “I Barely Know Her”, was released in August 2025 to strong reviews from “Rolling Stone” and “NME”. He earned a nomination for Best New Artist at the 68th Grammy Awards.
The Double Standard That Still Exists
Swift did not just praise Sombr’s writing, she used it to make a larger point.Female artists who write personal songs are regularly called “messy” or “too emotional.” The same standard does not apply to their male counterparts. Swift pointed out that even rap beefs, where artists air out their most heated personal grievances in public, do not carry that “messy” label.
“Let’s make this a music conversation instead of just ganging up on the female artist,” said Swift.
When male artists like Sombr are emotionally open in their music, it helps normalize confessional songwriting for everyone. “If there’s any way we can make confessional songwriting a little bit more of something that isn’t like, people take it as you being messy, you have to be fair to everyone then,” she added.
“And I think the more male artists that are messy or emotionally complex, or confessional, or upset, the happier I am,” she concluded.
Taylor Swift’s Own Confessional Journey
Swift has been writing personal songs since she was a teenager. Her very first big hits were built on real feelings, love stories, heartbreaks, and growing up. Over the years, she has moved through country, pop, and indie-folk music, but one thing has always stayed the same: her honesty.
She has faced the same unfair “messy” label herself many times. That is probably why she feels so strongly about this issue. When she hears a young male artist like Sombr writing with that same kind of bravery, she sees it as a step forward, not just for him, but for every female songwriter who has ever been told her feelings were too much.
Sombr’s Sweet Reaction
Reacting to the shout-out, Sombr posted the clip directly to his Instagram Stories with a single red-heart emoji.
This was not their first connection. Swift previously called him “amazing” in a 2025 radio interview and gifted him a four-leaf clover necklace, which he wore to a “Billboard’ interview that December. He called her gesture “very, very selfless” but refused to tell the full story behind it.
