There are few things that get the internet as fired up as conspiracy theories about Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber, and the latest is no exception.
Off the back of Taylor Swift’s second surprise album drop on Thursday, Swifties have spent the week dissecting the singer’s every lyric and uncovering all the hidden Easter eggs throughout Evermore. Amongst her croons about first loves, loss of innocence, and finding inner peace, are several lines fans speculate are written about Taylor’s BFF, Selena Gomez.
One such track is the highly-publicised ‘Champagne Problems,’ which fans initially thought was inspired by Taylor’s own love life with partner Joe Alwyn. After Taylor confirmed via Twitter that the song was not about herself, the internet has come to the unofficial conclusion that the longtime lovers she sings about are Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.
With lyrics that center around a proposal that results in the narrator rejecting her boyfriend, fans believe the artist wrote ‘Champagne Problems’ from Selena’s point of view about the demise of her relationship with Justin Bieber. Many note that the narrator hints at suffering from mental health problems and some interpret her turning down her boyfriend’s proposal because she feels broken and unworthy.
In 2018, Selena Gomez sought treatment for anxiety and depression— the same year she and Justin ended their relationship for good. She also revealed in 2020 that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Taylor fueled this theory in her Twitter note, referencing the song as “the one where longtime college sweethearts had very different plans for the same night, one to end it and one who brought a ring.”
@boardwalkbrat I really think Taylor wrote this from Selena’s pov #jelena #taylorswift #justinbieber #selenagomez #champagneproblems
♬ willow – Taylor Swift
After getting together nearly ten years ago, Jelena— as the internet affectionately dubbed them— were involved in a tumultuous on-again-off-again relationship from 2012 to 2018.
Despite dating other people over the years, including The Weeknd and Hailey Baldwin (now Beiber), the two stars just couldn’t quit each other and even made their relationship Instagram official again in March 2018 on Justin’s birthday.
However, Jelena split soon after and Justin began dating Hailey again in June 2018. He proposed to the model one month later and they got legally married in September 2018 before holding a big wedding on September 30, 2019.
Though Taylor will likely never confirm if the fan theory is true, the artist is notorious for writing songs about her friends, so we’re filing this one under a hard “maybe.”