Taylor Swift; Jake Owen.Photo:Matt Winkelmeyer/GettyJason Kempin/Getty
Matt Winkelmeyer/GettyJason Kempin/Getty
Drop everything now —Jake Owenis addressing the rumors thatTaylor Swift’s “Sparks Fly” is about him.
The country star doesn’t seem to mind that many people think he’s the subject of one of Swift’s 2010 hit songs, as fans revisit the theory amid the release ofSpeak Now (Taylor’s Version). Owen, now 41, tells PEOPLE that he has heard the theory for years — but it’s never bothered him.
“It’s a great song and the speculation has always been funny to me,” admits Owen, speaking to PEOPLE Wednesday at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada, where he was participating in theAmerican Century Championship. “I’m sure Taylor probably laughs at it all too, but I’m happy to even have my name in the discussion around it.”
The singer-songwriter — who released his own latest album,Loose Cannon, on June 23 — went on to say that he has “known Taylor since she was 16,” and he has always been a fan of her work.
“She’s an amazing girl and an amazing artist,” Owen says, adding, “It’s been incredible to see how she’s grown as a musician and what a global phenomenon she’s become.”
Taylor Swift and Jake Owen in 2006.John Shearer/WireImageScott Gries/Getty
John Shearer/WireImageScott Gries/Getty
In the song’s liner notes, she wrote “Portland, OR,” possibly hinting at the city she and Owen played in together 17 years ago. Fans also tracked down an oldMySpace post from October 2006, about a year before Swift started performing the song live, in which she recalled an “amazing” night playing in a Portland bar called Duke’s when she opened Owen’s show.
Taylor Swift and Jake Owen in 2006.Denise Truscello/WireImage; Rick Diamond/WireImage
Denise Truscello/WireImage; Rick Diamond/WireImage
She detailed meeting Owen that night, where he told her he was a fan of her music. Fans took that as a clue that the two might’ve stayed to chat, and that’s why the lyrics in “Sparks Fly” refer to “falling in love in an empty bar.”
Taylor Swift for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).Beth Garrabrant
Beth Garrabrant
“I first madeSpeak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20,”Swift wrote on Instagramwhen she announcedSpeak Now (Taylor’s Version).
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A loose concept album about the times she wishes she had spoken up, Swift previouslyteased to Songwriter Universe magazinethat each song is meant to serve as “a different confession to a different person.”
source: people.com
