ICYMI, Taylor Swift is currently gracing the cover of Elle magazine, and in addition to slaying the photo shoot, the “Look What You Made Me Do” singer dished about why she loves writing songs about her ex-boyfriends so much.

“I love preserving memories,” the 29-year-old pop star said. “Like putting a picture frame around a feeling you once had. I like to use nostalgia as inspiration when I’m writing songs for the same reason I like to take photographs. I like to be able to remember the extremely good and extremely bad times.”

If you’re a diehard Swiftie, you know that her music definitely reflects that. In the past, she’s released full albums about heartbreak, whereas her latest album, Reputation, is pretty much all about how in love she is with her current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.

But there’s more to songwriting for Taylor than just exposing her exes for the things they’ve done wrong. The “Delicate” songstress also loves writing songs because it presents a challenge of creating a brand new bop that resonates with fans — especially since many of them have gone through the same kind of feelings and emotions that she has.

“The fun challenge of writing a pop song is squeezing those evocative details into the catchiest melodic cadence you can possibly think of,” she told the mag. “I thrive on the challenge of sprinkling personal mementos and shreds of reality into a genre of music that is universally known for being, well, universal.”

Clearly, it’s all about striking a chord with those who are listening, and after over a decade of doing just that, we’d say it’s working for her. The “Gorgeous” singer has always found special ways to connect with her fans, and that’s one of the main reasons why we love her so much.

“I think these days, people are reaching out for connection and comfort in the music they listen to. We like being confided in and hearing someone say, ‘this is what I went through’ as proof to us that we can get through our own struggles.”

Well, there’s your answer! Tay writes songs about her exes because she wants fans to know that she, too, has struggled with relationships. And now that rumors are swirling that TS7 is on the way, we can’t wait to hear what relatable lyrics she comes up with next.

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