Bluebird Cafe Sets Record Straight: No Bad Blood Between Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo Over Photo Drama

A simple copyright rule, not artist drama, led Nashville's Bluebird Cafe to take down a Taylor Swift photo during Olivia Rodrigo's 2023 performance. The venue's leaders cleared the air on June 18 in a video posted on their social media page.

"We did have a filming with Olivia Rodrigo here. Olivia's people did not ask us to remove an image of Taylor Swift. Nobody did. We removed an image of Taylor Swift that was in a position where the filming was taking place," said Erica Nichols, who runs the Bluebird Cafe, as noted in Just Jared.

The story blew up after a staff member's words went viral. In a video that went viral online with 5.7 million views, an employee of the cafe claimed the venue "vowed to remove any visible signs of Taylor Swift" before Rodrigo's show.

Nichols explained the simple truth: they must remove copyrighted images during professional shoots. "When we have filmings, we are required legally to remove images that are under copyright. We don't own those images, so we cannot give permission for those images to be used in any kind of broadcast. That's the sole reason that the photograph was removed from the place it stood," she said.

Swift's presence still fills the cafe where she started in 2004. Her special chair stayed put. Her headshot didn't move. Rodrigo and Sheryl Crow played their set, nailing "If It Makes You Happy" with these mementos still in place.

About the staff member's misleading comment, Nichols said: "He spoke carelessly and haphazardly about it, maybe trying to be funny, I don't know. But irregardless, that image was removed for legal reasons only."

While fans buzzed about supposed tension between the singers, both artists have squashed such talk. "I don't have beef with anyone," Rodrigo said in a chat with Rolling Stone. "I'm very chill. I keep to myself. I have my four friends and my mom, and that's really the only people I talk to, ever."

The artists share musical DNA — Swift's name appears in writing credits on Rodrigo's "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" and "Deja Vu," which drew from Swift's songs.

"Please understand that this was not anything in between two artists," Nichols stated firmly. "We support all songwriters, all artists, and give them an equal share. Taylor is a super friend of the Bluebird, and we hold her in the highest esteem. We were honored to have Olivia here, and please know they both live extremely high in our regard."