Did Taylor Swift Wipe Away a Tear While Performing ‘Breathe’?

Taylor Swift appeared to get a little emotional at her Detroit show over the weekend. Fans spotted that, when she performed “Breathe” on the piano, she seemed to wipe away a tear at the end of the song.

Whether she was actually tearing up or just scratching an itch (it’s hard to tell from the footage), you can’t blame Swift for getting into her feelings while singing the Fearless breakup ballad. One might try to draw connections to her recent splits from Matty Healy or Joe Alwyn (though her expression during a recent performance of “The Archer” would prove otherwise); but the lyrics are emotionally heavy to begin with.

“And we know it’s never simple, never easy / Never a clean break, no one here to save me / Oh, I can’t breathe without you, but I have to,” she and collaborator Colbie Caillat sing in the chorus.

After clocking the tear, fans were quick to empathize.

Whatever the reason for her tear-wiping gesture, we’d just like to thank Taylor for normalizing crying at work.

“Breathe” appears on Fearless (Taylor’s Version), which was released in April 2021. The singer’s next re-release arrives next month, with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) slated for July 7.

“I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20,” she announced on Instagram. “The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness. I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing … and living to speak about it.”

The 2023 version of Speak Now will feature six extra songs and features from Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Fall Out Boy. Swift said she chose her collaborators based on who was influencing her during the time she originally made the album (which was released in 2010). “I recorded this album when I was 32 (and still growing up, now) and can’t wait to unveil it all to you on July 7th,” she wrote in a post last week.

Looks like we’ll all be crying again soon.

Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.