After the release of Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album, Midnights, fans began analyzing the lyrics to uncover their meanings. Amid the buzz, a TikTok user named Jessica McLane, who claimed to have attended high school with Swift, shared insights into what life was like for the pop star during her teenage years at Hendersonville High School in Tennessee.
In her TikTok video, McLane revealed, “I went to the same high school as Taylor Swift. We grew up in the same town.” She explained that she was a freshman in 2006 when Swift, then a junior, was rising to fame with her hit single “Teardrops on My Guitar.” That was also the year Swift left traditional school and transitioned to homeschooling.
According to McLane, Swift’s classmates didn’t react well to her newfound success, with many of them expressing dislike toward her. “People hated her when she became successful,” McLane said, attributing the hostility to jealousy, especially in a town close to Nashville, where many aspiring musicians reside.
McLane addressed the rumors that circulated at the time, with some accusing Swift of buying her way into stardom. She dismissed the claims, noting that Swift was just 16 or 17 when she was leaving high school to chase a dream that many doubted she could achieve. McLane also joked about how Swift’s early hits, written about her high school relationships, added to the tension, as many of the boys featured in her songs were still attending school.
In a follow-up video, McLane doubled down on her claims, saying that the hostility Swift faced was real, although she clarified that she didn’t know Swift personally. Instead, her perspective was shaped by her interactions with classmates who were closer to the singer.
One memorable moment McLane recalled was Swift’s invitation to her entire senior class to attend the 2009 Country Music Association Awards (CMAs). Although McLane wasn’t sure why the invite was extended, she admitted it was a bold move. “Y’all, she invited us to the CMAs to say f*ck you. And we deserved it. So to Taylor: touché, that was a good one,” McLane confessed.
When some questioned the validity of her story, McLane responded by showing her yearbooks from Henderson High School, pointing out that Swift was absent from the yearbook because she had dropped out to pursue her career before the photos were taken. However, McLane did manage to find Swift in a picture collage, offering a glimpse of the future pop superstar during her school years.
Swift’s transition to homeschooling and her rising fame clearly left a lasting impression on her classmates, and McLane’s account sheds light on the complicated dynamics of being a young celebrity in a small town.