Joe Alwyn Just Opened Up About Writing Songs With Taylor Swift—We Didn’t See It Coming!

From his powerful role in Hulu’s Conversations With Friends to his acclaimed performance in The Favourite, Joe Alwyn has definitely proved he has acting chops. Now, the rising star, 31, is opening up about his musical talents, as (to the delight of millions of Swifties), he has written several romantic and beloved ballads with his girlfriend (and rumored fiancée) Taylor Swift, 32.

In a new interview with Vulture, the Harriet star sat down to discuss his latest acting role and musical endeavors with Swift for the very first time. (Alwyn and Swift are a notoriously private couple, so any time either of the duo discusses their private life, fans are understandably intrigued). Alwyn, who co-wrote some of Swift’s most stunning songs of the last two years, recalled one particular moment where it all began. He told the publication that he was “messing around” on the piano and singing when Swift asked him to help her finish a song.

“It was completely off the cuff, an accident,” he explained. “[Swift] said, ‘Can we try and sit down and get to the end together?’ And so we did. It was as basic as some people made sourdough,” Alwyn said of their quarantine bonding activity. This moment, Alwyn noted, helped Swift finish “exile,” the fourth track off her 2020 record, folklore, which later featured Justin Vernon of Bon Iver singing the part that Alwyn wrote.

He continued, “I’d probably had a drink and was just stumbling around the house.” Alwyn went on, “We couldn’t decide on a film to watch that night, and she was like, ‘Do you want to try and finish writing that song you were singing earlier?’ And so we got a guitar and did that.”

In July of 2020, Swift’s fans were in awe of her surprise album drop, and became enchanted with the indie-folk tracks on folklore. On the track listing, 2 of the most popular songs: “exile (featuring Bon Iver),” and “betty,” featured co-writing credits between Swift and someone named William Bowery.

Fans quickly rushed to theorize who this might be— guessing everyone from Swift’s ex Harry Styles to her past collaborators. In Swift’s Disney+ film, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, the superstar revealed that her mysterious co-writer was none other than her beau, Alwyn!

Swift said to Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner while the 3 collaborators were discussing the creation of folklore, “There’s been a lot of discussion about William Bowery and his identity. He’s not a real person […] So, William Bowery is Joe, as we know. And Joe, Joe plays piano beautifully, and he’s always just playing and making things up and kind of creating things.”

In December of 2020, Swift released the follow-up record to folklore, titled evermore, and the track listing once again revealed that she had teamed up with Alwyn to create the music. The songs, “Champagne Problems,” “Coney Island” and the record’s title track all featured credits to William Bowery, Alwyn’s pseudonym.

In his May 2022 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Alwyn revealed why he and Swift decided for him to remain anonymous as a songwriter. “We chose to do it so the people first and foremost would listen to the music before dissecting the fact that we did it together,” he said, “We did it under [the] name William Bowery.” Alwyn also explained how he chose the cryptic name that first sent fans on a detective frenzy.

“It was a combination,” he continued. “William, my great-grandfather, who I actually never met was a composer. He wrote a lot of classical music and he wrote a lot of film scores, and then Bowery is the area in New York that I spent a lot of time in when I first went over there.”

Swift and Alwyn have been dating since 2016, and continue to charm and warm the hearts of fans everywhere. From their rare red carpet occasions to their secret songwriting endeavors, “they really couldn’t be any cuter,” as one fan wrote on Twitter. (We couldn’t agree more!)