Taylor Swift and Sombr’s Friendship Timeline Is Proof That You Should Meet Your Heroes

There’s no question that Taylor Swift is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Seriously, her pen is truly unmatched. But one thing about Tay? She’s going to uplift the next generation of incredible talent—especially those who were influenced by her legacy. Enter: her sweet friendship with Sombr. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, because real recognizes real. After all, they might have an invisible string of their own since they each have songs titled “willow” and “ivy.” The more you know!From full-on shoutouts to performing covers of each other’s songs (I, for one, can’t stop thinking of Sombr’s cover of “Dear John”), here’s everything you need to know about Taylor Swift and Sombr’s friendship timeline.Jump to:October 2025December 2025January 2026March 2026April 2026May 2026June 2026July 2026September 2026October 2025It all started when Taylor publicly gave Sombr a very public shoutout while performing her album, The Life of a Showgirl, on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up. When asked about which artists she listens to, she said, “Sombr is amazing…Like, there are so many incredible artists right now that I just love listening to. So I guess I’m supporting them by like just streaming their music constantly in my house.”He acknowledged her comments on Instagram with a screenshot of her quote, writing, “i ♥️ my life. i ♥️ @taylorswift. thank you.”Not long after, she gifted the “Homewrecker” hitmaker with a four-leaf clover necklace, which he showed off on TikTok.December 2025During an interview with CBS Mornings, Sombr revealed how he really felt about the support Taylor showed him months prior.“Taylor Swift is one of those stars who has always been famous, as long as I’ve been alive. So, it’s kind of like breaking the simulation in a way,” he said. “Now, the biggest living pop star is saying I’m amazing. I still don’t know how to describe it. I’m so shocked, and I’m so grateful that I’m at a point now where some of my heroes are recognizing me. It doesn’t feel real. I love Taylor Swift.”January 2026Tay had dinner with the Haim sisters and Sombr in New York City, and, naturally, she gifted them with loaves of sourdough bread she baked.March 2026Sombr was seated next to Tay and her fiancé, Travis Kelce, at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards!Christopher Polk//Getty ImagesThe couple even cheered for him as he won the award for Alternative Album of the Year.April 2026During his NYLON Guys cover story, Sombr referred to Taylor as “the queen” and said, “I really respect everything she’s done.”Taylor was named one of the 30 greatest living songwriters by The New York Times Magazine later that same month, and she took the opportunity to give Sombr a massive shoutout for his songwriting chops.“I’m a massive Somber fan, of his songwriting, and his lyrics are so intensely confessional,” she said, before paraphrasing the bridge of his hit, “undressed.”“I don’t, like, want another man’s child to have the eyes of the girl I can’t forget. Are you kidding me? Like, having a male artist say stuff like that is really good for the cause of women to be able to say stuff.”May 2026Sombr was asked about Taylor’s support after winning and performing at the American Music Awards, to which he replied, “I’m a massive Taylor Swift fan. She’s my favorite artist in the world, I love her so much. It’s a complete honor.”June 2026After Taylor pulled up to the New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on June 10, she celebrated the team’s win with friends at Zero Bond. The friends in question? The Haim sisters, Tate McRae, Hailey Bieber, and Sombr all pulled up—and the “undressed” singer even rocked a matching “Stevie Knicks” graphic tee.The very next day, Taylor was honored as an inductee during the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony, where she posed for photos with Sombr on the red carpet and referred to him as her “moody teenage son,” lol.John Nacion//Getty ImagesDuring a red carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sombr said that the honor was “iconic” and “should have happened a long time ago.”“When I’m trying to achieve pop perfection, I look at someone like Taylor as a great influence, and I think she’s one of the greatest writers alive and one of the greatest advice-givers,” he shared.Once they made it inside, Taylor fully gushed about Sombr on stage, saying, “His writing is so exceptional that it makes me actually envious, and I love that feeling. He’s gonna be the top of my Spotify Wrapped this year, guaranteed. It’s locked. It’s in the bag. A lot of my late-night debates with my friends about the state of the music industry involve me saying very loudly, ‘Sombr is the future, and he does it all on his own and he doesn’t need that AI! The kids are fine!’”Sombr then took the stage to perform a cover of Tay’s 2010 fan favorite, “Dear John,” as well as a slinky rendition of “cardigan.”After his performance, he was seen dapping up Trav backstage.July 2026Sombr was spotted attending Taylor and Travis’s wedding at MSG, rolling up in a very chic Kyosuke Kunimoto suit.September 2026During an interview with Elle, Sombr shared some sage advice he’d received from Taylor, aka “the person I look up to most.” According to Tay: “If these hate comments go away, maybe you’re not at your peak anymore.”Sombr added, “I think it’s a privilege to be receiving these and rise above it. Ever since she gave me that advice, it’s really changed my perspective and has helped.”Soon after, Sombr was spotted heading to Taylor’s VMAs after-party at The Bird Streets Club, which was reportedly also attended by Alana and Danielle Haim, as well as RAYE.That’s all on these two for now! We’ll drop more updates on Taymbr once we’ve got ’em.