Although Taylor Swift was once an open book, over the last few years, she's taken a much more private approach to her personal life. But in her new documentary, Miss Americana, which debuted on Netflix on Friday, fans got a peek into what her life behind the scenes has been like as she recorded Lover — and the people in it.
Although Swift has always shared glimpses of her life and the people she loves in her music and occasionally on Instagram — like BFF Selena Gomez and her close relationship with her family — this time, she really let the cameras see the people who mean the most to her.
Ready to take a dive into Swift's inner circle? Here are the people who play important roles in her life, according to Miss Americana. We still may not have all the juicy details on boyfriend Joe Alwyn, but all in all, the documentary truly let us see more of what Swift's personal life is really like.
Taylor Swift's Mum, Andrea Swift
For her entire career, Swift has been open about what her mum really means to her, and it sounds like there was never a time they weren't close. Her song, "The Best Day," is all about how Andrea was there for her when she didn't fit in at school as a teenager. Andrew frequently travels with Swift when she's on tour and, in the documentary, Andrea appears in many of the scenes, at her daughter's side for all her big moments.
In 2015, Swift took to Tumblr to share that Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer, and in a recent interview with Variety, she opened up about their bond after revealing that Andrea's cancer returned while filming Miss Americana, this time in the form of a brain tumour.
"Everyone loves their mum; everyone’s got an important mum,” she said. “But for me, she’s really the guiding force. Almost every decision I make, I talk to her about it first."
Taylor Swift's Dad, Scott Swift
Swift's dad is another important figure in her life; not only does he also travel with his daughter while she's on tour, but he's also built a relationship with her fans, too, and he's known for meeting them outside of Swift's shows and appearances, handing out guitar picks with her face on them.
In Miss Americana, Swift did fight back against her dad, who was worried about her safety if she came out publicly against President Donald Trump. But in the end, she simply asked for his forgiveness and did it anyway, and it seems his forgiveness was granted.
Taylor Swift's Childhood Friend, Abigail Anderson
Anderson is known by fans as Swift's best friend — one of the subjects of her song, "Fifteen," where Anderson is called out by name — and their relationship goes all the way back to when they were both in high school. They met not long after the Swifts moved to Nashville so she could pursue her career in music.
To this day, Swift and Anderson remain close, and Swift frequently appears in photos on her BFF's Instagram. And in Miss Americana, Anderson can be seen in Swift's apartment in Nashville as they drink wine (with ice), eat dinner, and talk about their friend, who recently became a mum — and how Swift isn't ready for that part of her life quite yet.
Taylor Swift's Co-Writer & Producer, Jack Antonoff
Not only are Swift and Antonoff friends, but they also make music together. Antonoff is best known for his music with the bands Bleachers and Fun, and he has worked as a co-writer and producer on Swift's 1989, Reputation, and Lover albums.
Antonoff has tweeted extensively about his time in the studio with Swift, including the experience of working on the song "Lover," and their collaboration is also shown in Miss Americana.
Taylor Swift's Boyfriend, Joe Alwyn
Alwyn is known as Swift's boyfriend, although the couple has kept their relationship out of the public as much as they can. Their relationship dates back to 2016, while Swift was laying low as she prepared to release her Reputation album, and they've been together ever since.
Alwyn is a British actor known for his work in The Favourite and Mary, Queen of Scots — as well as being the inspiration for Swift's more recent romantic songs like "Call It What You Want" and "Lover."
His appearance in Miss Americana is very limited, but Swift makes it clear what he means to her when she talks about how she fell in love with him while she was in hiding from the world.