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Rachael Kirkconnell Says Taylor Swift Is a Playlist Staple After Matt James Breakup
Taylor Swift has been a staple on Rachael Kirkconnell’s playlist since her split from longtime boyfriend Matt James last month.
Rachael, 28, revealed that Taylor’s album The Tortured Poets Department has been on “repeat” since she and Matt, 33, broke up.
“Yeah, anything Taylor right now is great. I’ve been really loving Doechii,” the graphic designer told Cosmopolitan in an interview published on February 7. “I haven’t been listening to podcasts, but someone I’ve really been obsessing over lately—and I think it’s just because her movie [One of Them Days] just came out—is Keke Palmer. Anything that she does or says, I’m sat. She takes my mood from ‘I’m not feeling it’ to ‘I can conquer the world.’”
Rachael also added that she considers herself a Swiftie and credits the Miss Americana star helping her several breakups throughout the years.
“I’m 28, and I was 10, I think, when her very first album came out. But I’m not out there looking for Easter eggs, even though I respect that,” she explained. “I just love the music. And as a woman, you just have to respect her. I’ve been there for every album and she got me through breakups when I was 12, 16, 24, and now 28. You have to be a fan when she’s there for you through all of that.”
Along with listening to Taylor, 35, to help her deal with her split, the former Bachelor star said that’s been working on her “self-confidence” and “feeling good about [herself] regardless of what others say or think about [her].”
“The biggest thing I’ve been doing, whether I’m rolling out of bed in the morning or getting ready, is looking in the mirror and instead of picking myself apart, telling myself, ‘You’re beautiful, you’re a rock star, and you’re gonna have a great day,’” Rachael told the publication. “So I guess my affirmation is just shut up and love yourself regardless of what’s going on.”
Matt surprised fans when he announced his and Rachael’s breakup via Instagram on January 16.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding,” the travel blogger wrote in a since-deleted post alongside a picture of him and Rachael during their time on his season of The Bachelor. “Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord.”
The following day, a source exclusively told Life & Style that Rachael had been “blindsided” by the announcement.
“From the moment they started their romance, Matt and Rachael have always had a questionable relationship. Now that they’ve broken up for the second time, everyone wants to know one thing: ‘Was Rachael blindsided?’” the insider said. “The short answer is yes, but her friends say she should have seen this coming. There were many red flags. The biggest being that he’s had commitment issues from day one.”
When Rachael spoke with Alex Cooper during an appearance on “Call Her Daddy” on January 28, she said that Matt admitted that he shouldn’t have published the breakup announcement so suddenly.
“I don’t know if it was out of just him being so worked up, if it was out of anger, or if it was one of those things where he felt like he needed to do it to really finally just put a nail in the coffin, but I have spoken with him since all of that,” Rachael said. “I do know that he definitely acknowledges that that was not the right decision.”
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