Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan faces backlash for calling Taylor Swift’s lyrics weird

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan recently shared her thoughts on a lyric from Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” In a now-deleted post from April 20, the “Never Have I Ever” star said she found the line from the song “I Hate It Here” referencing the 1830s to be “weird objectively.”

Maitreyi’s now-deleted tweet was posted on the 20th of April, the day after the album was released. (Image: Reddit via Sportskeeda)

Swift’s album was released on streaming platforms at midnight Eastern Time on April 19th, initially featuring 17 songs. However, Swift later announced it would be a “double album” and added 14 more songs.

The song “I Hate It Here” appears in the second part of the album and includes the lyrics, “My friends used to play a game where/ We would pick a decade/ We wished we could live in instead of this/ I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists/ And getting married off for the highest bid.”

After receiving backlash from some Taylor Swift fans for her criticism of the lyrics, Maitreyi responded, noting that the ‘1830s’ reference might sound odd out of context.

She later posted another thread on April 21, expressing frustration that harsh attacks from fans make it difficult to have meaningful conversations about Taylor Swift’s music.

(Image: Reddit via Sportskeeda)

In a follow-up tweet, Maitreyi clarified, “Babes, out of context it’s odd af. With the explanation, it makes more sense but it’s still a fun little giggle.”

According to Genius, the song “I Hate It Here” delves into the complexities of longing for something more, whether it’s a different time, place, or state of mind. The website interprets Swift’s lyrics as acknowledging that even if she picked the 1830s as the most “fun” decade, she recognizes it would still have its challenges and life wouldn’t necessarily be easier.