Lucy Dacus Claims Taylor Swift Sent Her a “Department of Torture of Poets” Census for Approval

Swift’s Communication with Dusk

Lucy Dusk shared that Taylor Swift reached out to her before the release of the “Department of Inquisitive Poets,” seeking approval to use her name in the lyrics.

• Read more: Lucy Dusk – “Forever this feeling.” Review: Diving head to love
  

Album Insights and Fan Reactions

The album was released in April of last year, sparking discussions among fans when one of the lyrics mentioned a man named Lucy. In the title track, Swift critiques her former partner “Samotase” and alludes to him in the line “Having passed disconnected.” She recalls how he once told her “Lucy” that he would commit suicide if she left him.

Many fans speculated that Matti Khili was the subject of discussion in 1975 and that Lucy might refer to Lucy Dacus, a member of the Grammy-winning group Boygenius, who had connections with both Swift and Khili.

Nearly a year after the album’s release, Dacus confirmed that a connection existed, stating that Swift asked for permission before using her name in the song.

Dacus revealed this in a recent interview with People’s magazine, published yesterday (March 27). “I think it’s only fair to say yes. She actually wrote to me and asked for my approval,” she said when asked if she was indeed the Lucy mentioned.

Reflecting on her experience listening to the song, she noted the excitement and the significance of the album. “It was (her first entry) that came out of her post-meeting with me, and hearing a friend’s recording feels so much different than a stranger’s record,” she remarked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqmz4jdbtmi

“So, I said: ‘This is really strange. This voice, which I’ve mostly heard pronounce my name throughout my waking life,’” she added. “It was definitely an experience. I sat down and thought: ‘Yes. Wow.’ But I believe her recording is incredibly raw, and I’m unsure how many artists can reach her level, if any, when they write from an open heart.”

Reception of the Album

NME awarded the album a three-star review, stating: “The Department of Inquisitive Poets” ultimately chases its own tail with frenzied attempts to respond to critics, despite Swift’s current growth.”

“Swift seems to relentlessly pursue superstardom, yet the negative public opinion that can come with it is exhausting, making this a tired theme that now overshadows her discography and limits the space for sharp lyrical insights,” they noted. “This is why the missed opportunities in her 11th studio album are all the more disappointing—she’s proven time and again that she can achieve greater success.”

During her “eras” tour in Melbourne, Swift mentioned that “The Department of Inquisitive Poets” emerged from a “necessity” to write. Perhaps, she concluded, this was something we didn’t need to hear.

As for Dacus, comments about the album surface as she prepares to release her fourth studio album, “Forever Is Sense,” which has already been previewed by four singles: “conversation,” “ankles,” “limited,” and “best assumption.”

It received a four-star review, with NME describing it as an album that sees her “Switch from Spiky Indie to Grand Chamber-Pop, delightfully narrating the surge of a new romance.”

“While this radiates joy throughout, ‘Forever Is This Feeling’ doesn’t shy away from the more daunting aspects of being completely obsessed with someone,” Dacus sings in the title track. “This is bliss, it is hell,” she expresses. “While longing and mortality have long been recurring themes in Dacus’s music, the stakes feel even higher—and more exhilarating—when there is so much to lose.”