Taylor Swift Reveals She Contacted Elizabeth Taylor’s Estate About New Song

Taylor Swift gave Elizabeth Taylor’s estate a heads-up before releasing a song referencing her.

During the Monday, Oct. 6 interview with Scott Mills on Radio 2’s Breakfast Show, the “Cruel Summer” singer opened up about telling people about their mentions in her songs — including a particular famous actress.

When asked if she needed to “warn people” by host Mills, 51, Swift, 35, said she does “if they’re real people. And if it’s Elizabeth Taylor, we go to their family and her estate and let them know and they were lovely about it.”

Swift’s second track on her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, is called “Elizabeth Taylor,” named for the glamorous Oscar-winning actress.

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Throughout the song, Swift seems to Taylor, who died in March 2011 at 73, about the intense level of fame and attention. “Oftentimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me / All the right guys promised they’d stay / Under bright lights, they withered away, but you bloom,” sings Swift.

She also alludes to the actress’s love life. “Elizabeth Taylor / Do you think it’s forever?” later adding, “Tell me for real, do you think it’s forever?”

Taylor was married eight times to seven men throughout her lifetime, including Richard Burton (twice), Eddie Fisher and hotel heir Conrad Hilton.

Another line in the song, “I’d cry my eyes violet,” refers to the violet appearance of Taylor’s eyes, due to the lower levels of melanin in her irises.

Swift also pays homage to Taylor’s fragrance line, White Diamonds. “All my white diamonds and lovers are forever,” she croons.

This isn’t the first time the “Fate of Ophelia” singer mentioned Taylor in her music. In “…Ready For It?”, the opening track to her 2017 album Reputation, Swift sings about Taylor and her two-time husband, Burton, who died in 1984 at 58.

“And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor / Every love I’ve known in comparison is a failure,” she sings.

The Cleopatra actress’s estate seemed to embrace the mention in The Life of a Showgirl, releasing an orange crewneck, similar to the color associated with the latest album. Meanwhile, some fans believe the album art pays homage to Taylor in Cleopatra.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am to share this with you, an album that just feels so right. A forever thank you goes out to my mentors and friends Max and Shellback for helping me paint this self portrait,” Swift said upon releasing her latest album on Oct. 3, mentioning her collaborators.

“If you thought the big show was wild, perhaps you should come and take a look behind the curtain…”

The Life of a Showgirl is out now.

For more on Taylor Swift, pick up PEOPLE’s newly updated special edition Taylor Swift A to Z: A Showgirl’s Life, out now.