The Casual Way Taylor Swift And John Mayer's Relationship Really Began

Since releasing her self-titled album in 2006, Taylor Swift has carved out a long, influential, multi-era career. From historically snagging the Top 10 spots of Billboard's Hot 100 with her album "Midnights" to becoming the first and only female solo artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year three times, Swift has made an undeniable mark in the music industry. However, her incredible music achievements haven't been the only thing that has taken center stage within the pop culture sphere. Over the course of her career, Swift has made headlines for her colorful romantic history with her industry peers, like Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Calvin Harris.

One of her biggest past relationships that continues to gain attention from fans and pop culture commentators is her brief fling with John Mayer. Between 2009 and 2010, the two music superstars caused a frenzy among fans after the pair shared a brief, yet jampacked relationship that included private dinners and charming public interactions. But how did the two Grammy winners first meet? Join us as we explore the beginnings of Swift and Mayer's relationship and the moment sparks started to fly between them.

Before their high-profile relationship and breakup, Taylor Swift and John Mayer first crossed paths in March 2009, when the latter asked to collaborate on a song via Twitter. "Waking up to this song idea that won't leave my head. 3 days straight now... It's called 'Half of My Heart', and I want to sing it with Taylor Swift," he tweeted at the time, via Genius. "She would make a killer [Stevie] Nicks' in contrast to my [Tom] Petty of a song." In response to Mayer's tweet, Swift told Elle she was very excited about potentially working with the singer-guitarist. "He Twittered the other day that he wrote a song, and he wants to make it a duet with me," she explained. "I freaked out when I heard, because I've been such a big fan of John for such a long time." 

A few months after Mayer and Swift made waves with their social media interaction, the two talents released "Half of My Heart" to critical and fan acclaim. However, it didn't take long for fans to start speculating about their relationship due to the romantic nature of the track. "I consider her a friend. I think she's a really remarkable person, and it'll be nice to have her name on my record," Mayer told Access Hollywood regarding their connection. While their bond and eventual relationship were full of heartfelt moments, the two were first rumored to have split in February 2010.

Following their breakup in 2010, John Mayer and Taylor Swift have shared some choice words, and sometimes songs, about each other. In October 2010, the "Lover" singer released her hit album "Speak Now," which featured one of her most popular breakup tracks, "Dear John." While Swift refrained from confirming that the song was about the "Your Body Is A Wonderland" singer, fans quickly put two and two together. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Mayer spoke about how the song made him feel, telling the publication that he "felt terrible." "I never got an e-mail. I never got a phone call. I was really caught off-guard, and it really humiliated me at the time when I'd already been dressed down," he explained.

Swift didn't take Mayer's words kindly, telling Glamour that Mayer was jumping to conclusions for thinking the song was about him. "I never disclose who my songs are about," she added. Fortunately, Swift has moved on from the breakup and has even called on her fans to do the same. During the Minneapolis stop of her "The Eras" tour, she asked fans to lead with "kindness" ahead of the release of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)." "I'm 33 years old. I don't care about anything that happened to me when I was 19 except for songs I wrote and the memories that we made together," she said. "I do not care. We have all grown up. We're good."