Brianna LaPaglia Credits Zach Bryan Breakup for Finally Making Her a Swiftie: 'Very Grateful That I Have Found Taylor'

Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia is officially a Swiftie!

In her interview with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit on Jan. 15, the 25-year-old creator opened up about becoming a fan of Taylor Swift after her public breakup from Zach Bryan in October 2024.

LaPaglia shared that the 35-year-old "Fortnight" singer's music became "an outlet of getting my own words out in my mind” while she picked up the pieces from her tumultuous relationship with the 28-year-old country singer.

Related: Brianna LaPaglia Makes Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Debut Following Zach Bryan Split: 'My Favorite F--- You'

"Now I’m not just listening to pop music, I’m listening to the diary of someone who experienced something completely the same as me, and they're putting it in words that I could have never done myself," she explained. “I can listen to it and be like, ‘Wow, how the hell does she have a song for everything?’ And I mean, everything. For what I’m going through now, there’s a song, there’s an era, there’s something for everything in Taylor Swift’s music."

LaPaglia added that while “It’s unfortunate that it took this circumstance to get to be a Swiftie." she is "very grateful that I have found Taylor” during this time.

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LaPaglia and Bryan dated a little over a year after they first met in May 2023. Bryan confirmed the pair split in October 2024, which prompted LaPaglia to step away from the internet temporarily. She later opened up about the emotional abuse she faced in the relationship in November.

Related: Brianna LaPaglia Gets Taylor Swift Tattoo Before Closing Night of Eras Tour: 'I Love It So Much'

When they were still together, Bryan shared a now-deleted post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that alluded to Swift's feud with Kanye West on Sept. 17, 2024. He later posted his apology on Instagram Stories on Sept. 20, clarifying that "I wasn’t coming for Taylor the other night" and "I love Taylor’s music." LaPaglia seemingly took his side and posted a selfie wearing a red “Make America Sexy Again” hat, captioned “I think I like red.”

After their breakup, LaPaglia fully embraced Swift and her music and posted a TikTok about relating to the song "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," adding that "It took a scumbag to make me a Taylor Swift fan."

She even solidified her place as a Swiftie after she got the lyrics from Swift's "I Hate it Here" tattooed on herself in December when she attended the Eras Tour in Vancouver. On her Instagram Stories, LaPaglia explained that she got the tattoo of the lyrics because it “got me through having to remove toxic people from my life ❤️.”

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