Sombr on Taylor Swift’s Request and the Weight of Choosing Her Songs

Being asked to honor an artist at a career milestone is one thing. Being told to choose the songs yourself is another, especially when the artist is Taylor Swift. Sombr learned that firsthand earlier this month at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where he performed two of Swift’s songs at her request.

Appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Sombr recalled the exchange. “I was like, ‘Taylor, what songs do you want me to sing? This is your night.’ And she was like, ‘No, you choose.’ So I was like, ‘Seriously?’” The freedom, he explained, brought its own tension. “That really put the pressure on – she has such a vast discography of so many hits.” He settled on “Dear John” and “Cardigan,” two personal favorites, and Swift approved without hesitation.

Swift’s confidence in him isn’t new. Fallon read a previous statement from Swift in which she called Sombr’s writing “so exceptional that it makes me actually envious” and predicted he’d top her year-end listening. Sombr’s response was a quiet acknowledgment of the debt. “I’m so grateful for her,” he said. “That’s really such an honour.”

The appearance also served a more practical purpose: introducing his single “My Body Isn’t Ready,” a track rooted in lifelong struggles with body image. Sombr described writing it as a means of expression and a signal to anyone sharing that experience. It’s a subject far from the ceremony’s spotlight, but one that defines his own work as clearly as the songs he was asked to sing.