Breaking Down Jenn Tran’s Taylor Swift Songs of the Week on ‘The Bachelorette’ Season 21
Jenn Tran has been finding comfort in Taylor Swift amid her season of The Bachelorette.
Ahead of the season 21 premiere in July, Jenn, 26, shared that she would be pairing each episode of the ABC series to a song from Swift’s discography.
“So I’ve decided that every week I’m going to dedicate a Taylor Swift song to the episode, and to the week, based on kinda what happens in the episode and how I was kinda feeling,” Jenn explained via Instagram at the time.
Jenn stayed true to her promise, kicking off the soundtrack to her Bachelorette journey with “Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version)” from Swift’s 2023 rerelease of Speak Now.
Bachelor Nation met Jenn when she vied for the affections of Joey Graziadei during The Bachelor season 28, which aired earlier this year. While she didn’t find The One in Joey, she was named the lead of The Bachelorette during the After the Final Rose episode in March.
Jenn’s dramatic season came to an end in September, with the lead reversing the script and proposing to contestant Devin Strader. While the pair left the show happily engaged, she revealed during After the Final Rose that they went their separate ways off-camera. Following their live confrontation, Jenn uploaded a picture of Devin via her Instagram Story and added Swift’s “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”
Scroll down to see which of Swift’s songs Jenn relates to each week:
Week 1: ‘Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version)’
The song choice spoke for itself as Jenn met 25 suitors during the first night in the Bachelor mansion. Jenn made several connections throughout the episode but only kissed contestant Sam McKinney, which she exclusively told Us Weekly was “feral.”
Week 2: ‘Karma’
The episode revolved around the drama between contestants Aaron Erb and Devin, which began after the ladder pulled Jenn aside for one-on-one time — and ice cream — during their group date in Australia.
The track from Swift’s Midnights album may have alluded to Aaron and Devin’s continued feud, with the twosome crashing each other’s respective alone time with Jenn throughout the episode. Despite the tension, Jenn handed a rose to both men. (After the episode aired, Us recommended Swift’s “Exile” for Jenn’s song of the week because we’ve seen this film before.)
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Week 3: ‘State of Grace (Taylor’s Version)’
Jenn revealed in an Instagram upload that the song from Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) was “one of the best” Easter eggs that she’s laid. It seems fitting that Jenn would choose a track that describes being hopeful at finding love as she began to form deeper connections with her suitors. While Jenn had a successful one-on-one date with contestant Spencer Conley, it was Sam Nejad a.k.a. the “love virgin” who announced he was “already falling in love” with her.
Week 4: ‘Jump Then Fall (Taylor’s Version)’
The song choice from 2021’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) had an overt meaning as Jenn’s first one-on-one of the week with Sam M. consisted of bungee jumping off a building. After struggling to work up the courage to jump, Jenn ultimately took the leap of faith thanks to some encouragement from Sam M., which secured him a rose.
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Week 5: ‘The Archer’
The tune from 2019’s Lover explores Swift’s deepest fears of someone not sticking around for her. “Who could ever leave me, darling? / But who could stay?” Swift sings.
In the episode, Jenn became rattled when Austin Ott sends himself home. “Is the next one going to walk out the door too? Maybe I’m not enough for Marcus [Shoberg]. Maybe I’m not enough for Sam M. Maybe I’m not enough for Devin,” Jenn wondered in a confessional.
Jenn also noted that an honorable mention for Swift’s song of the week was Red’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together (Taylor’s Version).” Jenn’s track choice seemingly references her decision to send ex Matt Rossi home after he tried (and failed) to win her back.
Week 6: ‘Clean’
The track from Swift’s 2014 album 1989 discusses themes of moving on from a difficult relationship. “Gone was any trace of you / I think I am finally clean,” Swift sings.
Ahead of hometowns, Jenn sent frontrunner Sam M. packing after she left the group date feeling unsettled with their connection. “I understand my worth and what I deserve and understand what I want,” Jenn said in a confessional. “What I want is not Sam. I’ve been there, done that, and I’m not doing it again. I’m done.”
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Week 7: ‘Crazier’
After Jenn met her final four’s family members, she shared that “hometowns was crazy in the best way possible.” The song choice from 2009’s Hannah Montana: The Movie details starting to fall in love in a relationship. “Feels like I'm falling and I / I'm lost in your eyes / You make me crazier, crazier, crazier,” Swift sings.
Ahead of the rose ceremony, Jenn told host Jesse Palmer that she’s “definitely falling for all four of these men and that’s why tonight is so hard for me.” Jenn ultimately sent home Jeremy Simon.
Week 8: ‘All of the Girls You Loved Before’ and ‘Bad Blood (Taylor’s Version)’
For the fantasy suite episode, Jenn chose a bonus track from Swift’s Lover, in which she thanks her partner’s previous lovers for who they are today. “Every dead-end street / Led you straight to me / Now you’re all I need / I’m so thankful for / All of the girls you loved before / But I love you more,” Swift sings. In the episode, Jenn drops the L-word to both Marcus and Devin. “Fantasy suites were sweet,” she wrote via Instagram Story.
Jenn sang a different tune for The Bachelorette: Men Tell All episode, relating it to Swift’s “Bad Blood (Taylor’s Version).” Jenn wrote via Instagram Story, “Tell all was baaad.” Jenn’s song choice could be in reference to her candid conversation with Sam M., which she later told Us “felt so good” to get off her chest.
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Week 9: ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’
Jenn’s whirlwind finale began with her sending Marcus packing before popping the question to Devin. While it seemed that Jenn had found The One in Devin, she announced during After the Final Rose that he broke off their engagement over the phone. “He basically said he didn’t love me anymore and didn’t feel the same way,” Jenn recalled, adding that Devin said he “regretted” the engagement. “He was checked out. It wasn’t what he wanted anymore.”
One day after the finale, Jenn reshared a picture of Devin via her Instagram and paired the upload with Swift’s “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.” In the TTPD track, Swift sings about ending a relationship with someone who ghosted her. “I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive,” Swift sings.
Week 10 and Beyond: ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’
While navigating her breakup, Jenn said she’s in an “undefined era” of Swift. After relating “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” to the finale, she explained that the TTPD track still resonates with her today.
“Truthfully, I’m still healing, I’m still mending,” Jenn said on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast in September. “I’m happy that I get to have these moments in these interviews and on these shows where I can be happy. I’m deeply still hurt from the situation but I’m pushing through and I’m still just going to be the best person of myself because I have to do that for myself.”
She concluded, “I am hurting sometimes and that’s OK. If I just keep believing that I’m going to be happy, then I’m going to be happy. It’s all going to work out, I know that.”