The narrator of Taylor Swift’s “august” is singing about the fictional boy James.
In Folklore’s connected narrative, James is involved in a summer romance with the unnamed female narrator while he is also tied to Betty. The song presents the summer relationship from the other girl’s perspective, emphasizing hope, uncertainty, and the pain of realizing that the romance was never truly hers.
James is explicitly named in the wider Folklore storyline rather than repeatedly named in “august” itself. His character appears most directly in “betty,” while “cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective.
The characters are fictional creations for the album’s storytelling framework. They are not intended as straightforward portraits of specific real people in Swift’s public life.