What kind of story did Taylor Swift say inspired “august” on Folklore?

Taylor Swift created “august” as a fictional narrative for her album Folklore.

Folklore marked a shift toward imagined characters and story arcs. Swift explained that the album allowed her imagination to run beyond her own experiences, building scenes and personalities that could be explored across multiple songs.

In “august,” the narrator is an unnamed girl involved in a brief summer romance with James. The song forms part of a fictional triangle with “cardigan” and “betty,” rather than presenting a straightforward autobiographical confession.

Listeners sometimes interpret Swift’s narrative songs as literal personal accounts because of their detailed emotional writing. In this case, the song’s characters and relationships belong to the invented world of Folklore, even though the feelings and imagery are intentionally relatable.