Bobby Hawk played the strings on Taylor Swift’s “august,” according to the song’s personnel credits.
The strings contribute to the song’s cinematic, hazy sound. “august” is built from dream-pop, guitar-pop, and soft-rock elements, and critics specifically noted its prominent string textures alongside keyboards, guitars, and restrained synthesizers.
The personnel list separates Hawk’s contribution from those of other musicians. Evan Smith is credited with saxophones, flute, electric guitar, and keyboards. Jack Antonoff handled guitars, drums, percussion, programming, recording, and production, while Jonathan Low mixed the track and recorded its synth bass.
Bobby Hawk’s credit is easy to confuse with the song’s producers or recording engineers because the track has a dense ensemble sound. However, the credits identify Hawk specifically with strings. Swift and Antonoff wrote the song, and Joe Alwyn is also credited as a co-producer.