Who produced Taylor Swift’s “august” instrumental before Swift wrote its lyrics?

Jack Antonoff produced the instrumental for Taylor Swift’s “august” before Swift wrote its lyrics. He sent the musical foundation to Swift, who developed the words after hearing it.

The production credit for the finished track is shared by Swift, Antonoff, and Joe Alwyn. However, Antonoff’s initial instrumental is specifically associated with the song’s early creation process. Swift described writing the lyrics immediately and intuitively, rather than building them through a long, formal drafting process.

This collaboration illustrates how Folklore was made remotely and quickly during the pandemic period. Swift and her collaborators exchanged recordings and ideas while traditional studio routines were disrupted. The resulting album mixed intimate writing with carefully layered production, and “august” became one of its clearest examples of that approach.