Swifties might have just uncovered something major—or perhaps it’s just another elaborate puzzle in their universe. A version of Taylor Swift‘s unreleased track “Need” has appeared on Spotify, and fans are divided on what it could mean.
A snippet of the song, believed to be an outtake from Swift’s seventh studio album Lover, first leaked in February 2023, followed by a full leak in March of the same year before quickly getting scrubbed from the internet. Since then, “Need” has joined the ranks of highly sought-after unreleased Swift songs, alongside other Lover era tracks like “All of the Girls You Loved Before” (which Swift later officially released). While the original leaks gave fans just enough of a taste to fuel their curiosity, the track has been practically impossible to find—until now.
Over on TikTok, eagle-eyed fan Sabrina Fleetwood spotted a version of the track on Spotify credited to an artist named Steven Wilmot… with none other than Taylor Swift listed as writer and producer. Excitement quickly spread across social media, and the track is now sparking all kinds of theories among Swift’s dedicated fanbase. Could Steven Wilmot be a new pseudonym for Taylor? After all, Swift has previously released music under the alias Nils Sjöberg, and Swifties know their favorite artist loves leaving breadcrumbs for fans to follow.
However, TikTok creator Rachel Lord offered a different take. In a detailed video posted on February 15, 2025, she explained that whoever this Wilmot person is has a history of releasing songs with questionable origins, including a track called “Hiss” that allegedly used AI-generated vocals to mimic Swift. “The song was written by a 16-year-old,” Lord shared, noting that when “the actual creator of the song called him out, he then blocked them straight away.”
Making matters more confusing, some fans initially confused Steven Wilmot with Steve Wilmot, a legitimate Los Angeles-based producer who’s worked with U2, OneRepublic, and Switchfoot. However, a close look at Steven Wilmot’s artist profile on Spotify reveals they are entirely different people, with Steve having no connection to this situation.
Lord went on to explain that while “Need” is indeed a genuine unreleased Taylor Swift song from the Lover era, the version under Wilmot’s name on Spotify might be unauthorized. “Taylor doesn’t know who he is,” she said, before going on to claim, “What he’s doing is stealing people’s work, and that is something that Taylor does not stand for.”
Obviously, this appearance of “Need” on streaming platforms has certainly given Swifties something to talk about. Whether this version is an unauthorized release, a tribute, or something else entirely remains to be seen. For now, fans can add this to the growing list of Taylor Swift mysteries—right alongside her list of pseudonyms and whether we’ll ever actually see that rumored Lover deluxe edition.
