Taylor Swift: Who Is ‘Ronan’ About? Mom of 3-Year-Old Who Inspired the Song Says New Video Is ‘Perfect’

Taylor Swift continues to assert her control over her music with the new version of her album Red. The re-release is a massive hit with her fans, and several songs have become talking points on social media. One such song is the heartfelt “Ronan.” Swift’s work is typically informed by her real life, but in the case of this song, the inspiration comes not from Swift, but from the all-too-short relationship between a mother and her young child. Keep reading to learn more about who “Ronan” is about.

The original version of ‘Ronan’ was released for a good cause

“Ronan” first entered the world nine years ago, when Swift performed the song at the 2012 Stand Up to Cancer telethon. (She has only performed the song one other time as of now.) It was then put online as a standalone single, with all proceeds going toward charities to help fight the disease, according to People.

Last July, Swift asked the song’s co-writer for permission to put the song on Red (Taylor’s Version). The song quotes a blog post from Maya Thompson, and the rest was written from her perspective. 

Thompson shared parts of the email sent from Swift.

“Red was an album of heartbreak and healing, of rage and rawness, of tragedy and trauma, and of the loss of an imagined future alongside someone, [and] I wrote ‘Ronan’ while I was making Red and discovered your story as you so honestly and devastatingly told it,” she said. 

As much as she wanted to add the song, Swift made it clear that it was not her decision to make. “My genuine hope is that you’ll agree with me that this song should be included on this album. As my co-writer and the rightful owner of this story in its entirety, your opinion and approval of this idea really matters to me, and I’ll honor your wishes here.”

Who is Taylor Swift’s ‘Ronan’ about?

“Ronan” is named after Ronan Thompson, Maya’s son who died from cancer at 3 years old. A new lyric video was released in conjunction with the album that includes photos and videos Maya gave to Swift. Understandably, this whole ordeal was an emotional time for the grieving mother.

“I tried my best to articulate how much this meant to me through my tears, but there are not enough words in the English language that will ever be able to appropriately convey my feelings about this,” she said in a recent blog post on her website dedicated to her late son, Rockstar Ronan. “Taylor has anchored you to this world so you will never be lost, and now she has ensured you will forever be safe in a new, permanent home. She is once again going to give a voice to the often voiceless, the bereaved parents of the world.”

Once the video was out in the world, Thompson shared a tear-laden selfie on Twitter and described the finished product as “beyond perfection.” 

The video concludes with a link to the Ronan Thompson Foundation. 

Swift is reclaiming her music by updating her albums

The rest of the emotions surrounding Red (Taylor’s Version) are a bit less heart-wrenching, but no less intense for listeners of the album. The updated album broke records for the biggest single-day streams for an album by a female artist, the highest vinyl LP sales in a week since the data was being collected, and the largest album sales week of 2021 in the U.S.

This is the second album that Swift has re-recorded following her album Fearless that came out in April. 

She is re-recording her albums after a dispute with her former record label, Big Machine. The company was purchased by Scooter Braun, which gave him total ownership of Swift’s master recordings for her first six albums. Masters are the finalized versions of the songs that are then copied and re-purposed for sales and distribution. Owning the masters means you get the majority of the money from those songs. Swift wanted to buy her masters for years before being gazumped by Braun, whom she described as an “incessant, manipulative bully.”

As a response, the singer decided to make new recordings of her first six albums, which would create new masters that she will fully own going forward. Fans appreciate the approach. The new versions of Fearless and Red both topped the Billboard 200 chart.