Taylor Swift's mystery collaborator Aaron Dessner is a member of the longrunning Brooklyn-based band The National, which he founded with his brother in 1999. In 2018, the band won a Grammy with their brooding, indie-folk sound, and they're considered genre mainstays with albums like 2007's The Boxer, which boasted weathered, stirring hits like "Mistaken For Strangers." According to Variety, Swift is a longtime fan and was even seen backstage at their June 2019 outdoor concert at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York. She reached out to Dessner about collaborating remotely, and the rest is history.

On July 22, 2020, per Rolling Stone, Dessner took to Instagram to share his excitement about working with Taylor. "I was excited and honored when Taylor approached me in late April about maybe writing some songs remotely together," he wrote. "I thought it would take a while for song ideas to come and I had no expectations as far as what we could accomplish remotely. But a few hours after sharing music, my phone lit up with a voice memo from Taylor of a fully written version of a song — the momentum never really stopped."

Aside from his work with The National, Dessner has worked with Mumford and Sons on the track "Wilder Mind," indie singer Sharon Van Etten, and the band Local Natives, according to Variety. Clearly the indie vet is no stranger to working with pros like Swift.

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