Jake Owen is aware all way too effectively about the fan theory behind Taylor Swift’s music “Sparks Fly.” Swifties imagine place singer Owen was the inspiration for the track, immediately after Swift opened for him at a show in Portland, Oregon in 2006. She now revealed to fans that “Portland, OR” had a thing to do with the song’s inspiration, leaving it as a code in her original Discuss Now album booklet. However, Swift has hardly ever gotten any extra precise about the song’s muse — and it appears like Owen does not know regardless of whether or not he played a part.

“It’s a excellent song and the speculation has constantly been funny to me,” Owen advised Persons on July 12, confirming that he’s regarded about the rumor for years. “I’m positive Taylor likely laughs at it all way too, but I’m content to even have my name in the dialogue around it,” he extra. Okay, so that seems like he doesn’t completely invest in the theory — but it also seems like he hasn’t mentioned it with Swift, so who’s to say?

Owen continued, detailing that he has “known Taylor given that she was 16.” According to him, “She’s an awesome girl and an incredible artist. It is been outstanding to see how she’s developed as a musician and what a world-wide phenomenon she’s turn into.” (Swift’s most latest Eras Tour famously broke Ticketmaster.)

In a resurfaced MySpace publish from 2006, Swift wrote about opening for Owen in Portland, though she kept her terms about the nation singer completely platonic. “I received to walk in on his sound examine and satisfy him. Turns out he’s incredibly great, and had purchased my album on iTunes,” she wrote. “And since I had to depart following just one music of his set, he played my favorite song ‘8 Next Ride’ initially.”

Swift has stored the that means powering the tune — and its inspiration — up to interpretation. But Owen *does* have these hazel-green eyes, and Swift *does* sing, “Get me with these environmentally friendly eyes, newborn / As the lights go down.”