Taylor Swift fans slam Charli XCX over New York Magazine cover featuring a bloody dismembered hand wearing 'friendship bracelet' - but is it actually hinting at a collaboration between the pair?

Charli XCX has been slammed by fans of Taylor Swift after appearing on the cover of New York magazine wearing a friendship bracelet on a severed hand.

The Cambridge-born Brat summer creator, 32, made her debut on the cover of the bi-weekly American publication this week, but has since faced backlash with some saying the bloody-inspired shoot is insensitive in the wake of the Southport stabbings - where three children were killed at a Taylor-themed dance class. 

In one photo from the shoot, the singer appears on a hospital gurney, surrounded by paparazzi, with her hand cut off. Her severed hand is wearing a friendship bracelet with 'Charli' on it.

Friendship bracelets have been a huge part of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, with millions  of fans exchanging the homemade jewellery at the shows on her record-breaking shows.

However, other fans have speculated that the bracelet is actually an allusion to 'rave kandi' and has no connection to Swift, while some have even suggested it's a hint that Taylor and Charli may have a collaboration in the future.  

Many fans slammed the interview and cover - which was shot in July before the Southport murders or Vienna foiled attack - was 'tone deaf' and 'disgusting'. 

Last month three children - Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, - were killed at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport  when  a knifeman went on  a rampage stabbing 10 people.

Just days later, Taylor was forced to cancel three concerts in Vienna after authorities uncovered a planned terror attack on the venue. 

Swift had been due to perform in front of an estimated 170,000 fans on August 8, 9, and 10, and the cancellation of the shows left many Swifties devastated.   

'HELL NO not after this bull specially after Southport or Vienna,' one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after the attack.

'Genuinely need someone to tell me this isn't real,' said another. 

'This is beyond disgusting,' wrote another. 

'Friendship bracelets being popularized recently by Taylor and blood… weeks after the attempts in Vienna and the girls killed in Southport? That's so messed up,' one tweeted. 

Charli XCX and New York magazine have been contacted for comment. 

Speaking about the shoot, photographer David LaChapelle previously said the inspiration comes from 'Hollywood's grittier elements'.

'I've always loved the rawness of B movies and tabloids and Hollywood Babylon. They've always spoken to me. Charli's had such a strong career, but this is a new level for her, and I wanted to do something that was kind of tabloid, but also add some surreal elements dealing with the nature of how she's exploded. 

'So, it's a B-movie take on the idea of a tabloid frenzy. She's sort of trapped by fame and all the tabloid photographers are chasing her. An animal trapped in woods would bite off its own limb — she bites off her hand. 

'Then, she's brought to the hospital and probably given some sort of painkiller. She's hallucinating. Instead of a real Hollywood tragedy, it's more of a fantasied one. She's stuck in a dreamscape.'

Many of Charli's fans came to her defence, saying the bracelets were apart of rave culture and popularised long before Taylor's Eras Tour.

Rave Kandi - which is similar to friendship bracelets - are often exchanged at raves, and Charli's music talks about the rave scene.

Other fans have seen the bracelet as a possible hint Charli might be collaborating with Taylor.

In the article, the Cruel Summer hitmaker was asked about Charli and gushed she is 'blown away' by her music.

The Fearless songstress said: 'I've been blown away by Charli's melodic sensibilities since I first heard "Stay Away" in 2011. Her writing is surreal and inventive, always. She just takes a song to places you wouldn't expect it to go, and she's been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off.'

While the pair have known each other for years - with Taylor bringing Charli out as a support act on her 2018 reputation tour  - many have speculated there is bad blood between the pair.

In Sympathy Is a Knife, the third track on Charli's most recent album BRAT, the singer describes feeling anxiety about another woman, she sings 'I couldn't even be her if I tried'.

In the lyrics she also says, 'Don't wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend's show / Fingers crossed behind my back / I hope they break up quick' hinting that a woman was hanging around backstage at 1975 shows, along with Charli's now-fiancé George Daniel, who drums for the band.

Although the song is not critical about anyone, fans started speculating that the song was about Taylor as she briefly dated lead singer Matty Healy when Charli likely wrote the lyrics.

In the interview, Charli said there was an 'unfinished remix' of the song - which fans are speculating could feature Taylor.

She says: 'I wrote this three or four weeks ago, about this idea of, like, you have to fall - if you're deemed to be even in the slightest way on top, you have to fall. I'm not a f---ing idiot. I know how s--t works.'

In a new verse, there's a line which goes: 'It's a knife when you're finally on top… / They want to see you fall,' which could be a reference to Taylor's chart dominance.

While it might seem outlandish for Taylor to appear on a diss track about herself, this wouldn't be unusual for Charli.

Another song on BRAT, 'girl, so confusing' was written about fellow singer Lorde, who has long been compared to Charli due to their similar looks. 

After Charli sent it to Lorde, letting her know it was about her, the New Zealand born singer recorded a remixed version of the song, which was later released. 

Elsewhere in the interview, Charli declined to get more specific about the song but said it was about herself.

She said: 'People are gonna think what they want to think. That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I don't want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt.'

During Taylor's 2018 Reputation stadium tour, Charlie opened for the 14-time Grammy Award winner on more than 50 nights.

However in 2019, while speaking to Pitchfork , Charli said: 'As an artist, it kind of felt like I was getting up onstage and waving to 5-year-olds.

She went on to say following the tour she it made her decide to never open for anyone again.

Charli added: 'I've done so much of it, and it really cemented my status as this underdog character, I need to just own my own f***ing s*** finally.'

She later took to her social media to say her comments had been taken out of context, insisting: ' As I say in the article and have said many times before, I am extremely grateful to Taylor for inviting me to open for her.

'She's one of the biggest artists of my generation and the Reputation tour was one of the biggest tours in history.'

Earlier this year, Charli demanded an end to alleged chants of 'Taylor is dead!' at her concerts immediately, calling it 'disturbing'.

The singer took to her Instagram Stories to respond after being informed that some of her fans had been shouting the hateful message about fellow pop star Taylor Swift during her gigs.

Calling for it to stop, she declared that it is 'the opposite of what I want' and warned that she would 'not tolerate it'.

After a concert in São Paulo, Brazil in June, someone shared a number of videos of attendees appearing to chant 'A Taylor Morreu', which translates in English to 'Taylor is dead'.

The fan addressed Charli, saying: 'Hey @charli_xcx, your Brazilian fans have been showing toxic behaviour by screaming 'Taylor is dead!' in your concerts and events related to you.

'Could you do something about it? We don't [believe] that's what music should be about.'

Sharing a screenshot of the tweet, Charli replied on her Instagram, writing: 'can the people who do this please stop. online or at my shows. 

'it is the opposite of what i want and it disturbs me that anyone would think there is room for this in this community. i will not tolerate it.'