Global pop sensation Taylor Swift’s former high school classmate has revealed an aspect of her history that may not match her beautiful persona. In 2006, Jessica McLane—who is currently thirty—went to Hendersonville High School in Nashville, Tennessee, with Taylor Swift. Recently, McLane posted reflections about Swift’s early years on TikTok, where the posts have received over 6.4 million views.

Swift endured a great deal of hostility from her peers in high school because of the growing prominence of her music career, according to McLane, who didn’t hold back. In McLane’s account, envy among classmates erupted as Swift rose to prominence.

The TikTok movie illuminates the less glamorous parts of Swift’s high school years, as McLane relates student stories about her purportedly ‘b***hy’ behavior. Swift’s contemporaries have made these admissions, which McLane highlights, and she does a great job of illuminating the difficulties Swift suffered throughout her early years.

Swift, who is originally from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, moved to Tennessee at the age of 14 in order to pursue a career in country music. She attended Hendersonville High School for two and a half years before switching to homeschooling due to her growing notoriety.

Swift’s big break occurred in 2005 when she attended Nashville’s Bluebird Café and attracted the notice of music entrepreneur Scott Borchetta, which resulted in a record deal with Big Machine Records. Released in October 2006, “Taylor Swift,” her debut album, shot to number five on the US Billboard 200 and stayed there for more than 150 weeks.

McLane, however, explores the darker side of Swift’s high school story, detailing how classmates’ vile allegations were stoked by jealousy. Swift’s early success was tainted with scandal when some people conjectured that her family had “bought her fame.” McLane highlights the competitive environment among students hoping to make a name for themselves in the music business, which resulted in jealousy when Swift became well-known.

While acknowledging the difficulties Swift had controlling her voice in high school, McLane points out that at the time, several of her peers thought they were vocally better. The TikTok video takes a personal turn as McLane talks about how Swift’s early songs’ inspirations were not happy when they became hits.

Swift chose to educate her children instead of attending school, and in 2009, she invited every member of her senior class to the Country Music Association Awards. According to McLane, Swift is using this gesture to show off her accomplishments and send a strong message to people who were skeptical of her talents.

Following her statements, McLane was accused of lying, but she refuted this by posting a picture of her yearbook that included a picture of Taylor Swift. McLane’s TikTok video contributes to a developing social media trend where people share behind-the-scenes photos and videos of superstars, providing an alternative viewpoint on their paths to fame.