Why were Taylor Swift’s songs chosen for ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3? Author Jenny Han shares her take

Jenny Han, the showrunner of The Summer I Turned Pretty, has recently opened up about the reasons for choosing Taylor Swift’s songs in the ongoing third season. According to Deadline, singles from Swift’s albums like The Tortured Poets Department, Folklore, and Midnights were a part of the show.

During her latest conversation with Today on September 18, 2025, Jenny revealed how Taylor’s songs fit perfectly with the storyline of the lead character, Belly, and said:

“I’ll just say that Taylor is an amazing storyteller and her music is so evocative and emotional and the way that we could have it peek into Belly’s inner thoughts with her music.”

Notably, this is not the first time that Taylor Swift’s singles have been used in the series. The same thing was done in the previous two seasons of The Summer I Turned Pretty and the trailers at the same time, as per Deadline.

The final episode of Season 3 featured two sequences with Taylor’s songs used in the background. The first scene shows Belly and Conrad kissing in Paris, and Swift’s single Dress was used for the same. The second one had Belly going after Conrad to confess her love, and Out of the Woods can be heard, as per People magazine.

In an interview with the outlet in January this year, Jenny Han recalled the finale of Season 1, where The Way I Loved You was played in a scene. Jenny said that she was well aware of the song she needed for the sequence, and she was ready to do anything for it. Han revealed how Taylor Swift allowed her to use the song and referred to the artist by saying:

“She really - I felt like she is someone who bets on women. And I felt like she bet on me. And I can’t say enough how thankful I am that she lets us use her music. And I think she knows, too, her fans would like the show.”

Jenny Han opens up on the use of two of Swift’s singles in the finale

As mentioned, the finale of the third season had two scenes with Swift’s songs being heard in the background. While Dress was a part of Taylor’s album Reputation, Out of the Woods was included in the soundtrack of her project titled 1989.

While speaking to People magazine on Thursday, September 18, Jenny Han said that Dress has been one of her favorite singles. Han stated that the use of Out of the Woods was decided by her a long time ago, since she wanted the audience to “mirror back” the events happening for Belly.

“When you hear the beginning of where we sync the music, you’re not sure immediately what [song] it is. But then you’re going to hear that ‘I remember’, and she’s having her own moment of remembering who she is”, Jenny said.

The final episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 aired on September 17, 2025. While the romantic drama has ended with the third season, Amazon Prime Video has confirmed a film, which will also conclude the main storyline of the show.

People magazine stated that Jenny Han will serve as the director, and it will also mark the return of the two leads, Lola Tung and Christopher Briney. The series originally aired in 2022 and has received positive reviews so far.