James Corden and Idris Elba provide unexpected cameos on Taylor Swift’s new album Lover

The track, ‘London Boy’, marks the latest bit of 2019 pop culture invaded by the ubiquitous actor and talk show host

Idris Elba and James Corden have provided unexpected voice cameos on Taylor Swift’s new album.

Both men, who appear alongside Swift in the forthcoming and aesthetically controversial film adaptation of Cats, can be heard in the opening seconds of “London Boy”, a track on Swift’s new album Lover.

The song, which sees Swift declaring her love for the English, opens with Elba suggesting they “go driving on my scooter… riding in London”, while Corden can be heard answering, “Oh”.

The improvised, candid feel of the snippet implies that it was a real conversation recorded by Swift on the Cats set, as opposed to something both men professionally recorded for the album.

“London Boy”, likely inspired by Swift’s relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn, finds Swift referencing a number of London locations she adores, including Camden Market, Highgate, Soho and Shoreditch. She also demonstrates her affinity for British vernacular, referring to “stories from Uni”, and exclaiming to her new love interest, “Boy, I fancy you”.

Swift’s new album Lover, released this morning, has so far received warm reviews, with The Independent’s Alexandra Pollard writing that the album “feels like a partial resurrection of the Swift of old: moony romance and earnest earworms abound”.