Taylor Swift Grilled About Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer On 'Ellen'

Wearing a slate-gray girly dress and suede, nude booties, Taylor Swift kicked off her Monday (November 1) appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show with a rocking performance of her fan favorite "You Belong With Me," from 2009's Fearless.

Later on, during her sit-down with the host, she changed into a ladylike black-lace dress and was grilled all about her love life, past and present. The Speak Now singer tried her best to dodge questions about her beaus, instead focusing on her album. "It took two years to make this album, and at some point in the process, I made the conscious decision to write it by myself," she said. "And then a little more than halfway through, I was like, 'I can do this by myself really, maybe.'

"With this album, it's been such an emotional process," she continued. "I'd have nightmares in the middle of the night that Rolling Stone hated it. I was really nervous about it, because taking this on, you're taking a lot of ownership of whether people like it or don't."

As for the song "Dear John," Swift wouldn't confirm or deny rumors that it's about John Mayer. "It seems to be the pattern, yeah," she said of writing about boys. "It could be [a 'Dear John' song]. That song kind of is what it is." Swift said she always wanted to be the same songwriter, and she won't change, despite all the speculation. Her plan? "To continue to never tell" who songs are about.

DeGeneres even asked about those Jake Gyllenhaal dating rumors. "What?" she laughed when asked who she might write a song about now and DeGeneres posted a picture of Swift with Gyllenhaal. "I'm always optimistic about love. Yes, always, sometimes."

They eventually moved on from the subject, capping off the interview by talking about Swift's new apartment. "It's been wonderful," she said. " ... [It's] become a privilege to hang out with my parents."

Swift wrapped up her time on the show with a solo acoustic performance of her latest single, "Mine."

What did you think of Taylor's appearance on "Ellen"? Share your reviews in the comments!