Taylor Swift Fighting Against Sexism Yet Again

For all the swifties out there, and even those who are not, there has been major heat between Taylor Swift and Damon Albarn. For those who do not know who Damon Albarn is, according to BBC, he is the “lead singer of Blur and later of Gorillaz.” In an interview with the LA Times, Albarn said that Swift is “an excellent songwriter” by stating “she doesn’t write her own songs.” Swift clapped back at this claim on Twitter by saying, “I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write all of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and so damaging.” In the interview, it was mentioned by the interviewer that Swift co-writes all of her own songs. Albarn responded to this by saying, “that doesn’t count. I know what co-writing is. Co-writing is very different to writing.” While discussing Swift, Albarn compared her to the up-and-coming singer, Billie Eilish. He said that he “prefers Billie Eilish,” and that she is “ a “really interesting songwriter.” Albarn has been called out for this by fans of Swift due to the fact that Eilish also co-writes her music. 

One fan on Twitter responded to the claim that Albarn made about Swift not writing her own music by asking, “when will Taylor Swift be regarded with the respect and recognition she rightly deserves? When she appeals to the middle-aged male hipster market? When the graying, thick-rim glassed, Carharrt-brigade finally give their approval?” Similar to this fan, many others have been questioning if sexism played any part in the claim that Albarn made. According to the newspaper, Metro, “(Swift) is credited as the sole writer on 54 of her tracks and is listed as a co-writer on the rest.” In the past, Swift has been reportedly called out for the romance/ heartbreak material that she incorporates into her music, while male singers, such as John Mayer, regularly do this, and receive no backlash for it. She is now being questioned and called out for not writing her own music, when in fact that she does. The newspaper, Metro, commented on this by saying, “perhaps we are still dwindling in a phase of societal revolution where we believe that women aren’t capable of greatness without some male interference.” The newspaper also responded to this claim made by Albarn by saying, “no matter what you think of Ed Sheeran’s songs, no one would question whether he writes them himself.” 

Not only have Swift fans defended her, but also, those within the music industry that she has worked with. According to BBC, One of these individuals has been producer, Jack Antonoff. He tweeted on Twitter, “i’ve never met Damon Albarn and he’s never been to my studio but apparently he knows more than the rest of us about all those songs Taylor writes and brings in.” Albarn has come out and apologized to Swift through Twitter. According to BBC, he tweeted, “I totally agree with you. I had a conversation about songwriting and sadly it was reduced to clickbait. I apologise unreservedly and unconditionally.” Swift has not responded to his apology. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60121132