Damon Albarn was a victim of a lot of backlash after making a derogatory claim about Taylor Swift’s songwriting. Here is what the musician said.
Damon Albarn, 53, is a famous English singer, and musician, best known as the primary lyricist of the rock band “Blur.” He is also the co-founder and primary songwriter of the virtual band “Gorillaz.”
Some of his albums and singles include “Everyday Robots,” “Demon Days,” “Rhinestone Eyes,” “Dirty Harry,” Blur’s biggest American hit, “Song 2,” and many others.
Unfortunately, in recent times, the music guru has been in the news for the wrong reasons: He slandered American Singer Taylor Swift. Let’s glimpse what transpired between the two music geniuses and what happened afterward.
TAYLOR SWIFT AND DAMON ALBARN
On January 23, 2022, Albarn sat down with the Los Angeles Times to talk about his recent solo album “The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows.” But before delving into the details, he made a bold claim about Swift.
The musician told interviewer Mikael Wood:
“She doesn’t write her own songs.”
Wood argued in Swift’s defense, noting that the singer writes and co-writes her songs. However, Albarn further said:
“That doesn’t count. I know what co-writing is. Co-writing is very different to writing. I’m not hating on anybody, I’m just saying there’s a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes.”
Albarn’s claim ignited a series of reactions from netizens and an eventual response from Swift. The “All Too Well” singer took to her Twitter page and replied to the musician, saying she was a fan of his and his claim was false:
Swift noted that liking her songs was not compulsory, but Albarn discrediting her writing was bad. To conclude, the singer wrote:
“PS I wrote this tweet all by myself, in case you were wondering.”
MUSICIANS’ REACTIONS/ALBARN’S APOLOGY
Several fans and colleagues in the industry stood behind Swift, assuring her that she was a great songwriter. Aaron Dessner wondered why Albarn would want to discredit Swift’s songwriting, adding that he was clueless about her writing process.
Other musicians and music groups such as Jack Antonoff, The Anchoress, Jedward, The Subways, Maisie Peters, and others, weighed in, condemning Albarn’s claims and crediting Swift’s writing skills.
Following the “Bad Blood” singer’s response and the series of backlash, Albarn publicly apologized. In a post shared on Twitter, the musician made it known that the conversation he had about songwriting was reduced to clickbait.
He said he had no intentions of discrediting Swift’s songwriting and hoped she understood. Many supporters hope that Swift can put the past behind and forget about Albarn’s claims.
TAYLOR SWIFT, THE GHOSTWRITER
Swift is a talented songwriter and has written songs for others without getting credit. In 2016, Kimberly Schlapman, one of the four members of the music group Little Big Town told Taste of Country that Swift wrote their song “Better Man.”
The song won the song of the year in the 2017 Country Music Awards. She has proven to be a selfless ghostwriter, as she aims to see different artists and groups thrive. Her skills and kind heart will always be celebrated.