Damon Albarn apologizes for saying Taylor Swift doesn't write her own songs

Damon Albarn apologizes for saying Taylor Swift doesn’t write her own songs

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(CNN) British musician Damon Albarn has apologized “unreservedly and unconditionally” to American singer Taylor Swift after claiming she didn’t write her own songs.

Albarn, best known as the frontman of the bands Blur and Gorillaz, made the comments in a Los Angeles Times interview with pop music critic Mikael Wood published Sunday.

Swift quickly replied after the newspaper shared Albarn’s remarks on Twitter.

“I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this,” Swift wrote to Albarn. “I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging. You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really f****d up to try and discredit my writing. WOW.”

“PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering,” she added sarcastically.

Writing an apology on Twitter shortly afterward, Albarn said: “I totally agree with you. I had a conversation about songwriting and sadly it was reduced to clickbait,” adding, “The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand.”

Damon Albarn of Gorillaz performs on the Main Stage during Boardmasters Festival 2021 at Watergate Bay on August 14, 2021 in Newquay, England.

In the interview, Wood described Swift as an “excellent songwriter,” to which Albarn quipped that “she doesn’t write her own songs.” When the journalist restated that Swift writes her own songs and co-writes others, Albarn disagreed.

“That doesn’t count. I know what co-writing is,” he said. “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.”

I totally agree with you. i had a conversation about songwriting and sadly it was reduced to clickbait. I apologise unreservedly and unconditionally. The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand. - Damon — Damon Albarn (@Damonalbarn) January 24, 2022

Albarn instead said he preferred Grammy-winning singer Billie Eilish , calling her “a really interesting songwriter.”

“I’m more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift. It’s just darker – less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd. I think she’s exceptional,” he added.

Eilish co-writes most of her songs with her brother Finneas O’Connell.

“middle of the road.” It’s not the first time Albarn has come under fire for criticizing other artists, having previously described Adele as “very insecure” in a 2015 interview with the UK’s The Sun newspaper, and criticizing her “25” album as being"middle of the road."

However, in an interview with BBC Newsbeat later that year, Albarn denied the remark, saying he would “never ever call her insecure,” and that “her openness was her great strength.”

Albarn’s most recent remarks on Swift sparked a backlash on social media, with many on Twitter pointing out that Swift has written several songs entirely on her own across all her albums, including the whole of her 2010 album “Speak Now.” She also has a songwriting credit on every one of her songs.

Several high-profile social media accounts backed Swift on Twitter, including the official Empire State Building account, which tweeted : “No one does it better than you.”

Taylor Swift Slams Blur’s Damon Albarn Over ‘Fu**ed Up’ Comments About Her Music

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Taylor Swift & Damon Albarn

Taylor Swift has slammed Damon Albarn over comments he made about her songwriting skills.

The All Too Well singer described his words as, ‘fu**ed up,’ and, ‘SO damaging.’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Damon Albarn (@damonalbarn)

It all kicked off when the Los Angeles Times shared an interview with Albarn on Twitter.

They quoted him calling Billie Eilish an, ’exceptional,’ artist and accusing Taylor Swift of not writing her own songs:

‘Billie Eilish? “I think she’s exceptional.” Taylor Swift? “She doesn’t write her own songs.”’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Damon Albarn (@damonalbarn)

In the actual interview, Albarn implied modern musicians rely heavily on sound and attitude.

When the interviewer pointed out that Taylor Swift is, ‘an excellent songwriter,’ the Blur artist replied, ‘She doesn’t write her own songs.’

The interviewer replied, ‘Of course she does. Co-writes some of them.’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

To this, he 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.’

‘Doesn’t mean that the outcome can’t be really great.’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Damon Albarn (@damonalbarn)

Taylor reacts

Taylor was clearly hurt by his words, and she made sure he knew it.

The Blank Space singer tweeted, ‘@DamonAlbarn 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.’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

She added, ‘You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really fu**ed up to try and discredit my writing. WOW.’

In a follow-up tweet, she wrote, ‘PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering.’

PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering 😑 — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) January 24, 2022

Damon replied, ‘I totally agree with you.’

‘i had a conversation about songwriting and sadly it was reduced to clickbait.’ He continued, ‘I apologise unreservedly and unconditionally.’

‘The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand. - Damon’

I. The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand. - Damon — Damon Albarn (@Damonalbarn) January 24, 2022

No further comment has been made.

Taylor Swift blasts Damon Albarn for claiming she doesn’t write her songs: ‘Completely false and SO damaging’

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Blur frontman Damon Albarn has worked with everyone from Snoop Dogg to the Cure’s Robert Smith in his animated band Gorillaz, but suffice to say he won’t be working with Taylor Swift any time soon. Swift has taken to Twitter to blast Albarn, after the Britpop icon said that Swift, a three-time Album of the Year Grammy-winner, “doesn’t write her own songs.” Albarn later apologized to Swift, claiming an offhand remark was “reduced to clickbait” by the Los Angeles Times’ Twitter account.

In an L.A. Times Q&A titled “For Damon Albarn, modern life is still pretty much rubbish” (a play on the title of Blur’s 1993 sophomore album), the 53-year-old Albarn was promoting his Jan. 24 performance of his new orchestral solo album, The Nearer the Mountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, at Downtown Los Angeles’s Disney Hall. Discussing how musicians “can’t hide behind anything” when playing only piano, he criticized most current recording artists for relying mainly on “sound and attitude.” When L.A. Times interviewer Mikael Wood then cited Swift as a modern example of an “excellent songwriter,” Albarn balked.

Albarn also spills his thoughts on some of today’s chart-topping music artists.

Billie Eilish?

“I think she’s exceptional.”

Taylor Swift?

“She doesn’t write her own songs.“https://t.co/4Obt2Fjpoi — Los Angeles Times (@latimes) January 24, 2022

Wood then clarified that Swift co-writes many of her hits, to which self-described “traditionalist” Albarn retorted, “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 went on to praise the “exceptional” Billie Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas as “really interesting” songwriters (“It’s just darker — less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd”), and pointed out that some of the all-time greatest singers, like Ella Fitzgerald, actually “never wrote a song in [their] life.” But his anti-Swift comments quickly went viral — and Swift took notice and counter-attacked.

Story continues

PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering 😑 — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) January 24, 2022

“@Damonalbarn 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. You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really f***ed up to try and discredit my writing. WOW,” Swift posted Monday afternoon.

“PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering,” she added sarcastically.

Producer and fun./Bleachers musician Jack Antonoff — who worked on Swift’s recent albums Reputation, Lover, Folklore, and Evermore, and has also collaborated with Lana Del Rey, Lorde, and St. Vincent — jumped in to defend his friend, tweeting, “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.” He also suggested that Albarn “shut the f***k up.”

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. herb. — jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) January 24, 2022

if you were there … cool … go off. if not … maybe …. shut the fuck up? — jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) January 24, 2022

Albarn later responded to Swift furious tweet, saying, “I totally agree with you. i had a conversation about songwriting and sadly it was reduced to clickbait. I apologise unreservedly and unconditionally. The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand.”

Albarn, who is currently in Los Angeles working on a Gorillaz film project for Netflix, released The Nearer the Mountain, More Pure the Stream Flows last November. Swift’s latest release is the “Taylor’s Version” re-recording of her 2012 album Red — on which she has writing credit for all 16 tracks, and sole credit on nine of those tracks.

Damon Albarn Came for Taylor Swift and Deeply Embarrassed Himself. Then He Blamed the Media.

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Damon Albarn, the frontman of the U.K. rock band Blur and co-founder of Gorillaz, may be a veteran of the music industry, but the singer made a rookie mistake: daring to speak ill of Taylor Swift.

Sitting down for a chat with the Los Angeles Times, Albarn came ready to chat about his recent solo album, The Nearer the Mountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, his recent Icelandic citizenship status, the shambolic state of English politics, and the Beatles.

But before diving into all that, Albarn kicked off the conversation with a bold claim: Swift doesn’t write her own songs.

The 53-year-old was attempting to explain his belief to journalist Mikael Wood that very few modern songs will withstand the test of time, mainly because most musicians have been relying too heavily on “sound and attitude” rather than lyrics of substance.

Wood then brings up Swift, using the 11-time Grammy winner as an example of someone not just depending upon vibes to make quality records, saying that although her music may not be Albarn’s taste, she is an “excellent songwriter.”

Albarn begged to differ. “She doesn’t write her own songs,” he responded. Wood challenged him, mentioning how Swift—who just picked up the National Music Publishers’ Association’s Songwriter Icon Award over the summer—has co-writing credits on all her songs.

“That doesn’t count,” Albarn curtly countered. “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. Doesn’t mean that the outcome can’t be really great.”

“And some of the greatest singers,” he continued. “I mean, Ella Fitzgerald never wrote a song in her life. When I sing, I have to close my eyes and just be in there. I suppose I’m a traditionalist in that sense. A really interesting songwriter is Billie Eilish and her brother. I’m more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift. It’s just darker—less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd. I think she’s exceptional.”

From there the conversation moved on, and Albarn seemed pretty content with his choice of words—that is, until Swift got wind of the Q&A, which was published on Sunday evening.

“I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this,” Swift shot back on Monday, tagging Albarn in her tweet. “I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging. You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really fucked up to try and discredit my writing. WOW.”

“PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering,” she added.

Encouraged by Swift’s call-out, her loyal fanbase, Swifties, sprang into action, furiously spamming Albarn’s mentions. Even musician Jack Antonoff —who served as co-writer on some of Swift’s biggest hits over her past several albums, including “Out of the Woods,” “Call It What You Want,” “London Boy” and “Getaway Car”—chimed in.

“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,” he wrote. “If you were there, cool…go off. If not maybe shut the fuck up?”

By Monday afternoon, Albarn suddenly changed his tune. “I totally agree with you,” he tweeted to Swift. “I had a conversation about songwriting and sadly it was reduced to clickbait. I apologize unreservedly and unconditionally. The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand.”

But it’s hard to see how Albarn’s words were supposedly twisted and churned into so-called “clickbait” when the published article was a direct transcript from the two men’s conversation.

(Wood, the veteran LA Times journalist whose previous bylines include Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and Spin, has not yet responded to Albarn’s implication that he took quotes out of context.)

It’s a shitty approach for Albarn, who seemed to know exactly what he meant when he went to lengths to explain why he felt that even with Swift’s co-writing credits, it wasn’t enough in his book to make her a qualified songwriter. Instead, when he got called out and hit with a barrage of backlash, he buckled and tried to pin the offending remarks on his interview and the publication, painting the media as the enemy.

It’s also wild for Albarn to accuse Swift of not writing her own songs, as she famously was the lone songwriter for Speak Now, her third studio album, which included chart-toppers “Mine,” “Dear John,” and “Enchanted.” (In the album’s deluxe version, Martin Johnson was credited as co-writer for “If This Was a Movie.”)

While Swift does share co-writing credits on the majority of her best songs, often looking to Max Martin, Antonoff, Karl Shellback and Aaron Dessner for assistance, she still is regarded as one of the industry’s top songwriters.

(And who could forget that viral clip of Swift and Antonoff writing the bridge of “Getaway Car,” with Swift quickly pulling together the ending lyrics in a burst of excitement.)

And if Albarn needed any reminder of just how fiercely protective Swift is over her image and work, last year she embarked on a massive feat to re-record her first six studio albums in an effort to make sure her former label Big Machine and Scooter Braun could no longer profit off her.