Taylor Swift told off Damon Albarn after he said that “she doesn’t write her own songs” in a new interview with The Los Angeles Times. “@DamonAlbarn I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write ALL of my own songs,” she wrote on Twitter. “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,” Swift added.

In the LA Times interview, the Blur and Gorillaz leader was talking about his upcoming piano show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and he mentioned that “not much modern music could withstand” that sort of stripped-back treatment. “You think a lot of modern musicians are relying on sound and attitude?” interview Mikael Wood asked to which Albarn responded: “Name me someone who’s not.”

Wood continued: “She may not be to your taste, but Taylor Swift is an excellent songwriter” and Albarn replied by saying, “She doesn’t write her own songs.” Wood responded: “Of course she does. Co-writes some of them.” And then Albarn then went off:

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. And some of the greatest singers — 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.

https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1485714267269738498

Swift’s frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff has weighed in:

Aaron Dessner also weighed in:

UPDATE: Albarn has offered an apology to Swift by way of accusing the interviewer of reducing their conversation to “clickbait.”

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

UPDATE 2: Albarn also addressed the shitshorm onstage in LA.