Damon Albarn has apologized to Taylor Swift after she reacted to his Los Angeles Times interview, in which he claimed the “Invisible String” singer “doesn’t write her own songs.”
Earlier in the day on Monday (Jan. 24), Swift took to Twitter to stand up for herself. “I write ALL of my own songs,” she wrote. “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.”
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PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering 😑
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) January 24, 2022
“I totally agree with you,” Albarn tweeted in response to Swift’s remarks. “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.”
In the LA Times interview published on Sunday (Jan. 23), Albarn implied that modern artists are relying on “the sound and the attitude” of their music for popularity. When the writer Mikael Wood suggested that Swift doesn’t fit that narrative, as she’s an “excellent songwriter,” Albarn disagreed, saying, “She doesn’t write her own songs.”
When Wood refuted that statement, adding that she does write her songs, sometimes with co-writers, Albarn said that it “doesn’t count.”
“I know what co-writing is. Co-writing is very different to writing,” he said. “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.”
See Albarn’s apology below. Swift has yet to respond.
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