Yesterday, Blur/Gorillaz bloke Damon Albarn put his foot in his mouth when he falsely claimed that Taylor Swift doesn't write her own songs, because co-writing "doesn't count." Now, he has apologized — as well as blamed the journalist who (accurately) quoted him.
Albarn responded to Swift on Twitter. After Swift tweeted that his "hot take is completely false and SO damaging," Albarn wrote, "I totally agree with you. 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."
This is a major about-face from the interview in question with the Los Angeles Times, in which, after Swift's name was brought up, Albarn unambiguously said, "She doesn't write her own songs." After the journalist pushed back against the claim and acknowledged that Swift co-wrote some of her songs, Albarn 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."
While it's good that he apologized, the term "clickbait" typically refers to low-quality, potentially deceiving content that misleads readers in order to get them to click on an article. "Clickbait" does not simply refer to interesting stories that audiences want to click on and read. In the case of this Los Angeles Times interview, Albarn seems to be using the word "clickbait" to refer to any news that makes him look bad.
Damon Albarn releases his solo album The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows back in November. Incidentally, nine of that album's 11 songs were co-written.
Albarn responded to Swift on Twitter. After Swift tweeted that his "hot take is completely false and SO damaging," Albarn wrote, "I totally agree with you. 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."
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
This is a major about-face from the interview in question with the Los Angeles Times, in which, after Swift's name was brought up, Albarn unambiguously said, "She doesn't write her own songs." After the journalist pushed back against the claim and acknowledged that Swift co-wrote some of her songs, Albarn 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."
While it's good that he apologized, the term "clickbait" typically refers to low-quality, potentially deceiving content that misleads readers in order to get them to click on an article. "Clickbait" does not simply refer to interesting stories that audiences want to click on and read. In the case of this Los Angeles Times interview, Albarn seems to be using the word "clickbait" to refer to any news that makes him look bad.
Damon Albarn releases his solo album The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows back in November. Incidentally, nine of that album's 11 songs were co-written.
