#IStandWithTaylor: Stars rally for Taylor Swift in catalog feud
Famous Swifties are coming out in droves to back Taylor Swift in her ongoing feud with Big Machine Label Group and music execs Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta.
Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello, Halsey, Sara Bareilles and Lily Allen are among those in the music community who have joined Team Swift. An army of supporters has been growing with the hashtag #IStandWithTaylor since the pop star posted a message to social media Thursday accusing Big Machine, Braun and Borchetta of preventing her from performing and using her old music.
Also among Swift’s celebrity cheerleaders were “Queer Eye” designer Bobby Berk, model Gigi Hadid and “Batwoman” star Ruby Rose.
After Taylor Swift went public Thursday in her fight against her former label, Big Machine says it’s not preventing the star from performing her music.
“My heart is so heavy right now,” Gomez wrote in a lengthy statement on her Instagram story. “It makes me sick and extremely angry. ... It’s greed, manipulation and power. There is no heart or thought of anyone elses. No respect for the words my friend has written since she was a 14 year old in her bedroom. You’ve robbed and crushed one of our best song writers of our time.”
Swift called on fans Thursday to speak out against the “tyrannical” Braun and Borchetta, who she claimed barred her from performing her old music — which Braun acquired earlier this year in his purchase of Big Machine — at the American Music Awards. She also alleged they prevented her from using tracks from her back catalog in her upcoming Netflix documentary.
“How can a record label do this to an artist?,” “Señorita” hitmaker Cabello wrote on Instagram. “I can’t imagine my life without the moments where I listen to Taylor’s music ... For her fans and even more for her, it’s not just songs. It’s memories, it brings friends together, it’s medicine, it’s joy! I can’t even imagine how painful this must be for [Swift].”
A representative for Big Machine had yet to respond to The Times’ request for comment.
As of Friday afternoon, some of Braun’s current clients — including fellow pop stars Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato — have been noticeably silent in the heated debate. But here’s a sampling of what others have said.
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