Damon Albarn addresses Taylor Swift controversy during LA show

nme.com:

Damon Albarn addressed the backlash over his controversial comments about Taylor Swift while performing in LA last night.The Blur and Gorillaz frontman was playing a show at Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall yesterday (January 24) in support of his most recent solo album, ‘The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows’.Ahead of the concert, Albarn participated in an interview with the LA Times where he explained that Swift’s “co-writing” approach was at odds with his “traditionalist” view of songwriting.When journalist Mikael Wood put it to him that Swift was “an excellent songwriter”, Albarn responded: “She doesn’t write her own songs.” He went on to say that co-writing “doesn’t count”.Swift later hit back at the musician, tweeting: “@DamonAlbarn I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this.“I write ALL 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.”Albarn then apologised “unreservedly and unconditionally” to Swift, claiming that his words had been “reduced to clickbait”.

He said: “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.