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taylor swift

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The beef with Kanye West and Taylor Swift continues. Sources say she is taking legal action against him after his latest slander campaign.

Athlon Sports is reporting that Taylor Swift is considering taking her grievances with Kanye West to a court of law. Earlier this week, Ye took to X, formerly Twitter, and had another brain dump regarding why he has yet to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. “I never was allowed to do the Super Bowl because of 3 moments,” Ye wrote. “George Bush don’t care about black people. The Taylor Swift movement moment. Wearing a MAGA hat. How it feel to be the best living and blocked from the main stage because of being ahead of my time.” Of course, this assumption that Taylor Swift is somehow blocking his big moment soon picked up traction.

The Daily Mail spoke to a source that is said to be close to the “Shake It Off” singer and claims that she is considering taking legal action against Kanye West. “This time he has gone too far,” the source said. “His claims are not just false they are defamatory. This isn’t just [West] gossiping. This is [West] sexually harassing a woman, defaming her and intending to cause harm to her and to her career.” The unidentified contact also says that her boyfriend Travis Kelce also wants to confront [Ye] “man to man.”

The Taylor Swift and Kanye story dates back to the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards when West interrupted her acceptance speech and proclaimed that it should have gone to Beyoncé. “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you. I’mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!” Since then the two have gone on to make amends but it didn’t last very long. 

Taylor Swift has yet to formally speak on the matter.

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Kanye West hopped online and had the internet on fire again, this time with a mix of remorse and recklessness.

Ye started off by issuing a rare apology to Jay-Z for past disrespectful comments about his kids. “I’m sorry JAY-Z,” he wrote. “I be feeling bad about my tweet but I still feel I gave my life to this industry and thought so many people were my family but when I needed my family on some real shit none of these rap n-ggas had my back.”

It looked like Ye was finally trying to patch things up with Hov… but in true Kanye fashion, the peace didn’t last long. In the very same breath, Ye came for Taylor Swift with some jaw-dropping claims that had social media shook. He accused the pop star of having a threesome with Justin Bieber and Harry Styles, and said he was heated he wasn’t included. “I’ll show you an example of racism. Justin Bieber and Harry Styles had sex with Taylor Swift from both sides and didn’t call me,” Kanye posted. “ON EVERYTHIIING THIS TWEET IS ONE THOUSAND PERCENT TRUE.”

Kanye has been wildin’ on Twitter for a very long time. Letting off reckless tweets with no filter. He’s callin’ people out, droppin’ crazy claims, and just disrespecting his peers like it’s nothing. From taking shots at Taylor Swift to name-dropping other artists in messy situations, Ye’s got the timeline in a frenzy. Some fans think he’s just being Ye, but a lot of people are fed up, saying he’s doing too much and he’s crossing the line.
Check out some of the other wild tweets Ye’s been firing off below.

For several years, the consensus has been clear: Hit singles are getting shorter. Blame for this has fallen on shrinking attention spans, an environment of endless musical abundance in which songs must impress themselves on listeners quickly or risk being discarded, and the rise of short-form video platforms, which cause users to fall in love with 15-second sound snippets, rendering a full track irrelevant. 
In 2024, however, the average length of songs that cracked the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 actually rose by more than 20 seconds, to 3:40, according to Hit Songs Deconstructed. At the same time, the portion of top 10 hits that let over a minute pass before hammering home a chorus rose to its highest level in a decade, nearly 23%. 

While a single year of data doesn’t reverse a trend, it’s clear that longer hits have not been banished permanently from the upper reaches of the Hot 100. Five top 10s last year exceeded five minutes, including two apiece from Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar. These are the musical equivalents of doorstops, more than twice as long as the shortest top 10, Tate McRae‘s “Greedy.” And those hits seem downright laconic next to Drake‘s “Family Matters,” released in the middle of his venomous, no-holds-barred showdown with Lamar, which ran past 7:30. 

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Top songwriters and producers were cautiously optimistic about having more room to roam last year — and more freedom from the old adage, “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus.”

“The whole short-form thing has been pushed so hard,” says GENT!, who co-produced Doja Cat‘s “Agora Hills,” a hit that clocks in at 4:25. “The majority of the time, with short-form content, you need a gimmick, and I think music lovers are kind of tired of the gimmicks.”

“[An increase of] 20 seconds is significant,” adds the writer and producer Cirkut (Lady Gaga‘s “Abracadabra,” ROSÉ and Bruno Mars‘ “APT.”). “People may be tiring of the quick little TikTok thing.” 

On a spectrum between succinct and long-winded, Cirkut leans toward the former. “I do like to get to the hook,” he says. But he acknowledges that “sometimes, a longer verse keeps you waiting, and if it’s well-written, then it makes the chorus that much more satisfying.”

TikTok can certainly reward brevity as users fall hard for sonic morsels, even a verse or a hook from an as-yet-unwritten song. But perhaps counterintuitively, when “any catchy part of a song could be what grabs people’s attention,” this may end up loosening the constraints binding commercial songwriters, according to Matt MacFarlane, senior vp of publishing at Artist Partner Group. “Song length becomes less relevant,” adds Olly Sheppard, also a senior vp at APG. “Listeners already like the part they found on TikTok,” so they’re locked in regardless of how peculiar or meandering the rest of the track turns out to be.

This theory also got a vote of support from Evan Blair, who produced and co-wrote Benson Boone’s theatrical, heaving ballad “Beautiful Things,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100. (At three minutes on the dot, “Beautiful Things” was shorter than the average top 10 hit last year, but it did make listeners wait more than a minute before drenching them with a chorus.) “Now that teasing tracks [on TikTok and other social media platforms] is a thing, we often don’t introduce songs to the world chronologically,” Blair says. “If we draw people into the middle of the song, the journey to get there matters much less.”

While TikTok plays a prime role in music discovery, it is not the only factor influencing what songs become popular. Vincent “Tuff” Morgan, vp of A&R at the indie publisher peermusic, points out that many of the star artists and songwriters who released albums last year are now in the second half of their 30s. They have devoted fan bases, so they don’t live or die by viral trends: Instead, they can be confident that even if they take their time, legions of listeners will linger with them. 

“If you look at the chart, a lot of these are seasoned songwriters,” Morgan says. “The commonality is that the songwriters are a little more mature than the Gen-Z, TikTok generation.” Superstars like Swift, Lamar, Bruno Mars and Beyoncé, who combined for two dozen top 10 hits between them in 2024, are all 35 and up. 

Data from last year offers some support for Morgan’s theory. The average length of a top 10 hit was 3:40, and the average age of the lead artists on songs that exceeded 3:40 was around 35. That’s roughly five years more than the average age of the lead artists whose hits clocked in under 3:40. 

Not only that: 12 out of 18 of the top 10s that sprinted to the finish line in less than 3 minutes came from musicians under the age of 30. On the other end of the spectrum, Swift, who is 35, had seven top 10 hits longer than 3:40, and Lamar, age 37, had six.

This is all exciting for Dan Petel, who runs This Is Noise, a management company with a roster of songwriters and producers. For years, he’s been admonishing his clients, “stop sending songs that are just two verses and a chorus!” And now he believes, “happily, we’re evolving away from 15-second clip-based music.” 

“If you’re gonna have a great song,” Petel adds, “why would you want it to end so soon?”

It’s four years in a row for Taylor Swift, with the U.S. pop icon dominating Australia’s year-end charts once again, according to data published by ARIA
Swift has once more found her way to the top of the ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart, this time off the back of her massively-successful eleventh album, April’s The Tortured Poets Department. With results undeniably bolstered by her seven local shows as part of the record-setting Eras Tour, Swift is a constant presence in the year-end charts, making up 40% of the top ten.

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While The Tortured Poets Department sits at No. 1, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) appears at No. 5, with Lover at No. 7, and Midnights rounding it out at No. 10. Overall, she makes up 11% of the entire Top 100, with original or re-recorded versions of her entire discography (save for her self-titled debut) placed across the top 68 positions. Her 2014 album 1989 doubles up thanks to its original version placing at No. 68.

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It’s not a far cry from the results of last year either, where 1989 (Taylor’s Version) reigned supreme and was joined by the likes of The Weeknd, Morgan Wallen, SZA, and Harry Styles. In 2024, the top ten is rounded out by Billie Eilish‘s Hit Me Hard And Soft, Sabrina Carpenter‘s Short n’ Sweet, The Weeknd’s The Highlights, SZA’s SOS, Wallen’s One Thing At A Time, and Olivia Rodrigo‘s Guts.

The singles chart, however, belongs to U.S. singer-songwriter Benson Boone, whose “Beautiful Things” spent six weeks at No. 1 and has rarely been absent from the top ten since it first debuted. Boone’s success isn’t limited to Australia, with the track having topped numerous charts globally, and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” holds the silver medal position, with Carpenter’s “Espresso” closing out the podium finishes. Noah Kahan‘s “Stick Season” and Teddy Swims‘ “Lose Control” round out the top five, with Eilish’s “Birds Of A Feather” following closely behind. Irish musician Hozier‘s “Too Sweet” prevents a clean sweep for American artists, however, with his single hitting No. 8.

Swift’s influence also extends to the Singles Chart, with 2019’s “Cruel Summer” hitting No. 9 off the back of its 2023 viral success and single release. Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers”, which topped the chart last year, also makes a return appearance, albeit relegated to a respectable No. 39.

Of note, however, is the lack of Australian artists that make up the Albums and Singles Charts. In the latter category, just 5% are home-grown, with Vance Joy’s 2013 single “Riptide” leading the charge at No. 24. Cyril’s reimagining of Suzi Quatro’s “Stumblin’ In” can be found at No. 29, while DJ and producer Dom Dolla‘s “Saving Up” splits the field at No. 50. The Kid LAROI closes out the local representation with “Nights Like This” featuring at No. 84, and his 2021 Justin Bieber collaboration “Stay” in at No. 96.

The Albums Charts, however, boasts only three Australian names – with only one being a studio release. While South Australian veterans Cold Chisel can be found at No. 44 with their 50 Years – The Best Of compilation, so too can INXS‘ Diamond-certified The Very Best be located down at No. 81. The Kid LAROI is once again the only point of difference, with his debut album – 2023’s The First Time – hitting No. 67.

Check out ARIA’s year-end singles and albums charts.

It’s been a big year for Taylor Swift, so it only makes sense that she would celebrate her 35th birthday with an appropriately-large party.
Swift turned 35 on Friday (Dec. 13), just days after wrapping up Era Tour, which has assumed the throne of the highest-grossing tour of all time, by artists of any genre, and from any era in music history. Already, however, she’s celebrated with a number of special events, including sharing a cache of behind-the-scenes videos, and taking out an additional ten Billboard Music Awards – bringing her total to a massive 49.

The celebrations haven’t ended there, though, with reports that Swift’s partner, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, gifted $175,000 worth of floral arrangements and jewellery for her birthday.

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Now, her birthday week has continued with a party apparently inspired by the conclusion of Swift’s Eras tour. An Instagram post from Brittany Mahomes showed the former soccer player decked out in an outfit that pays homage to Swift’s Fearless album, while husband and Kelce’s Chiefs teamate Patrick Mahomes sporting a suit reminiscent of the “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” costume change.

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Elsewhere, Lyndsay Bell (wife of the Chiefs’ Blake Bell) could be seen wearing an outfit apparently inspired by Swift’s Lover era, while close friend Ashley Avignone sported a snake around her neck in reference to Reputation.

Other photos from the event also show friendship bracelets on offer as well, heavily referring back to the same bracelets which have become synonymous with Swift thanks to the Era tour.

Swift’s birthday celebrations have also coincided with her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, topping the Billboard 200 for the 17th week this week (chart dated Dec. 21), bringing her career total of weeks spent at No. 1 to 86 – second only to The Beatles at 130 weeks.

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Andrew Schulz still has his sights on Kendrick Lamar. The comedian has labeled the rapper the Taylor Swift of Rap.

As reported by Rap-Up, the media personality is not letting up on the “Not Like Us” MC. During the most recent episode of the Brilliant Idiots podcast, Andrew Schulz had a very hot take on Kung-Fu Kenny. “Kendrick really is the Taylor Swift of Hip-Hop. No matter what he does, he’s still the victim,” he explained. “You know how Taylor is always the victim? She’s the biggest in music in history, yet she’s a victim to the label, she’s a victim to Scooter, she’s a victim to her boyfriends. Yet, she’s still the biggest in the world. Somehow Kendrick is the victim here.”

His commentary follows a recent creepy statement he made after Kendrick Lamar took a shot at him on “wacced out murals” about the comedian’s criticism of Black women. “Kendrick’s people and the gang affiliate, you know, everybody, his security, they will kill me, they will destroy me,” he added. “They’ll find me in the street, they’ll f**king cut me up, they’ll shoot, they’ll do whatever, I’m not a tough guy … But just Kendrick? I would make love to him and there’s nothing he could do about it. Just Kendrick Lamar? I would make love to him. And the only thing that he could do is decide if it’s consensual or not.”
You can hear Andrew Schulz’s explain his comparison of Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift below.

Comedian Andrew Schulz reveals Kendrick Lamar’s team contacted Charlamagne Tha God to “clarify” things and thinks Kendrick is playing the victim like Taylor Swift in their beef. pic.twitter.com/pOEf9Qyldu
— Wiztohfem Unplugged (@wiztohfem) December 16, 2024
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Taylor Swift has played her last show on her record-breaking Eras Tour, but fans can still keep up with the singer — and look back on her remarkable career to date — with a new book from Rolling Stone journalist Rob Sheffield.

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Heartbreak Is the National Anthem was released in November as a hardcover book, and you can also listen to it now on Audible. The audiobook version has landed on Audible’s music bestsellers list, just behind books about Van Halen, R.E.M. and Bob Dylan.

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Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music

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Billed as an “intimate look at the life and music of modern pop’s most legendary figure,” the audiobook is read by Sheffield, a well-respected music journalist who has covered Swift’s career from the very beginning. In fact, the expanded title of the book is “A Celebration of Taylor Swift‘s Musical Journey, Cultural Impact, and Reinvention of Pop Music for Swifties by a Swiftie.”

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The new book chronicles not only the singer’s rise to fame, but also her impact on the music industry and on pop culture as a whole. From her early days as a teenage country singer, to becoming one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century, Heartbreak tracks the people, milestones and experiences that have shaped Swift’s journey.

The audiobook version is read by Sheffield himself, with a run-time of five hours and 29 minutes. You can purchase the audiobook for $21 right now on Amazon or listen to it for just 99 cents with a new Audible deal, which gets you a three-month subscription for just $3 total. Regularly $14.99/month, the new promo saves you 93% off for a limited time.

Heartbreak is the National Anthem was an instant New York Times best-seller when it was released, and reviewers have heaped praise on the book too, with an average 4.3-star rating (out of five) online. One reviewer raves about Sheffield’s writing, noting that he “offers worthy praise, cultural analysis, critical commentary, and clever connections,” along with “stories, details and humor that Swifties will appreciate.”

Another calls the book a “love letter to Swift’s artistry, with Sheffield blending personal anecdotes alongside a thoughtful analysis of her career and the impact she’s had on music and her fans.”

Per publisher Dey Street Books, Heartbreak is the National Anthem is “the first book that goes deep on the musical and cultural impact of Taylor Swift.”

“At once one of the most beloved music figures of the past two decades and one of the most criticized, Taylor Swift is known as much for her life beyond her music as she is for her hits—the most public of stars, yet also the weirdest and most mysterious,” reads the publisher notes. “Heartbreak Is the National Anthem will inform and delight a legion of fans who hang on every word from Taylor and every word Rob writes on her.”  

Purchase the book on hardcover or listen to it on Audible here. You can also check out more books about Taylor Swift here.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Get ready, Swifties! Taylor Swift‘s highly anticipated tour book hits Target shelves on Black Friday, and we’re getting more details on […]

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The mother of NFL superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes displayed her support for Donald Trump in a viral video.
On Monday night (November 4), the National Football League’s current Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ mother, Randi Mahomes, made it plain that she’s voting for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump by wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat matching her Chiefs sweater with gold lettering against a red background. “Make America great again. Let’s do it!,” she says to the camera, adding a cheer and a little dance at the end.

https://x.com/FakePearBear/status/1853604720624963807
The video was shot in a private suite at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs’ home field presumably as fans were filing into the stadium. Conservative media outlet Outkick and pundit Clay Travis shared the video with their followers in a post on X, formerly Twitter, noting the timing of it on the eve of the final day of the presidential election. The video was more striking as pop superstar Taylor Swift, who has publicly endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, was present at the game to cheer on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. 

14-time Grammy Award winner Swift was a source of heavy conversation after the endorsement as Brittany Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes’ wife, has shared her support for Donald Trump in the past by liking social media posts from the former president. After receiving criticism online, she posted an Instagram Story in August blasting those commenters. saying: “I mean honestly, to be a hater as an adult you have to have some deep-rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood. There’s no reason your brain is fully developed and you hate to see others doing well.” Trump would later express his thanks in a Truth Social post. “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me,” he wrote.
As for Patrick Mahomes, he has shied away from sharing who he supports in the presidential election, declining to publicly endorse a candidate during a press conference at the beginning of the current NFL season. He did, however, ask his fans and others to “do their own research, and then make the best decision for them and their family.”

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Get ready for the holiday season with a special gift for the Swiftie in your life. Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs best selling book is a must-have addition to any fan’s collection, offering an inside look at the stories behind her greatest hits. This Swift-themed book explores the fourteen-time Grammy winner’s music, covering every album, from Reputation to Lover and over 200 songs that tell stories inspired from her life experiences.

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With this Swiftie-approved gift, you can embrace all of Swift’s eras, from her second studio album, Fearless, to her Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping hit “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar. Plus, you’ll have access the story behind her music and learn more about the evolution of her sound from country to pop and folk music.

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What sets this book apart from any other collectible, is that it features direct quotes from Swift herself, providing insight into her creative process and the inspiration behind her songs from “Dear John” to “Lover.” Reflecting on her seventh studio album Lover, in this book, Swift describes it as, “a love letter to love, in all of its maddening, passionate, exciting, enchanting, horrific, tragic and wonderful glory.”

You can find this Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs hardcover book exclusively at Walmart.

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Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs (Walmart Exclusive)

Let the games begin and add this Taylor Swift-themed book that takes you to a deep dive look at Swift’s musical journey, revealing personal stories and creative insights behind her iconic songs, including, “Fearless,” “Dear John,” “22,” “Bad Blood” and many more.

This bestselling book, packed with insights into Swift’s music and creative process, makes a great gift for fans and music lovers alike. With in-depth stories behind her chart-topping hits, personal quotes from Swift and a deep dive into her musical evolution, it offers a unique look at her journey from Fearless to Midnights and beyond.

Whether you’re a longtime Swiftie or a newcomer to her music, this book is a great place to learn more about the story behind your favorite songs.

For more product recommendations, check out Dolly Parton’s activity book, Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through the Eras by Sarah Chapelle and additional Taylor Swift recommended books.