Category: Rumor Control

The Silence Breaks: Taylor Swift supports Hayley Kiyoko’s romantic narrative

On By The EditorIn Commentary, Rumor Control, Taylor Swift, Video

Okey, I might have seen silence quite this loud before, Taylor Nation.

Yes, it was very silent in my Spotify here in Canada as the vertical version of Delicate failed to play! Okey, no… That’s not what I’m on about. I better have a drink of water to wash away this salt. Give me a moment. Ok, I’m good.

Back on March 24th, Taylor broke her silence and made a statement and a donation in support of the March For Our Lives campaign. Here at the Swift Agency, just a guy who was thinking what to rant about next, we were not expecting her to go on record and make a second political statement.

Well, sorta on record. It was Tumblr, but there’s little chance that fans were going to miss this one. Singer Hayley Kiyoko had made a statement in which she mentioned how execs gave her grief on casting women in romantic roles in her videos, when she made a comparison to Taylor Swift’s writing about men romantically.

For clarity, here’s Hayley Kiyoko’s full quote via Refinery29:

“I’ve had several music industry execs say ‘You’re doing another music video about girls?’ I literally looked at them and was like, um, yea…Taylor Swift sings about men in every single song and video, and no one complains that she’s unoriginal,” Kiyoko says. “I’m not over-sexualizing my music. I make out with women because I love women, not because I’m trying to be sexy. That’s not to turn heads — that’s my life.”

It doesn’t help that the quote that was picked by a lot of media hubs starts at the name drop and ends right at the “no one complains” while cutting the trailing “…that she’s unoriginal” and the follow up. It was just quoted out of context (I don’t think it was a coincidence and the whole deal seems meant to create clickbait news, but whatever).

Anyhow, some fans saw it as a start of feud and/or criticism. Some fans were quick to see the confusion and so did the Sparkly Dressed. T-Swizzle had the good mind to reply with a rebuttal herself. Taylor did her own rumor control this time.

http://taylorswift.tumblr.com/post/172426031730/did-you-see-what-hayley-kiyoko-said-about-taylor

This might seem redundant, but I’ll transcribe T’s quote here just in case that Tumblr link stops working:

“Exactly. We should applaud artists who are brave enough to tell their honest romantic narrative through their art, and the fact is that I’ve never encountered homophobia and she has. It’s her right to call out anyone who has double standards about gay vs straight love interest.”

Taylor Swift, via Tumblr

She’s supporting the right to make art out of the artist’s own experience, something she’s done herself and that was Hayley’s point. Hayley’s difference is her preference, so why should it be ok for Taylor and not Hayley? I think that is as clear as we can make it.

Now everyone knows Taylor has been silent about most issues (if you expect me to write “political” you’re forgetting almost everything has gone political now) which means that even a little mention on Tumblr is going to blow up. Hopefully for the better, but people will criticize the timing and try to overanalyze an angle where there is none to be found.

Update! Hayley Kiyoko’s reaction on Twitter.

On other news, there’s a new version of Delicate known as the vertical version on Spotify. Some fans, including myself, have not managed to see it except through video captures from other fans but it looks nice. Far more simple, although I suspect a camera crane is involved. Apparently you don’t need to have a premium account, but it doesn’t work on certain locations.

 

Coming up on the Calendar!

  • May 8: Taylor Swift’s reputation Stadium Tour begins in Glendale, AZ.

(Sources: Tumblr, Refinery29, Spotify)

How can I ever try to be better. An Editorial.

On By The EditorIn Editorial, Rumor Control
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

My apologies for the bad aftertaste of that last post, Taylor Nation.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read the last Rumor Control. Now we move on to deal with the fallout. Why? Because in some people’s minds, Taylor is guilty no matter what. That includes a lot of the media. If you want to talk about character assassination, snippy articles have been written about the Sparkly Dressed for a long time. She’s been attacked and condemned (and call endless names) already. I don’t know who among us would be able to handle all the pressure, but I for one would’ve quit trying a long time ago.

Taylor Swift has had her flaws. Not every one of her song has been constructive, and some of her lyrics in the past have gone into slut shaming territory (see: Better Than Revenge). I’m aware she doesn’t like to be called calculating but she’s very business savvy. She’s a workaholic. She values her image and how she is perceived to her fans. She’s lived most of her life on stage and having interviews. As she has grown up to adulthood, she’s no stranger to life in the spotlight. She’s expected to deal with shit like this all the time, and there’s a good chance she’s dealt with even worse without us knowing.

I’m going to be very honest with you, Taylor Nation. I’ve become a little disenchanted with the music industry. Famous doesn’t mean wise. Famous doesn’t mean even mature, as it has been proven time and time again. It’s funny (sad) how little talent is there in being Famous. But at least I would expect some manners. Then again, that’s what I expect from everyone. Instead, it seems everyone wants to make a clusterfuck out of every feud. Maturity level is dropping below sea level at this point.

When all is said and done, we still have the Blonde With The Sparkly 1989 Microphone. Still standing. Perhaps a few people will decide not to buy her records or get tickets or stop voting for her at fan awards. If people make up hashtags and/or write internet memes and it becomes cool to hate Taylor, then other people feel compelled to follow the trend. Me, I remain a long standing citizen of the Taylor Nation. However, I’m cool with people who don’t like her. Honest. But hatred is a different thing and an ugly thing at that.

There’s a lot of things going in the world because of hatred. Violence. Mass shootings. Bat shit crazy people both in positions of power or aiming for positions of power preaching hatred. And people follow them. It then falls unto us, us meaning the people who think, feel, act and give a damn to be better. We gotta be the bigger person when everyone else is running around with their brains turned off because there’s nobody else. I don’t blame you if you want to give up and move to Canada. I already moved to Canada and I’m still hearing about it.

Remember you have the right to look for your own happiness.

In the meantime, you can find me blogging about Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival 2016 over at NeverThinkImpossible.com.

Coming up next in the Calendar:

Rumor control: A phone call in twelve clips

On By The EditorIn Rumor Control2 Comments

mobile-phone-426559_640Sorry, Taylor Nation. This is not going away. The bitter pill is better swallowed quick, so we’ll be swift here.

First of all, the facts we know. Kim Kardashian recorded a call between Taylor Swift and Kanye West. The call was about Kanye’s upcoming song, Famous. We have not listened to the entire call. What we have heard so far is twelve separate Snapchat posts from that conversation. In one of them Kanye says a line from his song that includes the “me and Taylor might still have sex” line. This clip only has Kanye. It does not include Taylor’s voice before or after. Another clip has Taylor thanking Kanye for calling her before including a line about her. In another one, she’s talking about something just been cheeky. People have tied along the clips together in the order that Kim posted them and posted that as if it was one thing. Nobody has any proof that the clips are in order. The line about calling Taylor a bitch and making her famous is not included. None of the sound bites have the beginning or the ending of the call.

Second, Taylor’s camp has never denied the call exist. They state that Taylor has not heard the song. Taylor herself has denied ever hearing the line about being call a bitch and being made famous. Taylor’s people also stated Taylor did warn Kanye about the misogynistic message. No clips have been posted about that.

Third, the implications for Taylor. The implication for her is the perception that the clips constitute approval. If so, she lied about not approving the song. Some believes this carries forth to Taylor’s Grammy acceptance speech. The speech alludes to “some people” taking credit for your accomplishments or fame. This results in tarnishing Taylor’s name and image.

Fourth, the implications for Kim and Kanye could be legal. According to the Digital Media Law Project, it depends greatly on where the call was made. California state wiretapping law requires the consent of both parties. New York state wiretapping law of just one. Kanye has recording studios in both California and New York. Taylor has houses in both California and New York. If both of them were in California, mutual consent was needed. If both were in New York, K&K are off the hook. If one of them was in one state and the other in a different one, then this becomes a legal conundrum.

That’s it. No speculation.

Coming up next in the Calendar:

(Sources: Digital Media Law Project)

Rumor Control: On the subject of context and hell. That Vanity Fair quote.

On By The EditorIn Interview, Rumor Control, Taylor Swift, Video2 Comments
(Photo: Peter Lindbergh for Vanity Fair)
(Photo: Peter Lindbergh for Vanity Fair)

It’s a media blitz, Taylor Nation.

Here at the Swift Agency, one guy who thinks this is the perfect night for blogging at midnight, we’ve tried clearing as much as we could the setup for that Vanity Fair quote on the previous post but it remains vague. The quote was said as a response to mean girls in general, but the ‘response to an incident’… needs some clarification.

Popdust put it all in perspective asking specifically for the context. If you’ve heard any of her previous interviews, you know the Sparkly Dressed would not respond directly to Tina and Amy either.

Personally, I have to add something that has been bugging me. Why would Taylor involve Katie Couric if she was actually lashing back at two other people? She would not include a friend of hers into a response of this nature.

Here’s the way it’s expressed in the article.

“You know, Katie Couric is one of my favorite people,” Taylor Swift tells Vanity Fair contributing editor Nancy Jo Sales on the subject of mean girls in general and in response to an incident at this year’s Golden Globes, where Amy Poehler and Tina Fey mocked her highly scrutinized love life. “Because she said to me she had heard a quote that she loved, that said, ‘There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.’”

– Vanity Fair

This is a preview of the Vanity Fair photoshoot. Sorry, no audio.

Watch on YouTube

Here’s E! News talking to the Vanity Fair contributing editor Nancy Jo Sales about the article. Unfortunately, they never ask her what the question was that got the quoted answer.

Watch on YouTube

Thanks to ohsoswiftly for both clips! Hopefully this will blow over soon, although I doubt it. As long as you can sell headlines, it will continue until someone calls someone and then announces everyone is friends again. Hoping that happens soon.

The original preview of the article is on Vanity Fair. The article will be available on their April issue, with T-Swizzle on the cover. And Taylor… she’s coming up. March 13. The RED Tour begins.

Coming up on the Calendar!

  • March 9: Taylor Swift’s recorded performance for Let’s Dance For Comic Relief airs on the BBC One.
  • March 13: The RED Tour begins.
  • March 13 and 14: The Red Tour starts at CenturyLink Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. On sale now. More information on Ticketmaster.
  • March 18: Amos Heller‘s Birthday.
  • March 18 and 19: The Red Tour at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. On sale now. More information on Ticketmaster.

(Sources: Vanity Fair, Popdust)

The Cutting Room Floor: It’s a rant! It’s an editorial! No… it’s rumor control.

On By The EditorIn Rumor Control, Taylor Swift, The Cutting Room Floor4 Comments
(Photo: AKM Images / GSI Media)
(Photo: AKM Images / GSI Media)

Next chapter Taylor Nation,

Here at the Swift Agency, just a guy who has no things to mail back and he still walks home alone, we know it’s award season and the 70th Golden Globes Awards are coming up so it’s hardly the time for a rant/editorial/rumor control piece. However, if I start questioning when inspiration strikes I fear I might lose the drive to write altogether. So, I’m writing one.

It seems it’s open season in all media to take shots at the Sparkly Dressed. We’ve been here before. They use the lyrics from one of her popular songs that usually they’ll claim to death they don’t know and then they make some ridiculous claim while using vague language. In an exercise of self indulgence, one site quotes the other turning what was allegation into confirmation and the rumor builds onto itself. Basically someone makes up the rumor and the others go “would it be true?” while they’re essentially just propagating them.

Truth? You don’t know what you don’t know. Nobody knows what happens between two people behind closed doors and no “unnamed source closed to the star” knows either. If the original source is the Sun, Page Six of the New York Post or the National Enquirer, I’m going to go with F-A-K-E. Don’t get me started on the Gerez Milton hypocrite approach to “friendship” where he puts up a video defending Taylor but his site has been posting up the worst possible made up garbage about her.

Bring on the pretenders… No, the song (or songs, according to the fake news there are five now) that leaked were not written by Taylor or sung by her. I don’t want to go into a writing rant here, but they were not written by a professional songwriter. Or even a writer to begin with. Songwriting can’t skip over composition, structure and command of language. I know prose is more my thing while Taylor is the poetry expert but I can still tell a verse apart from  just words thrown in together for the sake of rhyming.

T-Swizzle will take the stage at the 55th Grammy Awards live on February 10 on CBS. Her three Grammy nominations are: Record of the Year for We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Best Country Duo/Group Performance with The Civil Wars and Best Song Written For Visual Media both for Safe and Sound with The Civil Wars.

Coming this Sunday, January 13, the Queen of Sparks will attend the 70th Golden Globes Awards. She and The Civil Wars are nominated for Original Song for Safe and Sound. She has also been nominated for International Female Solo Artist for the BRIT Awards 2013 that take place Wednesday, February 20.

(Source: goldenglobes.org)
(Source: goldenglobes.org)

Coming up on the Calendar!

  • January 13: The 70th Golden Globes Awards air on NBC. Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars are nominated for Original Song for Safe and Sound. Taylor will be attending.
  • Jan 24: Taylor Swift attends Spain’s Los Premios 40 Principales. She’s expected to take the stage and nominated for the non-Spanish international category.
  • Feb. 5: Tim McGraw’s album Two Lanes of Freedom is released. Includes the track Highway Don’t Care featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
  • Feb. 9: Charity Lynne Baroni‘s Birthday.

(Source: TheSwiftAgency.com)