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Billboard apologises to Taylor Swift after posting her controversial video

Taylor Swift ranked the second pop star of the 21st century by Billboard. But later, posted a video featuring footage from Kanye West aka Ye's 2016 music, in which Taylor's naked wax statue is shown

Taylor Swift, Taylor

Taylor Swift(Photo: Reuters)

Sonika Nitin Nimje New Delhi

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According to Billboard magazine, Taylor Swift is the second-greatest pop star of the twenty-first century. This demonstrates her enduring appeal to fans of all ages as well as her significant impact on the music business. Swift has taken "pop stardom to places we had not previously thought possible," according to the magazine.
 
On November 26, Billboard unveiled the list of the greatest pop stars of the past 25 years. The announcement of the number one artist is scheduled for next week, but the identity of the artist has not yet been made public. 
 
However, later Billboard had to apologise to the pop star. The video included footage from Kanye West, often known as Ye,'s 2016 music video for "Famous," which features Taylor's nude wax figure alongside his own and other figures. 
 

Other singers on the greatest pop star of the 21st century list?

Lady Gaga is ranked number five, Drake is ranked number four, and Rihanna is ranked third. Britney Spears is in sixth place, followed by Adele and Usher in ninth and tenth place, Kanye West in seventh, and Justin Bieber in eighth. 

Billboard issues apology to Taylor Swift

Billboard took the video down from its social media accounts a few hours later and shared the updated version without the Famous footage. Additionally, the caption stated, “We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her. We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.”

Why were the Swifties angry?

Swifties were already angry that their favourite star had not been announced as the greatest pop diva of the twenty-first century by Billboard, a spot which is going to be taken likely by Beyonce. To make matters worse, footage from Ye's well-known performance was included. According to Billboard, Ye or Kanye West is ranked seventh. His long-standing dispute with Taylor erupted when a 2020 phone call between the two was posted public.
 
With the tagline, "@taylorswift takes the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s list of the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century. (silver medal emoji)", Billboard posted a tribute video to Taylor Swift on their social media accounts. The tribute video does, however, include a segment from Kanye West, often known as Ye,'s 2016 music video for "Famous," in which his own and other people's naked wax statues are displayed beside Taylor's. The video also featured his controversial lyrics implying that he "made that b**ch famous" and that he and Taylor "might still have sex."
 
An Instagram user wrote on the old video, “Apologize publicly to Taylor Swift.” Another wrote, “What happened was truly disgusting!!!” “Your attitude as a ‘serious’ music portal was shameful,” says a third, while a fourth commented, “Yall did her dirty. APOLOGIZE.”
 

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First Published: Nov 28 2024 | 5:58 PM IST

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