Damon Albarn apologized to Taylor Swift after saying she "doesn't write her own songs" in a recent interview.
The Blur and Gorillaz frontman made the comment verbatim in an interview with the Los Angeles Times over the weekend after the interviewer suggested that the "Red" singer is an "excellent songwriter."
Swift reacted to Albarn's comment on Twitter, writing, "I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging. You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really f----- up to try and discredit my writing. WOW."
In response, Albarn wrote, "I totally agree with you. I had a conversation about songwriting and sadly it was reduced to clickbait. I apologise unreservedly and unconditionally. The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand."
Some are asking, however, how the British rocker could claim that his comments were reduced to "clickbait."
When the interviewer insisted that Swift does, in fact, write her own songs and "co-writes some of them," Albarn shot down that claim.
"That doesn’t count. I know what co-writing is," he said. "Co-writing is very different to writing. I’m not hating on anybody, I’m just saying there’s a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes. Doesn’t mean that the outcome can’t be really great."
Albarn then went on to praise Billie Eilish, who co-writes all of her songs with her brother Finneas as "exceptional."
Some of Swift's collaborators, including Jack Antonoff of Bleachers and Aaron Dessner of The National, jumped to her defense.
Antonoff, who has worked with Swift for nearly a decade, tweeted, "i’ve never met damon albarn and he’s never been to my studio but apparently he knows more than the rest of us about all those songs taylor writes and brings in."
Dessner added, "Not sure why you @Damonalbarn would try to discredit Taylor's brilliant songwriting but as someone who has gotten to press record around her ... your statements couldn't be further from the truth...you're obviously completely clueless as to her actual writing and work process."