Taylor Swift has spoken out about the widespread criticism of her raunchy new album.
While appearing on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show, the pop star, 35, addressed the backlash surrounding her lyrics to her most sexual song yet, Wood, in which she proudly boasts about the size of her fiancé Travis Kelce’s manhood.
As she discussed the writing process on her 12th record, the singer explained she was hoping to create something ‘mischievous, fun, scandalous, sexy, fun, flirty, [and] hilarious.’
When asked how she chooses to absorb all the reactions, both positive and negative, to The Life of a Showgirl, the 14-time Grammy winner said she welcomes ‘the chaos.’
‘The rule of show business is if it’s the first week of my album release and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping,’ she told listeners. ‘I have a lot of respect for people’s subjective opinions on art. I’m not the art police.’
The performer also clarified that she believes ‘everybody is allowed to feel exactly how they want’ about her music and her goal as an entertainer is to be a ‘mirror.’
‘Often times an album is a really, really wild way to look at yourself, right?’ she stated. ‘What you’re going through in your life is going to affect whether you relate to the music that I’m putting out at any given moment.’
Swift went on to note that she loves when fans say they have grown to love an album of hers that they didn’t initially relate to until going through certain life experiences.
‘I have such an eye on legacy when I’m making my music. I know what I made. I know I adore it,’ she said.
She also stressed that making this album was particularly meaningful for her, as an artist, because she’s ‘always wanted to have fun in this type of way’ and ‘exhibit mischief and be flirty and fun and make jokes.’
‘That’s a huge part of my my personality,’ she explained.
Although she acknowledged that she is ‘really known’ for her sad and cathartic tracks, the star raved that she is no longer in that place anymore.
‘I’m so proud of these melodies and these lyrics and these stories and going in and out of character,’ she insisted.
While speaking about her emotional track, Eldest Daughter, Swift reflected on previously trying to play it cool to protect herself in the lyrics.
‘There’s this aversion to actually seeming like you could need anything or that you could need or want anyone,’ she reflected. ‘You’re supposed to accidentally have love. You’re supposed to accidentally end up on vacation.’
While speaking about her relationship with Kelce, Swift spoke about how after they met, she began to feel like she could be a ‘person who could have romantic whims’ and dreams.
Last week, Swift raised eyebrows after releasing her overtly sexual track, Wood, in which she sings that Kelce’s ‘love was the key’ that ‘opened’ her thighs.
Plenty of Swifties were also taken aback by the astonishingly raunchy lyrics and sexual innuendos as she has historically taken a more metaphorical approach to writing about intimacy.
