“Doing this on her album release day is so nasty,” one person wrote on X.
Taylor Swift drew criticism online this week after unveiling three new editions of her album “The Tortured Poets Department” just one day before Billie Eilish released her latest record, “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”
The “Tortured Poets Department” variants were made available digitally Thursday evening. Each edition includes a bonus version of one of three Swift songs: “The Black Dog,” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” and “Cassandra.”
Eilish, meanwhile, has been teasing the release of “Hit Me Hard and Soft” since April. Given the fervent anticipation for the nine-time Grammy winner’s latest, it didn’t take long for some fans to accuse Swift of making a transparent attempt to outpace “Hit Me Hard and Soft” on the charts.
One person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote: “i love you taylor, but this is just greedy. couldn’t have released this last week or next week? but now that you know there’s competition for #1 this week, you gotta go and play these stunts. it’s honestly tiring.”
Another X user suggested that Eilish’s recent criticism of excessive album variants “really got into” Swift, adding that “doing this on her album release day is so nasty.”
Others, however, came to Swift’s defense by suggesting it was simply indicative of the music business as a whole.
“This is a competitive industry, shes not playing any stunt she’s following the rollout,” one person wrote. “Still, even if it wasn’t why should Taylor move?”
Billie Eilish unveiled her new album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” on Friday.RICH POLK VIA GETTY IMAGES
“The Tortured Poets Department” has remained in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, which measures the 200 most popular albums in the country, since its April 19 release. The album sold more than 2.6 million copies in its first week.
Though the new “Tortured Poets Department” versions are currently only available digitally, the Eilish-versus-Swift discourse comes shortly after Eilish criticized musicians who have opted to issue multiple vinyl editions of their albums and singles in an effort to generate higher sales figures.
“I can’t even express to you how wasteful it is,” she told Billboard in March.
“It is right in front of our faces and people are just getting away with it left and right, and I find it really frustrating as somebody who really goes out of my way to be sustainable and do the best that I can and try to involve everybody in my team in being sustainable — and then it’s some of the biggest artists in the world making f–king 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more.”
Notably, Eilish didn’t identify any of the artists she may have been referring to in her comments. Still, many interpreted her remarks as a dig at Swift, whose Grammy-winning “Midnights” hit the shelves in 2022 with a handful of different vinyl editions.
After irking the fanbase of Swift and other artists, however, Eilish clarified on Instagram that she had only hoped to draw attention to “industry-wide systemic issues” in her Billboard interview.
She wrote: “when it comes to variants, so many artists release them – including ME! which I clearly state in the article. the climate crisis is now and it’s about all of us being part of the problem and trying to do better.”
It’s Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The 2024 election is heating up, and women’s rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America’s future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
News
(C)Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs coach is full of praise for Taylor Swift: ‘We Love Having Her a Part of the Family’
Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs coach is full of praise for Taylor Swift. Matt Nagy, who is the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs, revealed to local media outlet KCTV5 in an interview shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he loves having…
(C)Cyndi Lauper praises Taylor Swift “She writes wonderful songs, I first started listening during the pandemic when she wrote [folklore]. She’s terrific.”
Musical icon Cyndi Lauper was asked to comment on fellow singer-songwriter Taylor Swift—who continues to dominate the music industry with her new album The Tortured Poets Department and ongoing Eras Tour—and she didn’t hesitate when sharing her opinion of her. The “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”…
(C)Patrick Mahomes’ Wife Shares Cryptic Message About Taylor Swift Eras Tour
Brittany Mahomes teased fans about her plans to attend one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Europe. Mahomes, who is the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, became good friends with Swift after the singer started dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Mahomes…
(C)REPORT: Taylor Swift plans to stay with Travis Kelce in Kansas City during Eras Tour break.
Taylor Swift plans to stay with Travis Kelce in Kansas City during Eras Tour break: report Taylor Swift reportedly plans on putting down roots in Kansas City during her three-month break from the Eras Tour. An insider recently told Us Weekly that…
(C)Emotional moment as Travis Kelce says in an interview “Taylor Swift Made me a Different Man”.. Watch Taylor Swift blushing – “I have never been more happier like this before..”
Emotional moment as Travis Kelce says in an interview “Taylor Swift Made me a Different Man”.. Watch Taylor Swift blushing – “I have never been more happier like this before..” Taylor Swift’s initial remarks about beau Travis Kelce have been…
(C)Watching Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce together is like witnessing a fairytale unfold. Love truly knows no bounds.
Almost everyone who knows Travis Kelce well — from his childhood BFF to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — uses the same phrase to describe him: “the life of the party.” After winning his third Super Bowl, he belted…
End of content
No more pages to load