Feuds make the news. Just look at the one between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. Type both their names into Google, and you're guaranteed to see a new headline. It's no wonder that the media, as well as both their publicity teams, are taking advantage of it and milking it as much as possible.
While there is some truth to the feud between Swift and Perry, the newest drama in Swift's life seems to stem from a desperate media's grasping for straws. Swift has been extremely silent over the past three years and, aside from the drama between her and Kanye West, has given few opportunities for the media to comment on her.
In fact, this newfound "drama," the "feud" between her and Lorde, is so convoluted and out-of-nowhere that it seems fabricated.
Because it is.
How it 'started'
Remember in 2015, when Lorde and Swift, the self-declared BFFs were "fighting"? Swift took to Twitter to declare that she and the New Zealand native were in fact, not in any feud, but rather, "face timing constantly."
It had already been almost two years since Pure Heroine, Lorde's debut album was released, and she was about to enter a period of relative musical silence to begin work on Melodrama, her sophomore album. Swift as well, would enter a somewhat similar period of silence. The media didn't have much to work with between the two girls.
Then, amidst the Kanye West and Kim Kardashian drama numerous artists, entertainers, and other A-Listers seemed inspired to come out against the infamous Swift "girl squad." Swift may have gone into hiding, but that didn't mean that others weren't going to benefit from the potential publicity.
The "squad" has been under attack for a while, and Lorde's most recent comments and rising popularity added more fuel to the already long-burning fire.
Adding analogy to injury
Taylor Swift is known for being a high-maintenance friend, and she's even said so herself that she has security with her because of the "file of stalkers" she knows she has. She's acknowledged that she knows she'll be stopped out in public by fans and the like in both interviews and in her music, and, being one of the biggest pop stars in the world, Swift has a very well-crafted image that she needs to maintain.
It's no wonder that Lorde, who didn't even mention Swift, said recently that being friends with someone like her is like "having a friend with an autoimmune disease." The "Liability" singer apologized for her insensitivity, but this begs the question. Would she have needed to apologize if the media hadn't referred to it as "shade" or as a "diss"? Aside from the fact that it was brought to the attention of die-hard Swifties because of the media, upon analyzing the statement, it seems like a very simple, easy-to-understand analogy for a friendship that is restricted from certain things because of the chaos those things might cause.
It is what it is, and it doesn't seem to be a big secret to Swift that a friendship or relationship with her can be logistically complicated.
Squadless, for Lorde, is a good thing
After the autoimmune comment, Lorde was seen in a "Sunrise" interview rolling her eyes to the mention of Swift's star-studded squad. Lorde had to again clarify that she was rolling her eyes at the idea of calling her idols (like Bowie) for advice, but that the clip was edited to make it seem like she had rolled her eyes to the mention of the squad.
Though Lorde admitted to rolling her eyes later at the mention of the squad, headlines didn't seem keen on including her explanation. They claimed that she "was not part of Swift's squad", when in fact, she defended the squad, or lack thereof, expressing her frustration at the perception of the squad as some sort of "secret cult" and "exclusive club or secret society."
Lorde went on to call Swift a "dear friend" in a clarifying statement, which is, for now, evidence enough that the recent drama is cooked. It is yet to be seen how Swift will react when she returns to the spotlight with some new music and new statements, but it is doubtful that either will include any "response jabs" at Lorde.
