Taylor Swift’s fan following seems divided over her alleged romance with Matty Healy, frontman of 1975. Furthermore, her recent collaboration with Ice Spice has come under fire for apparently being opportunistic. The Grammy award-winning artist recently announced a remix of the fan-favourite “Karma” from Midnights, featuring rapper Ice Spice which would be included in the deluxe version of the album.
The collaboration comes only a month after Healy offered an almost apology to Ice Spice following a series of offensive remarks made by him. In a podcast, he made fun of the New York rapper’s ethnicity, laughing off the hosts’ jokes, calling her ‘Inuit spice girl’ and ‘chubby Chinese lady.’ He also laughed along when they imitated Hawaiian and Chinese accents. In the aftermath, one fan expressed their suspicion about Swift’s motivations for the collaboration and whether there might be an ulterior motive behind it. Another Twitter user similarly criticized Swift focusing on Healy.
At the same time, the now-deleted user, @SpeakUpNow_13, wrote a statement for Swifties concerned about the singer’s association with Healy. In the statement, the group expressed their “disappointment” over the 1975 frontman’s involvement in “acts and controversies” that “deeply trouble” them. The group further added that his actions contribute to the perpetuation of hate, stereotypes, and objectification, which targets and hurts people from the Jewish, Black, Chinese, Hawaiin, Inuit, LGBTQ+ communities, as well as women. The statement pointed out that Swift’s voice holds immense power, and her silence on such matters is palpable.
When the statement was released, many fans expressed dismay through social media, criticizing Swift and her insensitivities towards POC’s.
