Aug. 8 (UPI) — Taylor Swift says the backlash she faced during her feud with Kim Kardashian was an “isolating” and “humiliating” experience.
In an interview with Vogue published in the September issue, the 29-year-old singer recalled how fans of Kardashian and Kanye West declared her “canceled” amid controversy over West’s song “Famous.”
“A mass public shaming, with millions of people saying you are quote-unquote canceled, is a very isolating experience. I don’t think there are that many people who can actually understand what it’s like to have millions of people hate you very loudly,” Swift told the magazine.
“When you say someone is canceled, it’s not a TV show. It’s a human being,” she said. “You’re sending mass amounts of messaging to this person to either shut up, disappear, or it could also be perceived as, ‘Kill yourself.'”
Swift and Kardashian clashed in 2016 after West referenced Swift in “Famous.” Swift denied she approved the lyrics, leading Kardashian to release video of a conversation between Swift and West. Fans of Kardashian and West then led an online campaign to “cancel” Swift.
“I realized I needed to restructure my life because it felt completely out of control,” Swift said. “I knew immediately I needed to make music about it because I knew it was the only way I could survive it. It was the only way I could preserve my mental health and also tell the story of what it’s like to go through something so humiliating.”
Swift released her album “Reputation” in 2017 following the controversy. She will release her seventh studio album, Lover, Aug. 23, and perform Aug. 26 at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.
