Highlights
- Fans speculated about a feud between Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift over Eilish's comments on vinyl albums.
- Eilish actually criticized herself for releasing multiple vinyl variants, not Swift.
- Despite rumors of a feud, evidence suggests Eilish and Swift have a slightly different relationship than expected.
In the modern music landscape, very few stars are at the level of Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. After all, Eilish has amassed an impressive fortune and Swift has released many songs that fans love. Given their superstar status, fans want to know about the people in both stars' lives, including who Swift has dated.
With that in mind, it makes sense that there was a huge reaction when people thought Eilish was criticizing Swift. The fascination over Eilish's comments left fans wondering if she is friends with Swift or if the two singers are enemies.
This article will reveal why some fans think that Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift might be enemies. Then, the article will look at the evidence that Swift and Eilish actually are friends.
Why Fans Think Billie Eilish And Taylor Swift Are Feuding
In March 2024, Billie Eilish was interviewed by Billboard. During the resulting conversation, Eilish called out artists like Taylor Swift who put out several versions of their vinyl albums to make money.
"I can’t even express to you how wasteful it is. 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."
Eilish continued, "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. It’s so wasteful, and it’s irritating to me that we’re still at a point where you care that much about your numbers and you care that much about making money — and it’s all your favorite artists doing that sh-t."
In the aftermath of Eilish's Billboard interview, there was a backlash from many of Taylor Swift's fans. Since Swift is known for releasing variant vinyl albums, many observers felt the "Bad Guy" singer was calling out the "Bad Blood" superstar.
What celebrities have called out Taylor Swift, according to Buzzfeed?
- Katy Perry
- Nicki Minaj
- Diplo
- Kanye West
- Kim Kardashian
- Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
- Camilla Belle
- Demi Lovato
- Karlie Kloss
- Damon Albarn
- Calvin Harris
- Joe Jonas
One example of people reacting with anger to Eilish's comments came from Jackie & Claudia Oshry, the hosts of "The Toast Podcast". While talking about Eilish's comments, Claudia Oshry concluded she could only be talking about Swift. “I don’t think we could speculate this to be about anyone else.”
RelatedTaylor Swift's Desperate Attempt To Be 'Real' During A Rolling Stone Interview Ended Horribly For Her
Taylor Swift's Rolling Stone interview went completely wrong after the singer tried to be "real" with the magazine.Claudia Oshry also stated her belief that Eilish was calling out Swift because she was, "jealous". Jackie Oshry would later call Eilish a, "Dreadful, miserable girl."
On top of Eilish's comments about vinyl records, some fans have concluded that she might have been criticizing Swift at other times. In fact, a Reddit user who posted on r/TaylorSwift thought one of Eilish's songs called Swift out in its lyrics.
In 2021, a Reddit user did an analysis of the lyrics for Eilish's song "Therefore I Am". They compared the song's lyrics to things Swift has said in the past and her song "The Man". Based on those comparisons, the Reddit user believed Eilish was taking a shot at Swift in the song.
While the two most-upvoted responses to the Reddit post dismissed the theory, several others found it credible enough to consider.
Taylor Swift And Billie Eilish Are Very Likely Friends Despite The Rumors And Drama
Within days of fans assuming Billie Eilish's criticisms about vinyl album variants were about Taylor Swift, the younger artist completely denied that. Taking to her Instagram Stories, Eilish clarified that her criticisms weren't about anyone specific.
RelatedFans Were Disappointed In Billie Eilish After She Refused To Sign Autographs For This Specific Reason
Billie Eilish's unique connection with her fans was questioned after she refused to sign autographs.On top of seemingly stating that she wasn't trying to criticize Swift, Eilish pointed out the one person she was calling out. As Eilish explained in her Instagram Story, she criticized herself for putting out vinyl album variants in the past.
"Okay so it would be so awesome if people would stop putting words into my mouth and actually read what I said in that billboard article. I wasn’t singling anyone out, these are industry-wide systemic issues."
Eilish continued, "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 sheesh."
Looking back at Eilish's original comments to Billboard that caused controversy, it seems clear she really was calling herself out first and foremost.
After all, Eilish's comments about artists cashing in on selling variant albums despite the ecological impact were inspired by a question about her past album. When Eilish released her album "Happier Than Ever" she released eight variant vinyls which she told Billboard she now regrets.
RelatedTaylor Swift Was Criticized By This Talk Show Host For Inviting Die-Hard Fans Into Her House
Graham Norton called out Taylor Swift for the way she once treated her biggest fans and put herself at risk.On top of Eilish's comments getting taken out of context, there are other reasons to believe she is friends with Swift. Most notably, the two singers have a long history of publicly praising each other which makes it seem very clear they are friendly at least.
When Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun were embroiled in a feud in 2019, many fans believed Eilish was siding with her. The reason for that is following Swift speaking out, Seventeen reported that Eilish unfollowed Braun on social media .
One example of Swift and Eilish praising each other stems from a 2019 awards show. When Eilish won Billboard's Woman of the Year award in 2019, she thanked Swift for being an inspiration in her speech. Later that same night, Swift praised Eilish in her own speech and their mutual admiration seemed very clear.
Years later, in 2023, Eilish made it clear that she is in awe of Swift and Beyoncé. While talking to the Los Angeles Times, Eilish spoke about how impressed she is by Beyoncé and Swift's ability to put on incredible shows.
“I find it really hard to play stadiums,” Eilish said. “Beyoncé and Taylor are untouchable superstars; the fact that they can put on a show that long, and it’s filled with so many incredible moments, is really amazing."
At the end of the day, Swift and Eilish are the only ones who know if they really are friends. However, based on the publicly available evidence, they seem to be friends or share a great deal of respect for each other at least.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGirmrGcpL9uv9aina1lkp65rbXEZpyipJmotW6y0aKcp5yjYryzecSnnKahlah8