She finally unveiled the anticipated music video for her new single Delicate on Sunday night.
But Taylor Swift is never far from controversy, and after debuting the video at the iHeartRadio Music Awards while accepting the Female Artist Of The Year gong, some fans were accusing the star of ripping off Spike Jonze’s work.
The video sees the pop superstar dancing around a hotel lobby while dressed in an elegant blue gown, with many tweeters comparing the choreography and look of the video to the Kenzo fragrance commercial directed by Jonze.
Throwback: Taylor Swift’s music video for Delicate has drawn online accusations that it swiped Spike Jonze’s 2016 Kenzo commercial starring The Leftovers actress Margaret Qualley (right)
Jonze’s 2016 commercial stars The Leftovers actress Margaret Qualley.
Margaret in the ad, like Taylor in the music video, dances energetically in a dress around an elaborate building – in the former’s case, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles – while pulling extravagant facial expressions.
When iHeartRadio tweeted a GIF of Taylor’s video, writing: ‘We see you @taylorswift13 with those moves! #Delicate #iHeartAwards2018,’ a Twitter user replied: ‘We see you with a copy of #MargaretQualley dancing in #SpikeJonze @kenzo commercial’.
Look familiar? The video sees Taylor dancing around a hotel lobby with many tweeters comparing the choreography and look of the video to the Kenzo fragrance commercial
Bounding about: Margaret in the ad dances energetically the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles while pulling extravagant facial expressions
Another wrote: ‘Anybody else notice that the @taylorswift13 “Delicate” music video ripped off Spike Jonze’s Kenzo video? It’s almost beat-for-beat, just with worse dancing.’
Vanity Fair Spain writer Emilio Doménech tweeted in Spanish, per Google Translate: ‘I’m writing about the Taylor Swift video clip and I just thought … f***, if it’s a f***ing copy of that of Spike Jonze for KENZO.’
As Billboard pointed out – while also comparing her dance moves to those of Maddie Ziegler – the music video is reminiscent of that for Britney Spears’ 2000 song Lucky, which follows a celebrity chafing under public scrutiny.
‘We see you’: When iHeartRadio tweeted a GIF of Taylor’s video, writing: ‘We see you @taylorswift13 with those moves! #Delicate #iHeartAwards2018,’ a Twitter user had none of it
‘It’s almost beat-for-beat, just with worse dancing’: Another wrote: ‘Anybody else notice that the @taylorswift13 “Delicate” music video ripped off Spike Jonze’s Kenzo video?’
Noticeable: Vanity Fair Spain writer Emilio Doménech tweeted in Spanish, per Google Translate, that Taylor’s video was ‘a f***in copy of that of Spike Jonze for KENZO’
Taylor, who declined to show up to the iHeartRadio Music Awards ceremony in person, gave her acceptance speech via video like her friend and fellow winner that night Ed Sheeran.
She then unveiled the music video, in which Taylor sheds her stardom to become invisible to everyone.
At the early part of the video, Taylor is posing on a red carpet amid a sea of camera flashes, and a mysterious man in black hands her a sparkling bit of paper.
Thief: Both Taylor and Margaret dance around suited and booted men in one of many similar scenes in the two videos
Soon, Taylor walks through an elaborate hotel lobby surrounded by her bodyguards, with onlookers gawping at her.
She herself tries to be gracious to her fans, and even poses for photos with a few of them – only for a crazed bellboy to rush her and be apprehended by her staff.
At one point, she finds herself alone, holding the sparkling paper, staring into a mirror and getting so bored she starts to pull funny faces at herself.
Spot the difference: Many tweeters posted side by side comparisons of the two videos
Multitalented: Taylor shows off one of her many skills in the new music video for her 2017 song Delicate, dramatically doing the splits in the rain on the hood of a car
Unveiled: Taylor debuted the music video on Sunday at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, which were held at The Forum in Inglewood
Suddenly, a group of girlfriends enters the room, and although Taylor insinuates herself among them, they completely fail to notice her.
Then, she looks into the mirror and her reflection is absent – whereupon the camera emphasizes the sparkling paper she has now set down.
Taylor tests out her new invisibility, leaping about near her bodyguards in a vain effort to get their attention and tossing her shoes aside.
Publicity rounds: At the early part of the video, Taylor is posing on a red carpet amid a sea of camera flashes, and a mysterious man in black hands her a sparkling bit of paper
Protected: Soon, Taylor walks through an elaborate hotel lobby surrounded by her bodyguards, with onlookers gawping at her
Perils of fame: She herself tries to be gracious to her fans, and even poses for photos with a few of them – only for a crazed bellboy to rush her and be apprehended by her staff
What’s happening?: Suddenly, a group of girlfriends enters the room, and although Taylor insinuates herself among them, they completely fail to notice her
She decides to enjoy her newfound state, tearing off the bottom part of her previously full-length dress and leaving it with a hemline at mid-thigh.
The Pennsylvania-born blonde bombshell bounds gleefully around the hotel, dancing everywhere an attracting absolutely zero attention.
As a trio of women have a raging argument in the middle of the lobby, the pop diva plants herself between them, shimmies and makes no impression.
She puts her enviably chiseled legs on display, marching across the front desk to the utter indifference of the concierge and the guest he is helping.
Mysterious magic: Then, she looks into the mirror and her reflection is absent – whereupon the camera emphasizes the sparkling paper she has now set down
I’d rather be blue: She decides to enjoy her newfound state, tearing off the bottom part of her previously full-length dress and leaving it with a hemline at mid-thigh
Out of the spotlight: The Pennsylvania-born blonde bombshell bounds gleefully around the hotel, dancing everywhere an attracting absolutely zero attention
Slipping into an elevator, Taylor comes face to face with a woman who smiles directly at her, making her briefly think she is being seen again.
Taylor initially seems heartened to no longer be invisible, but it turns out the other woman is only smiling in order to adjust her lipstick in the elevator’s mirrored wall.
Somewhat deflated, Taylor then ventures into a Los Angeles Metro station, dancing again and remaining undetected, even when she slides onto one of the trains.
Once out of the Metro, she leaps into a nighttime downpour and keeps hoofing, splashing in the flooded gutters and winding up on top of a car.
The thick of it: As a trio of women have a raging argument in the middle of the lobby, the pop diva plants herself between them, shimmies and makes no impression
Hither and yon: She puts her enviably chiseled legs on display, marching across the front desk to the utter indifference of the concierge and the guest he is helping
End of the spell?: Slipping into an elevator, Taylor comes face to face with a woman who smiles directly at her, making her briefly think she is being seen again
From the roof of this car, she makes her way down the windshield and onto the hood, and it is there that she elegantly achieves the splits.
Done with that, she wanders into the iconic Downtown Los Angeles bar the Golden Gopher – and everyone inside can see her.
Shuddering from the cold, she sees that old bit of paper in her hand sparkling feebly, and then she looks up, sees something behind the camera, and smiles.
It is possible her brief invisibility in the video is a reference to her retreat from the public eye and subsequent reemergence last year.
Whoops: Taylor initially seems heartened to no longer be invisible, but it turns out the other woman is only smiling in order to adjust her lipstick in the elevator’s mirrored wall
In transit: Somewhat deflated, Taylor then ventures into a Los Angeles Metro station, dancing again and remaining undetected, even when she slides onto one of the trains
What a glorious feeling: Once out of the Metro, she leaps into a nighttime downpour and keeps hoofing, splashing in the flooded gutters and winding up on top of a car
Legs for days: She does a bit of choreography atop the automobile as well
The music video for Delicate was directed by Joseph Kahn, who worked with Taylor before on videos for such songs as Bad Blood and Look What You Made Me Do.
His prodigious career has included the iconic music videos for Britney Spears’ Toxic and Womanizer, and for Eminem’s Love The Way You Lie.
Delicate, which includes the line: ‘My reputation’s never been worse, so,’ is a cut off Taylor’s latest album Reputation from this past year.
She is currently preparing to kick off a stadium tour plugging the album, and the rehearsals were her excuse for missing Sunday night’s award show.
Lithe and limber: From the roof of this car, she makes her way down the windshield and onto the hood, and it is there that she elegantly achieves the splits
Breaking the spell: Done with that, she wanders into the iconic Downtown Los Angeles bar the Golden Gopher – and everyone inside can see her
Source: Delicate, which includes the line: ‘My reputation’s never been worse, so,’ is a cut off Taylor’s latest album Reputation from this past year