Taylor Swift reveals she was told to ‘kill herself’ amid ‘public shaming’ over Kim Kardashian feud

Taylor Swift is breaking her silence about everything from her feuds with Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry to the reason she never endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in the new issue of Vogue.  

The singer, 29, spoke about the extreme ‘isolation’ she felt and attacks she endured in the weeks after Kardashian likened her to a ‘snake’ in response to Swift attacking the reality star’s husband Kanye West over a line in his song Famous.  

‘A mass public shaming, with millions of people saying you are quote-unquote cancelled, is a very isolating experience,’ said Swift. 

‘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.’

She went on to state: ‘When you say someone is canceled, it’s not a TV show. It’s a human being. You’re sending mass amounts of messaging to this person to either shut up, disappear, or it could also be perceived as, kill yourself.’

 

Candid: Taylor Swift covered the September issue of Vogue magazine and spoke candidly about her experiences with sexism and trolling during her climb to fame

Shocking: She's one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Yet the 29-year-old singer has spoken about the fierce backlash she has received within the industry and from the public

Shocking: She’s one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Yet the 29-year-old singer has spoken about the fierce backlash she has received within the industry and from the public

It's all kicking off: A social media campaign of hate took off in 2016 when Kim and Taylor went head to head in a dispute over Kanye West's song lyrics about the singer

It’s all kicking off: A social media campaign of hate took off in 2016 when Kim and Taylor went head to head in a dispute over Kanye West’s song lyrics about the singer 

The singer was trolled when Kim took to Twitter in July 2016 to note that it was ‘National Snake Day’ – before releasing footage which appeared to show Taylor consenting to the song lyrics while on speaker phone with Kanye. 

Taylor took offense at the rapper’s lyric: ‘For all my South Side n****s that know me best / I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous.’

Kanye defended the line, claiming he had a conversation with Taylor about the lyrics in question, and after the singer accused him of lying, Kim released a partial recording of the conversation in question.

‘I’m really glad you had the respect to call me that and tell me that as a friend, about the song. It’s just a really cool thing to do, and a really good show of friendship’ Taylor is heard saying. 

In the wake of her feud with Kardashian, the singer said that she was forced to reevaluate her priorities and outlook.

‘I realized I needed to restructure my life because it felt completely out of control,’ explained Swift. 

‘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.’

Out soon: Vogue is available in New York and LA August 13, and nationwide August 20

Out soon: Vogue is available in New York and LA August 13, and nationwide August 20

Soon after, she ended what had been a lengthy and much publicized feud with fellow pop star Katy Perry.

It was Perry was made the first move however, by sending Swift an actual olive branch. 

Swift in turn asked her to make a cameo in her music video for You Need to Calm Down, an offer that was ultimately accepted by Perry.

‘She wrote back, “This makes me so emotional. I’m so up for this. I want us to be that example. But let’s spend some time together. Because I want it to be real.” So she came over and we talked for hours,’ said Swift.

“We decided the metaphor for what happens in the media is they pick two people and it’s like they’re pouring gasoline all over the floor. All that needs to happen is one false move, one false word, one misunderstanding, and a match is lit and dropped. That’s what happened with us. It was: Who’s better? Katy or Taylor? Katy or Taylor? Katy or Taylor? Katy or Taylor?’

She added: ‘The tension is so high that it becomes impossible for you to not think that the other person has something against you.’

Speaking out: Swift says in the interview that she was oblivious to sexism at the start of her career because she was seen as familial by most in the industry, but that all changed when she reached womanhood

Speaking out: Swift says in the interview that she was oblivious to sexism at the start of her career because she was seen as familial by most in the industry, but that all changed when she reached womanhood

Speaking out about her feud with Kim Kardashian, Taylor detailed the horror of dealing with the online backlash, revealing she was told to 'kill herself' by trolls

Speaking out about her feud with Kim Kardashian, Taylor detailed the horror of dealing with the online backlash, revealing she was told to ‘kill herself’ by trolls

Taylor, who has been hard at work ever since she released her previous album Reputation in 2017,  also spoke about some personal issues she had been forced to address as of late.

‘There was a relapse that happened,’ said Swift, in reference to her mother Andrea battling cancer for a second time.

‘It’s something that my family is going through.’

Swift says in the interview that she was oblivious to sexism at the start of her career because she was seen as familial by most in the industry, but that all changed when she reached womanhood. 

She explained: ‘When I was a teenager, I would hear people talk about sexism in the music industry, and I’d be like, I don’t see it. I don’t understand. 

‘Then I realized, as an adult woman, that was because I was a kid. 

‘Men in the industry saw me as a kid. 

‘Cause I was a lanky, scrawny, overexcited young girl who reminded them more of their little niece or their daughter than a successful woman in business or a colleague.

‘The second I became a woman, in people’s perception, was when I started seeing it.’

She continued: ‘It’s fine to infantilize a girl’s success and say, “How cute that she’s having some hit songs. How cute that she’s writing songs”. 

‘But the second it becomes formidable? 

‘As soon as I started playing stadiums—when I started to look like a woman—that wasn’t as cool anymore.’ 

Feuding: Taylor has famously fallen out with several high profile names, but one of her most prolific feuds saw her go head to head with Kim

Feuding: Taylor has famously fallen out with several high profile names, but one of her most prolific feuds saw her go head to head with Kim

Awkward: The pair's disagreement goes back to the 2009 MTV VMAs when Kanye West invaded the stage as Taylor accepted the award, with the feud reigniting in 2016 when Kanye rapped 'I made that b***h famous' in his hit single, leading to a social media war (Swift and West above at the 2015 VMAs)

Awkward: The pair’s disagreement goes back to the 2009 MTV VMAs when Kanye West invaded the stage as Taylor accepted the award, with the feud reigniting in 2016 when Kanye rapped ‘I made that b***h famous’ in his hit single, leading to a social media war (Swift and West above at the 2015 VMAs)

The hate campaign against Taylor also influenced her decision to keep mute during the 2016 presidential election.

Despite being a Hillary Clinton supporter, Taylor did not want to publicly back her over Donald Trump as she believed it would be more of a hindrance than help. 

Taylor explained: ‘Unfortunately in the 2016 election you had a political opponent who was weaponizing the idea of the celebrity endorsement. 

‘He was going around saying, “I’m a man of the people. I’m for you. I care about you.” I just knew. I knew I wasn’t going to help. 

‘Also, you know, the summer before that election, all people were saying was: “She’s calculated. She’s manipulative. She’s not what she seems. She’s a snake. She’s a liar.” 

‘These are the same exact insults people were hurling at Hillary. Would I be an endorsement or would I be a liability? “Look, snakes of a feather flock together. Look, the two lying women. The two nasty women.”

‘Literally millions of people were telling me to disappear. So I disappeared. In many senses.’ 

Taylor is now refusing to lay low, returning to the spotlight with her new album Lover as well as turning her hand to acting by landing a role in the film adaptation of Cats. 

The ME! hitmaker – who plays Bombalurina in the movie – explained:  ‘I would come to set so often when it wasn’t my day to shoot just to see this whole world they created. 

‘They made us the size of cats by making the furniture bigger. You’d be stand- ing there and you could barely reach the seat of a chair. It was phenomenal. It made you feel like a little kid. Or it just really made you feel like a cat.’ 

Vogue’s September 2019 issue is available on newsstands in New York and Los Angeles August 13, and nationwide August 20

Miaow: Taylor is now refusing to lay low, returning to the spotlight with her new album Lover as well as turning her hand to acting by landing a role in the film adaptation of Cats

Miaow: Taylor is now refusing to lay low, returning to the spotlight with her new album Lover as well as turning her hand to acting by landing a role in the film adaptation of Cats

 

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