Taylor Swift does not march to the beat of her own drummer, according to the Beyhive.
The “ME!” singer opened the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with an Easter egg-hued rendition of her new single with Panic at the Disco’s Brendon Urie — and protective Beyoncé fans were buzzing about it online.
Many called out the 29-year-old pop star’s apparent co-opting of marching band iconography in her performance.
Some felt it was a blatant ripoff of the Bey’s smash hit Netflix concert film, in which she transformed the Coachella stage into a “Homecoming” celebration in the HBCU (historically black college and university) tradition — complete with uniformed marching drummers in the spirit of Morehouse, Spelman and Howard universities.
“I always dreamed of going to an HBCU,” Beyoncé, 37, says in the film. “My college was Destiny’s Child. My college was traveling around the world, and life was my teacher.”
But Wednesday night, it was Swift who was getting schooled on social media.
“Who is this opening act copying #Beyonce with the marching band?…Ughh. It’s #TaylorSwift #BBMAs,” Kenya Brome tweeted.
Kevin Edwards agreed, posting, “Taylor Swift is copying Beyonce again. Her marching band was better #BBMAs.”
This isn’t the first time Swift has faced cries of cultural appropriation. The “Shake It Off” music video from her fifth album elicited online outrage in the hip-hop community for showing her clad in gold chains while twerking alongside black backup dancers.
“[The video is] inherently offensive and ultimately harmful,” tweeted hip-hop artist Earl Sweatshirt in August 2014. “Perpetuating black stereotypes to the same demographic of white girls who hide their prejudice by proclaiming their love of the culture.”
Of course, Beyoncé herself has faced a steady stream of accusations that she borrows from other artists over the years. A 2013 op-ed in Billboard magazine, “When Beyoncé’s Inspiration Turns Into Imitation,” listed a host of alleged infringements, from songwriting credits to dance moves to video visuals.
https://nypost.com/2019/05/02/taylor-swift-accused-of-ripping-off-beyonces-act-at-billboard-music-awards/
2019-05-02 12:12:00Z
52780279427639
Joe's bros, Nick and Kevin, looked on as groomsmen, and that was pretty much it. They followed tradition and posed in front of the Cadillac at the Chapel and they were husband and wife.
