“It’s literally psychotic”: Taylor Swift Fans Waging War Against Billie Eilish For Her Comments on Doing a 3-hour Show Are Forgetting What She Said About the Eras Tour
As the modern music world continues to progress and diversify, there are two female artists who are the frontrunners of pop music and have two very distinct fan followings. On one hand, there is Taylor Swift, who has been in the music scene for a while now and has been breaking all barriers of fame and popularity. On the other hand, there is Billie Eilish, who has been a breakout artist since her debut with her intense and unapologetic style of music.
Both pop stars’ record companies have used several strategies to tweak chart rankings, including extra releases and remixes as well as affordable download prices. In a battle to be at the top, some recent remarks made by Billie Eilish have triggered Swifties.
Billie Eilish’s Comment on Three-Hour-Long Concerts Upsets Taylor Swift Fans
Their craze has turned into a chart battle fueled by fans’ demand for more exclusives and a competition for that place at the top of the charts. The controversy kind of began when Billie Eilish commented on how excessive releases of vinyl packages have environmental consequences. Taylor Swift fans took it upon themselves, although Eilish didn’t mention any names.
Later, Eilish even clarified in her Instagram story, stating that it is a systemic issue in the music industry and she was not pointing to any particular musician as such. Later, Eilish released eco-friendly vinyl packages of her album Hit Me Hard and Soft, along with digital releases. Following that, Swift also released live versions of three songs from The Tortured Poets Department that she performed as surprise tracks in Paris during her Eras Tour. She also released a remix of her Fortnight song by producer BLOND:ISH, who is also an environmental activist.
Recently, according to Glamour, while interacting with fans on the Stationhead app, Eilish made a remark that further fueled the ongoing competitive rivalry between both fandoms. She expressed her unwillingness to perform three-hour concerts like Taylor Swift and Beyonce. She said,
Doing a 3 hour show.. That’s literally psychotic. Nobody wants that. You guys don’t want that. I don’t want that. I don’t even want that as a fan. Even my favorite artists I’m not trying to hear them for 3 hours. That’s far too long. That’s literally psychotic.
Eilish’s words created controversy, as Taylor Swift’s fans saw this comment as shade at the Eras Tour, which is around three hours and fifteen minutes. The Swifties immediately came to the defense of their idol on social media.
Billie Eilish seemingly shares her thoughts on Stationhead about ‘The Eras Tour’ and ‘The Renaissance Tour’ earlier today, the only recent high-profile tours to span 3 or more hours:
"Doing a 3 hour show.. That's literally psychotic. Nobody wants that. You guys don't want that.… pic.twitter.com/X9GQlgXBvf
— Taylor Swift Updates 🩶 (@swifferupdates) May 24, 2024
she doesn’t want that bc she can’t do that
— isah 🧣 (@dmeliolsen) May 24, 2024
these pretentious statements are getting tiring. “nobody wants that” are you the authority on the zeitgeist of today? if you don’t have the material and work ethic to put on a 3-hour show, say it’s not your thing. insulting the craft of other artists like this is pathetic https://t.co/rD7DYHs3Ch
— drew ♑︎ (@repiscrumbling) May 24, 2024
Anybody who doesn’t want to attend a 3 hour show in MIAMI any night – please sell me your tickets! I will go endure that hardship for you. https://t.co/l2BkXp7hzk
— Morgan Micayla (@morganmicayla) May 24, 2024
Wrote an amazing song empowering and uniting women for Barbie movie and you go out of your way to say this??? At this point it’s so unnecessary and I’m so disappointed this is what you’re choosing to talk about in your own album rollout 😭 https://t.co/ijTVrD7ays
— ash 🦋 aus eras ⭐️ debut girlie 💚 (@bizarrescenes) May 24, 2024
However, amid the chaos, many have forgotten that Eilish once hailed Swift and Beyoncé when it came to their large-scale concerts. However, it is important to remember that Eilish was talking from her own perspective and didn’t mean to offend artists who prefer to perform for more time on stage.
Billie Eilish Praised Taylor Swift and Beyoncé for Their Tours
Eilish fans have come to defend their singer by pointing out an earlier remark made by her during an interview with the LA Times, where she was praising Swift and Beyoncé for their performances in live shows. She said,
I find it really hard to play stadiums. 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. I don’t want anyone to think I’m ungrateful about playing stadiums, but when you go to one, there’s nothing in you that thinks that the artist knows you’re there. I want the crowd to know that I am seeing them with my own eyes.
Amid the rivalry between the fandoms, both artists are using various tactics for the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart. Swift released three bonus versions of The Tortured Poets Department before Eilish’s album was out. These versions featured demos that were not heard before, thus encouraging listeners to buy more copies of the album.
Despite this, to match up with her, Eilish released her own digital version of Hit Me Hard and Soft with isolated vocal tracks for each of the songs. This back and forth went on with remixes, limited editions, and even discounted pricing on iTunes as artists and their labels were willing to try anything at that point to capture this chart.
It will be interesting to see which artists dominate the charts. However, as far as the controversy about Eilish’s comments is concerned, neither Eilish nor Swift have made any recent remarks on that as of now.
