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Zach Bryan apologizes for tweet siding with Kanye West over Taylor Swift

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Country music star Zach Bryan posted a series of Instagram stories on Thursday morning apologizing for a tweet he sent days earlier in which he suggested he liked Kanye West more than West's longtime foe Taylor Swift, which had angered some of Swift's loyal fans on social media.

Key data

Bryan also deactivated his X-account after posting “Eagles > Chiefs, Kanye > Taylor, who's with me” on Tuesday night, which Swifties took as a jab at Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Before deactivating his account, Bryan clarified on X that he was listening to “Thank You Aimee,” a song from Swift's latest album that is widely interpreted as the subject of her feud with West and Kim Kardashian, and wrote the post “while drunk.”

Bryan said in an Instagram story on Thursday that he “didn't come for Taylor,” saying he loves Swift's music and understands the “stuff that's going on around Ye,” possibly referring to West's past of erratic behavior and various controversial and anti-Semitic comments the rapper has made.

Bryan apologized to Swift, saying he hoped one day he could “explain” to her what he meant, and to “all the Taylor fans I upset or disappointed.”

Bryan said he had been “going through a tough time in his life himself” and announced he would be taking a break from “tweeting stupid stuff” while he finishes his tour.

Three of Bryan's four Instagram stories responding to his Swift tweet are set to a different Swift song: “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone, “The Albatross” and “Castles Crumbling” featuring Hayley Williams.

Surprising fact

Bryan has previously praised Swift on social media. Hours before the release of her 2022 album “Midnights,” Bryan tweeted: “Miss Swift how's the mood at midnight, good morning everyone and happy almost weekend [sic]get in, we're leaving crying.” A fan asked what his favorite Swift song was, to which Bryan replied, “'August,' for sure,” adding that his girlfriend asked him to cover her song “Tim McGraw.”

Main critics

Swift's fans were quick to come to her defense on social media, with some expressing confusion as to why Bryan posted a critical tweet after praising her in the past. Some quoted a line from her song “I Did Something Bad”: “If a man talk sh*t, I don't owe him nothing.” Others criticized Bryan for deactivating his account in response to the criticism.

Important background

Bryan's controversial tweet references the long-running feud between Swift and West, which began in 2009 after West interrupted Swift onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards and declared that Beyoncé should have won the award for Best Female Video. The feud has flared up on and off, including a bitter argument over whether Swift actually gave West permission to call Swift a “bitch” in his song “Famous,” and both artists have referred to each other in various songs. Bryan's post also references the football rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles — the two teams faced off in the 2023 Super Bowl, with the Chiefs winning 38-35. Until Jason Kelce ended his career with the Eagles earlier this year, the teams also had a sibling rivalry.

tangent

Bryan has become one of the most successful country artists in recent years. Last year, his album “American Heartbreak” was the third-best-selling country album on the Billboard charts, behind two albums by Morgan Wallen and ahead of Swift's “Speak Now (Taylor's Version)” and “Red (Taylor's Version).” Swift fended off a challenge from Bryan on the Billboard 200 earlier this year when her album “Tortured Poets Department” spent its 12th week at No. 1, ahead of Bryan's latest album, “The Great American Bar Scene,” which landed at No. 2.

More information

Zach Bryan reveals his favorite Taylor Swift song – and the one his girlfriend makes him sing for her (Billboard)

Bad Blood: A Timeline of the Feud Between Swift, West and Kardashian (New York Times)

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