Taylor Swift Made Herself The Center Of Attention At The Grammys — And Some Fans Think She's Doing It On Purpose
Was she taking the spotlight away from others, or did she have all good intentions?
landmarkmedia / Shutterstock The 2024 Grammys were held in Los Angeles on February 4th, and some think they were all about Taylor Swift for all the wrong reasons.
While the superstar did take home two awards, including the biggest of the night — Album of the Year for "Midnights" — some fans are tired of her antics.
Some music fans are annoyed with Taylor Swift constantly making herself the center of attention.
It all started before the Grammys even began. Swift changed her profile pictures on social media to black-and-white versions of the photos that were originally posted. Fans were convinced this meant she was preparing to announce the upcoming release of "Reputation (Taylor’s Version)," one of the two remaining albums she has left to re-record. The "Reputation" album cover is black and white, which led fans to this conclusion.
Swift seemed to add further weight to this theory when she showed up on the Grammys red carpet wearing a white dress with black gloves.
In August 2022, Swift announced the release of her 10th album, "Midnights," during her acceptance speech for Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. Fans seemed prepared for the same thing to happen last night.
Swift announced the release of a new album at the Grammys.
When Swift won her first award of the night, Best Pop Vocal Album for "Midnights," she informed everyone that it was her 13th Grammy — her infamous favorite number. Because that made it so special, Swift decided to make a special announcement.
Despite what fans thought, "Reputation (Taylor’s Version)" was not coming just yet. Instead, it was her 11th album, "The Tortured Poets Department."
“I’m going to go and post the cover right now backstage,” she said, before leaving the stage to do just that. The album will be available on April 19th.
Swift’s loyal fans were thrilled by the news. What, after all, could be better than a new album?
But, some others weren’t so ecstatic. Multiple people called Swift out for being “annoying” on X. And, it does all beg the question: was it really the right place and time to announce a new album?
The Grammys are a big night for all of the artists involved. Whether someone wins or not, it truly is just an honor to be there and be a part of “music’s biggest night.” Swift took the spotlight off of all of the others gathered there to celebrate each other and the music industry and put it solely on herself.
Was it really the right moment?
Swift and SZA shared an interesting interaction during the latter’s acceptance speech.
Announcing a new album isn’t the only moment at the Grammys that Swift took some heat for. Swift is known for standing during awards shows, even during moments when everyone else is seated, like when an artist is giving an acceptance speech.
On Sunday, she remained standing during SZA’s acceptance speech for Best R&B Song. SZA, who was noticeably nervous, said she felt “overwhelmed.” When she looked up and saw Taylor standing, she took a moment to address the pop star. “Hi, Taylor. I love you,” she said.
SZA then quickly ended her speech after she said she was “not an attractive crier.” While one fan called the interaction “the cutest moment,” it felt a bit off. After acknowledging Swift, SZA wrapped up her speech and exited the stage.
After the encounter, Swift said, “I got a shoutout!” on camera. It seemed a strange thing for one of the biggest stars in the world to say.
Needless to say, many were not happy that Swift took the focus off of other artists.
Is it really that big of a deal, though?
For those arguing that Swift took the spotlight away from others, the exact opposite point could be made. When she announced the upcoming release of her new album, she was giving an acceptance speech for an award that she won. It was her moment.
As for the situation with SZA, while it may have come across as awkward to some, the truth is that Swift was not standing up to draw attention to herself, but rather to show support for SZA. And, as the only one standing, she might have been doing that more than anyone else.
While some people will find a reason to hate on everything Taylor Swift does, she undoubtedly had good intentions behind her actions at the Grammys, even if they did make her the center of attention.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.