Taylor Swift won album of the year for her 2015, 1989 album at the 2016 Grammys on Monday night, making her the first woman to win the title two years in a row. In addition to accepting her third Grammy of the night, she took the opportunity to speak out against Kanye West’s allegations on his latest single that he “made that b*tch Taylor Swift.”
Taylor took to the stage and looked purposefully into the camera to deliver a prepared speech: “I want to say to all the young women out there: There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there. And that will be the greatest feeling in the world. Thank you for this moment.”
Since snatching an MTV award from Swift in 2009 claiming the award should’ve been given to Beyoncé, Swift and West have endured a turbulent relationship. West semi-apologized a few years ago and Swift graciously accepted his apology. The two have even performed together via the MTV Awards and although Swift was a good sport, West never seemed authentically convinced that his behavior towards Swift initially was unacceptable.
After the lyrics from his single “Fame” from his upcoming “Life of Pablo” album were released, Swift’s fans were angered to hear West boast, “It feels like me and Taylor Swift might still have sex, I made that b**ch famous.” West’s camp suggested Swift knew about the lyrics and realized they were all in fun; however, Swift’s rep immediately shut that down.
Swift’s spokesperson told PEOPLE, “Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account,” adding, “She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that bitch famous.'”
Swift remained gracious as always; however, Kanye is certain to have a comeback. Hopefully, Swift will refrain from entertaining offers to perform with West in the future.
