Despite what critics say, Taylor Swift’s music is not all “chewing gum” and easy lyrics, the lead singer of Picturehouse has said. 

Following a discussion of 2023’s most viral moments on The Hard Shoulder, one texter said Taylor Swift should not have been named TIME Person of the Year. 

“Taylor Swift-the rebirth of bubble gum, junior infants' songwriting laced with mediocre melodies,” they said. 

Many listeners were quick to defend Ms Swift, including Picturehouse’s lead singer Dave Browne. 

He said, as a songwriter himself, he knows when someone “blatantly can out-write you”. 

“It’s like with the Beatles if you didn’t like ‘She Loves Me’, so you ignore their whole entire catalogue because you didn't like the three-minute pop song,” he said. 

“Taylor writes amazing three-minute pop songs, but she also writes other works of art that are absolutely breathtaking. 

“She is the finest lyricist and songwriter that pop has seen in the last 35 years.” 

Mr Browne said Ms Swift has her “shop front songs” that are played on the radio, but people need to dive deeper into her discography to discover her true talent. 

“Her album evermore that I discovered during lockdown is absolutely stunning,” he said. 

“There's a couple of songs on that one called and ‘tis the damn season’ followed swiftly – forgive the pun – by a song called ‘tolerate it’ - when you listen to the lyrics and what she's saying, it's incredible. 

“It's not bubble-gum or chewing gum music. It's in fact, it's quite the other end of the spectrum.” 

'Joni Mitchell-type'

The songwriter described her as a “modern-day Joni Mitchell type” from a songwriting point of view and cannot be compared to any of her contemporaries. 

“She didn’t just write ‘Shake it Off’ - she’s a Maverick, she’s a songwriter,” he said. 

He also noted Ms Swift’s business mind deserves a lot of respect. 

“She took on the American record labels,” he said. “They signed her to a terrible deal. 

“So, she recorded her entire back catalogue, and on top of that convinced American radio to play her versions and not the labelled versions. 

“She’s a complete Maverick in the industry.” 

Ms Swift will perform her Eras Tour concert in Dublin on June 28th in the Aviva Stadium. 

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