Taylor Swift attends the 2020 Sundance Film Festival - "Miss Americana" Premiere at Eccles Center Theatre on January 23, 2020 in Park City, Utah.
Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesOn Thursday, the Democratic Party of Virginia posted and then pulled down "Swifties Against Youngkin" merchandise from their web store.
The move follows Terry McAuliffe -- the Democratic candidate for Virginia governor -- running ads across Facebook, Instagram and Google starting Tuesday that highlighted his Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin's connection to the sale of Taylor Swift's masters back in June 2019. Youngkin was the co-CEO of the Carlyle Group, which helped back Scooter Braun's infamous purchase of Swift's Big Machine master recordings. The digital ads included photos of Swift and the hashtag #WeStandWithTaylor.
"Did you know that Republican candidate for Governor, Glenn Youngkin, helped buy Taylor Swift's masters out from under her when he was co-CEO of Carlyle Group?" one of the targeted ads states.
Piggybacking off the ads, the Democratic Party of Virginia started selling hats, mugs and buttons with the phrase "Swifties Against Youngkin" emblazoned on them in magenta writing, as reported by Washingtonian magazine on Thursday. A screenshot of the merch was tweeted Friday (Oct. 8) by Mediate reporter Katherine Higgins.
There's no word yet why the merch was pulled, but back in February 2017, Swift filed a series of trademarks for the word "Swifties" -- the nickname for her fanbase.
Swift's spokeswoman has not responded to requests to comment about the singer/songwriter's unwitting involvement in the Virginia gubernatorial race.
In a statement to Billboard about McAuliffe's Swiftie-targeting ad campaign, Democratic Party of Virginia spokesman Manuel Bonder said: "No matter the industry, Youngkin has shown he would rip off anyone for a profit. What happened here is a continuation of Glenn Youngkin’s abhorrent track record of shipping jobs overseas, raising rents on seniors, and harming working families across our country. When it comes to Taylor Swift's music: What did Glenn know and when did he know it? Virginians deserve answers."
For his part, Youngkin rep Christian Martinez responded: “Terry McAuliffe has reached the stage of desperation in his campaign where he’s rolling out the most baseless attacks to see what sticks. It’s a pathetic fall that could only be achieved by a 43-year political hack.”
Swift is now re-recording her first six records as a response to the sale of her master recordings, beginning with the April release of Fearless (Taylor's Version) and continuing Nov. 12 with Red (Taylor's Version).
Zara Larsson has indicated that she may have cancelled her December 3 appearance at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The singer initially confirmed that she would not attend, before removing the comment and sharing a more detailed explanation of why the performance no longer feels right for her.
The Swedish star was scheduled to take the stage at Etihad Live on Yas Island during the Yasalam After-Race Concerts. Zara and Lewis Capaldi were due to launch the weekend’s entertainment. However, supporters encouraged her to reconsider the booking because of concerns surrounding the United Arab Emirates’ reported connections to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organisation accused of committing atrocities during the nation’s civil conflict.
A fan commented: “Please read about what UAE is doing to Sudan then cancel your Abu Dhabi show!” Zara responded: “I will not be going to Abu Dhabi.” Fans later realised that both comments had been removed.
She then shared that she had been considering what it means for her, as an artist, to perform in particular countries.
The Midnight Sun singer explained: “I think about that a lot in my life as an artist… I wanna perform and spread joy and music for people in every country, because no single person is their government.
“I’ve met so many wonderful people from every corner of the world and I know this to be true in my heart. I love people, and I love my fans soooo much.”
Zara acknowledged that her original comment “maybe came off as an impulsive response,” but explained that she had given the booking serious thought. She now believes withdrawing is the decision that “aligns with me the most right now, for many different personal reasons beyond politics.”
She continued: “Maybe I’ll delete both comments and do a better statement soon. I hope to sing with you in the beautiful future!”
