UPDATE 8/4/19 5:40 p.m. ET:
Charli XCX clarified her remarks in a lengthy statement on Twitter. “Hey, a few people on the Internet have taken something I said out of context and I want to clarify that there is absolutely no shade and only love here! ” she began. “As I say in the article and have said many times before, I am extremely grateful to Taylor for inviting me to open for her. She’s one of the biggest artists of my generation and the reputation tour was one of the biggest tours in history.”
The singer continued: “In the printed conversation of this much wider conversation my answers about this tour were boiled down into one kind of weird sentence – leading up to that tour I’d been playing a tonne of 18+ club shows and so to be on stage in front of all ages was new to me and made me approach my performances with a whole new kind of energy – more so I talked about how it was brilliant opening for Taylor, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I was given and how much fun it was to perform to a new audience!”
just to clarify 💕💕 pic.twitter.com/KpNQQx9SK0
— Charli (@charli_xcx) August 6, 2019
Original story below:
The Swifties might not like this one. Charli XCX didn’t hold back while reflecting on her experience as the opening act on Taylor Swift’s Reputation tour.
“I’m really grateful that [Swift] asked me on that tour,” the “Boom Clap” songstress told Pitchfork in a profile published on Tuesday, August 6. “But as an artist, it kind of felt like I was getting up on stage and waving to 5-year-olds.”
Along with Camila Cabello, Charli XCX opened up for Swift on the Reputation stadium tour from May 2018 to November 2018. After she wrapped up the tour, the “Boys” singer decided that she would never perform as an opener again.
“I’ve done so much of it, and it really cemented my status as this underdog character, which I like now,” the musician explained. “But I need to just own my own f–king s–t finally.”
While Swift has yet to publicly comment on Charli XCX’s remarks, fans of the “Look What You Made Me Do” singer were quick to throw shade after her comments made headlines.
“I hope @charli_xcx enjoyed her 13 seconds of fame omg,” one user tweeted alongside a screenshot of the interview.
A second person wrote that they were “so disappointed” by Charli XCX’s remarks: “I’ve been a fan of Charli’s for such a long time including seeing her way back on the Sucker tour before seeing her support Taylor’s rep tour. The comment is hurtful, unnecessary and incredibly false.”
“Charli xcx opening for taylor swift will probably be the peak of her career and she has the audacity to say ‘im singing for five year olds’ 😭,” a third user tweeted. “She acts like her performance was good i was bored as s–t counting down the minutes until taylor came out.”
The same day Charli XCX’s Pitchfork profile was published, Cabello had nothing but nice things to say about Swift while discussing the Cats star’s feud with Scott Braun in a separate interview with Variety.
“She is my friend,” the “Señorita” singer explained in Variety’s “Power of Young Hollywood” issue. “And someone in her position — which is, like, on another level — I can’t imagine how many times she’s been let down by people, or gotten disappointed by friends who were just using her, or people who just wanted to be friends with Taylor Swift or whatever. I’m happy to be there for her as a person. Like, ‘Even when it’s not popular, I’ve got you. I’m, like, your real friend.’”
