Swifties fans have taken to social media to accuse Zach Bryan of plagiarism following his recent split from Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia and her allegations of emotional abuse.
This resurgence of hostility between Bryan and Swifties can be traced back to a controversial tweet Bryan posted, comparing Kanye West favourably to Swift, which he later deleted and chalked up to drunken behaviour.
“Guys I love Taylor, was listening to TTPD [The Tortured Poets Department] last night and thank you aimee came on and I drunkenly tweeted about Kanye,” Bryan said. “If anyone took it serious please know I love both artists a lot and think we’re in a really beautiful time of music.”
As per Rolling Stone, the current wave of accusations began after LaPaglia shared her experiences on the Barstool podcast BFFs, co-hosted by Josh Richards and Dave Portnoy. Swift’s fans have since flooded TikTok with videos claiming Bryan has stolen elements from Swift’s catalogue.
One of the more prominent comparisons is between Bryan’s “Let You Down” and Swift’s “Should’ve Said No”, with fans pointing out similarities in the lead fiddle and banjo melodies. Another alleged similarity is drawn between Bryan’s “Pink Skies” and Swift’s “Betty”, though this seems to be based on common folk music elements such as acoustic guitar picking and harmonica use.
Perhaps the most tenuous claim is that Bryan’s collaboration with John Mayer, “Better Days”, is a “diabolical” copy of Swift’s “Dear John”. However, the similarities appear to stem from Mayer’s distinctive electric guitar tone, which he naturally brought to “Better Days” and which Swift was likely emulating in her own song.
Despite the flurry of accusations, the evidence for plagiarism appears weak. The similarities pointed out by fans are largely superficial or based on common musical elements, particularly within the folk and country genres both artists operate in. Bryan’s representatives have not commented on these allegations. Given the specious nature of the claims, it seems unlikely that this will evolve into a serious plagiarism dispute.
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