In October of last year, Taylor Swift’s 1989 broke every sales record in the book, and it looked as though Taylor would reign supreme at the top of the charts for the foreseeable future.
Then Adele said “Hello” and it all came tumbling down:
In the weeks since her latest album and single were released, Adele has set records for digital sales, Vevo views and (we’re guessing) gallons of cathartic tears shed.
Not only has she claimed her place as the current queen of pop music, Adele has taken subtle shots at Taylor in interviews and cordially turned down opportunities to heap fawning praise upon Swift like the rest of the world.
Naturally, all of this has led to rumors of a rivalry.
You might think that there’s plenty of room for two songstresses at the top, but those closest to Taylor say that she’s competitive to a fault, and it seems she’s more than a little bummed that Adele has taken her spot as the number breakup balladeer.
In addition, fans have noticed that Taylor has been much quieter than usual on social media in recent weeks.
Sources say she’s been keeping a low profile during the final weeks of her 1989 tour, and she even went so far as to cancel a planned appearance at a New Zealand awards show without providing a reason.
All of this has coincided with the release of Adele’s 25 album, but obviously, it’s possible there are other reasons that Taylor is keeping a lower profile these days.
Still, Taylor is usually the first to praise other artists, and many have pointed out that she’s been uncharacteristically quiet on the topic of Adele.
So until Ms. Swift starts singing Adele’s praises – or, better yet, invites her on stage – we think it’s safe to say this could be another instance of bad blood between Taylor and a top-selling rival.
