Courtney Love says Taylor Swift ‘is not important’ and ‘not interesting as an artist’ in bombshell interview
Courtney Love took aim at Taylor Swift’s artistic merits in a new interview, saying the wildly popular music artist is “not important” or “interesting as an artist.”
The Hole singer, 59, in conversation with The Evening Standard Friday: “Taylor isn’t important. She may be a safe place for girls, and she is probably the Madonna of today, but as an artist she is not interesting.’
The Doll Parts singer, who has been based in London since 2019, appears to have changed her tune about Swift, who she previously praised several times via her Facebook page.
In a Feb. 29, 2016, post, she posed between Swift and Royals singer Lorde, 27, after attending the Grammys in Los Angeles.
‘Beautiful ladies @taylorswift @lordemusic, these two hands down win the Oscar for art, talent, voice and amazing beauty! #oscars #vanityfair,” Love said in the caption.
Courtney Love, 59, took aim at Taylor Swift’s artistic merits in a new interview, saying the wildly popular music artist, 34, is “not important” or “interesting as an artist.” Love was photographed in London in March
The Malibu artist paid tribute to Swift again in a December 22, 2021 post, wishing Swift a happy belated birthday.
The Celebrity Skin artist, who reposted the photo they took at the Grammys five years earlier, called Swift an “ambitious great role model for a lot of young women.”
Swift — who was photographed at the Coachella Music Festival last weekend with beau Travis Kelce — wasn’t the only musical artist Love took shots at in the interview, as Lana Del Rey, 38, and Madonna, 65, and Beyonce, 42, were also the target of the grunge artist’s ire.
The San Francisco native told Del Rey, “I haven’t loved Lana since she covered a John Denver song, and I think she really needs to take seven years off.
‘I loved her until Take Me Home Country Roads. When I was recording my new album, I had to stop listening to her because she influenced me too much.”
As for Madonna, Love made it clear that there was a personal element to the disagreement between her and the Vogue artist.
“I don’t like her and she doesn’t like me,” Love said of Madonna. “I loved Desperately Seeking Susan, but I loved the city of New York as much as she did.”
The Hole singer told The Evening Standard: ‘Taylor is not important’
Love said Swift “may be a safe place for girls, and she’s probably the Madonna of today, but she’s not interesting as an artist.”
The Doll Parts singer appears to have changed her tune about Swift, who she previously praised several times via her Facebook page
In a Feb. 29, 2016, post, she posed between Swift and Royals singer Lorde, 27, after attending the Grammys in Los Angeles.
Love also said she wasn’t a fan of Beyoncé’s catalog.
“I mean, I like the idea of Beyoncé making a country record because it’s about black women entering spaces where previously only white women were allowed, not that I like it that much,” Love said. ‘I think it’s great as a concept. I just don’t like her music.’
The singer-songwriter, who was married to the late grunge icon Kurt Cobain from February 24, 1992 until his death on April 5, 1994, invoked the late Nirvana frontman’s name to contrast their personalities.
“People always said I was so difficult,” Love told the outlet. ‘They said I didn’t agree with it. Yes, I totally disagree and I will never apologize for it. I always wanted to be known as ab****. Being liked was never my thing.
“Kurt wanted to be liked, but I didn’t. He could hide behind me, but then I was hated. Then Kurt died and the hatred for me reached a whole new level. I didn’t plan to do that.’
She cited Bob Dylan and the 1967 documentary about his 1965 English tour, Don’t Look Back.
“I had tremendous capacity and I was cool with not being liked,” Love said. “I saw Bob Dylan in Don’t Look Back and he didn’t want to be liked and I thought, yeah, that’s how I want to be.”
The interview naturally provoked a variety of passionate responses on social media, many of which called out Love for her nasty comments about her peers.
The interview naturally provoked a variety of passionate responses on social media, many of which called out Love for her nasty comments about her peers.
Some social media users said Love’s relevance in the music industry ended decades ago
Others said that Love’s work in the 1990s stood on its own merit
One user said Love “publicly bashes fellow female artists like it’s a national sport,” while another said, “A New Courtney love interview? I’m sure she’ll have nothing but nice and generous things to say about her industry peers 🙂 Courtney is so kind.”
Some social media users said Love’s relevance in the music industry ended decades ago, while others said her work stood alone in the 1990s.
“Guys, I love Taylor the most, but calling Courtney Love a nobody is ridiculous,” one user said. ‘She’s an icon. And to say that she is simply the ex-wife of a famous man is wrong and misogynistic. Check out the Hole album Live Through This. It’s not without reason that Pitchfork gave it a 10. Masterpiece.’