Taylor Swift praises Kendrick Lamar after re-release of '1989 (Taylor's Version)': 'Surreal and bewildering'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Taylor Swift finally re-released ‘1989 (Taylor's Version)’ on Thursday after a dispute over ownership of her back catalog.
In 2019, it came to light that Scooter Braun had acquired Taylor Swift's original record label, the 'Big Machine Label Group,' from its former owner, Scott Borchetta, who was 60 at the time.
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The purchase amounted to a staggering $330 million, effectively giving Scooter Braun ownership of Taylor's music. Consequently, Taylor reaped minimal profits from her own songs.
The song 'Bad Blood' was initially released as part of Taylor's album in 2014, and Kendrick Lamar featured in a subsequent hip-hop remix of the song released in 2015.
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On the Deluxe version of her re-recorded '1989' album, Lamar has lent his vocals to the new rendition of the track.
After re-releasing her highly-anticipated 2014 hit album, Swift took to Instagram to shower Kendrick Lamar, her collaborator on 'Bad Blood,' with praise. Kendrick Lamar is engaged to his long-time partner, Whitney Alford.
The post featured a photo of Taylor alongside Kendrick, accompanied by a video of her performing the track live for her concert audience, who enthusiastically recited his portion of the song back to her.
Who is Whitney Alford?
Kendrick Lamar, a 17-time Grammy Award winner, has been seen with his longtime partner, Whitney Alford, for many years.
As high school sweethearts who've been together since the very beginning, the couple now has two children, a daughter named Uzi and a son named Enoch.
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According to People, Lamar and Alford met when they were teenagers studying at Centennial High School in their hometown of Compton, California, in southern Los Angeles.
Lamar and Alford keep their lives private as the couple's first public appearance was in 2014 when they made their red carpet debut at the Grammy Awards.
Lamar confirmed his engagement to his high school sweetheart in a 2015 interview. In 2018, Alford substantiated their engagement by sharing an Instagram photo of herself wearing the diamond engagement ring.
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In April 2022, Lamar announced his fifth album, marking his return to music after a five-year hiatus. The album, titled 'Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,' featured Lamar, his partner Alford, and their young daughter on the cover.
His fiancee is on Instagram, but despite having over 25,000 followers, Alford isn't actively sharing posts on the social media platform.
What did Taylor say on her Instagram?
The artist, who addressed speculations about her sexuality in the album's prologue, has re-recorded and released a fresh rendition of the album in an effort to regain control of her own music.
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In a tribute shared on her Instagram on Friday, Swift expressed how "surreal" it was to have Lamar back in the studio for the re-release of the track.
She wrote, "Watching @kendricklamar create and record his verses on the Bad Blood remix was one of the most inspiring experiences of my life, I still look back on this collaboration with so much pride and gratitude, for the ways Kendrick elevated the song and the way he treats everyone around him.”
Taylor also mentioned, “Every time the crowds on The Eras Tour would chant his line 'you forgive, you forget, but you never let it… go!'"
She added, "I smiled. The reality that Kendrick would go back in and re-record Bad Blood so that I could reclaim and own this work I’m so proud of is surreal and bewildering to me.”
“I’m overjoyed to say that the Bad Blood Remix (featuring Kendrick Lamar) is available everywhere on the 1989 Deluxe Edition,” she concluded.
To celebrate the re-release, Taylor posted beach photos of herself and a note for her loyal fans.
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However, with the album's release, Apple Music users encountered problems when attempting to download and stream the new tracks.
These issues arose from the significant increase in web traffic directed towards the streaming service.