Taylor Swift's opening number at Wednesday's Billboard Music Awards, which featured a pastel pink drum line, left Beyoncé fans fuming.
» RELATED: 2019 Billboard Music Awards: Here's the complete winners list
According to some members of the Bey fan club (or Beyhive), the country-turned-pop artist was “gentrifying” Beyoncé’s Coachella performance while performing her own song, “Me.” The outrage even led to a trending hashtag: #Mayochella.
I don’t know if y’all are seeing this but Taylor Swift is gentrifying Beyonce’s Coachella performance right now
— Guide Lee (@Chuck_Des) May 2, 2019
Someone really called Taylor Swift’s BBMAs performance #Mayochella and I haven’t been the same since pic.twitter.com/zv5WtvAVdz
— Tiffany Alexis (@LoveTiffanyyy) May 2, 2019
Beyoncé served us Fried Chicken with macaroni and cheese and collard greens with Hamhocks and homemade skillet cornbread
— Wanda Maximoff stan account (@ThatsJaymar) May 2, 2019
And here come Taylor swift with rotisserie chicken and potato salad with raisins pic.twitter.com/Nh1a4Sv36C
Just because it wasn’t executed properly doesn’t mean the performances aren’t similar🥴 #Mayochella pic.twitter.com/NR0zIq6pOM
— Breanna G. (@thetea_isserved) May 2, 2019
But Swift fans quickly defended the performance, noting Swift has used marching bands in the past and is, well, definitely allowed to have a band onstage.
“strike the band up” is literally a lyric in the song. the same band on stage is the same band in the music video. and just for the future, beyoncé is not the only artist allowed to have a band onstage. https://t.co/ha2HFDky7H
— 𝖉𝖊𝖝𝖙𝖊𝖗🦄 (@thugvatic) May 2, 2019
I swear, you guys are always comparing everyone and everything. I didn’t know Beyoncé created drum lines and posing. Both are queens.#taylorswift #beyonce pic.twitter.com/AUKIlue9Ts
— Reaction Videos (@itsMusicShade) May 2, 2019
Dear Beyhive,
— Laura The Swiftie 🖤 (@LauraTheSwiftie) May 2, 2019
Beyoncé did not originate the idea of having marching band style drums in a performance, and no one “owns” that idea either.
It’s also wrong to pin 2 talented, amazing women against each other. What’s the point?
Sincerely,
Swifties
This isn’t the first time Swift’s been accused of ripping off Beyoncé’s work. In 2017, fans noticed similarities between Bey’s “Formation” video and Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.”
Lol, good boy!
— Melania's Bae (@Arthurb29276474) May 2, 2019
2017:https://t.co/YJGc9xIMMO
And her 2014 music video for "Shake It Off," according to Bustle, led to intense backlash for "sexualizing and appropriating black culture."
Still, the pair seem to be on friendly terms even if their fans have a rocky relationship.
Back in 2009, when Kanye West infamously interrupted Swift's acceptance speech at the VMAs, Beyoncé invited the then-country artist on stage to deliver her speech, again. And according to BuzzFeed, Bey has attended Swift's birthday parties in the past, too.
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