Taylor Swift calls out Damon Albarn for incorrectly claiming she 'doesn't write her own songs': 'Your hot take is completely false'

• Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn recently said Taylor Swift "doesn't write her own songs."
• Swift replied on Twitter, describing his claim as "completely false and SO damaging."

Taylor Swift defended her lyrical prowess on Monday after Damon Albarn erroneously claimed she "doesn't write her own songs."

During a recent interview with Los Angeles Times music critic Mikael Wood, the British rocker pushed back when the interviewer called Swift "an excellent songwriter."

When Wood insisted that Swift does write her own songs, adding that she "cowrites some of them," Albarn doubled down.

"That doesn't count. I know what cowriting is. Cowriting is very different to writing," he said. "I'm not hating on anybody, I'm just saying there's a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who cowrites."

Swift condemned Albarn's comments on Twitter, saying she used to be "such a big fan" of the Blur and Gorillaz frontman.

"I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging," she wrote. "You don't have to like my songs but it's really fucked up to try and discredit my writing. WOW."

Swift added: "PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering."

—Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) January 24, 2022

In the same interview, Albarn praised Billie Eilish as a "really interesting songwriter," calling her music "exceptional."

"I'm more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift," he said. "It's just darker — less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd."

Eilish cowrites her music with her older brother and producer, Finneas O'Connell. In fact, O'Connell is credited as the sole writer on some of Eilish's most beloved songs, including "Ocean Eyes" and "When the Party's Over."

Swift has penned many of her songs alone, including the entirety of her 2010 album "Speak Now." She was compelled to do so after the massive success of her sophomore album, "Fearless," caused critics to question her role in the creative process.

"I've had several upheavals in my career," Swift told Rolling Stone. "When I was 18, they were like, 'She doesn't really write those songs.' So my third album I wrote by myself as a reaction to that."

Swift recently won album of the year at the 2021 Grammy Awards for her eighth album "Folklore," widely hailed as her songwriting opus. She cowrote each song with its producer, either Aaron Dessner or Jack Antonoff — save for "Betty," which she wrote with her boyfriend Joe Alwyn, "Exile," which she wrote with Alwyn and Bon Iver, and "My Tears Ricochet," which she wrote alone.

Antonoff, who has worked with Swift on every album since 2014's "1989," also criticized Albarn on Twitter.

"i've never met damon albarn and he's never been to my studio but apparently he knows more than the rest of us about all those songs taylor writes and brings in," he said.

—jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) January 24, 2022

Some music critics and other musicians like Maisie Peters jumped to defend Swift online.

Less than one hour after Swift's tweet, Albarn backtracked, claiming his words were "reduced to clickbait."

"I totally agree with you," he wrote as a reply on Twitter. "I apologise unreservedly and unconditionally. The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand."

—Damon Albarn (@Damonalbarn) January 24, 2022

However, Albarn's apology immediately drew criticism from journalists, many of whom noted his incorrect use of the term "clickbait."