Calvin Harris And Taylor Swift Fight A Publicity Stunt? Harris Lashes Out At Swift On Twitter

As Calvin Harris lashes out at Taylor Swift for allegedly trying to sabotage his career, some observers are wondering if the two are really duping us all in an effort to make some album cash, Beyoncé and Jay-Z-style.

Odds that Calvin Harris and Taylor Swift are doing a Beyoncé and Jay-Z type new album-selling rouse…?

— Andrew Petrie (@andrewpetrie9) July 13, 2016

Jezebel reports that Calvin Harris went on a lengthy Twitter rant today blasting his girlfriend of 15 months, Taylor Swift, over a report that she was the one who penned his hit song with Rihanna, “This Is What You Came For.”

Harris claims that Taylor Swift originally wanted her involvement in the track kept private, and that after they broke up she and her team told the press that Taylor had written it.

Harris slammed the move, saying it makes him “look bad,” as if he was trying to pass his ex-girlfriend’s work off as his own. Harris insists that it was Swift who originally wished to keep her part in “This Is What You Came For” private, and so he played along.

TMZ reports that Calvin Harris wrote the beats, chords, and instrumentals that made the song a hit, while Taylor Swift contributed the melody. A source close to Harris stressed that his involvement was hardly minimal, in fact it was arguably greater than Swift’s.

In any case, the DJ has had many hit songs with no input from Taylor, so she is foolish for trying to blast him over one song, according to the TMZ source.

“She’s acting like he’s only got one hit song. LOL.”

But could the whole things be a charade? Many publications have commented on how media-savvy Taylor Swift is.

The Looper reports that the star has done “some sketchy things,” and that Taylor regularly profits from the speculation about her relationships.

“Though she insists in interviews that she doesn’t like to talk about her personal life, Swift definitely profits on the speculation. According to countless celebrity sites, most of Swift’s exes have made their way into her singles. Singer Joe Jonas supposedly inspired Swift’s ‘Forever and Always,’ ‘Better Than Revenge,’ and ‘You’re Not Sorry’ after he broke up with her in an infamous 27-second phone call. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is rumored to be the man behind most of Red, including ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.’ Harry Styles is allegedly the beau behind “I Knew You Were Trouble” and much of 1989, especially ‘Style’ and ‘Out of the Woods.'”

The publication notes that Taylor never confirms or denies speculation that her songs are about famous boyfriends, but she is very clever about “scattering hints” in interviews, album liner notes, and the like.

“Though Swift never officially confirms or denies these suspicions, she often scatters hints, like bread crumbs, in liner notes and interviews, knowing full well that fans will follow the trail.”

Some people have wondered why Calvin Harris chose to suddenly attack Taylor so publicly on Twitter, rather than calling her.

One observer wrote,”So did Calvin delete Taylor’s number or what. Why did he have to publicly say everything while he could have texted her if he’s so hurt [sic].”

The reason could indeed have been that Harris is in on the whole thing, and the exes are doing it all for publicity!

Comparisons have been drawn with Beyoncé and Jay Z, who cashed in on the cheating revelations in Beyoncé’s Lemonade album. The Beyhive went crazy trying to figure out who the cheating woman referenced in Beyoncé’s track could be, and Twitter was ablaze with Beyoncé fans attacking everyone from Rita Ora to Rachel Roy.

Some wondered why the usually-private Beyoncé would talk about Jay Z’s infidelity so pointedly in her album lyrics, while others scoffed that she was obviously doing it to sell albums.

Incidentally, Calvin Harris and Taylor Swift rivaled Beyoncé and Jay Z as the wealthiest couple in Hollywood.

Taylor and Calvin were actually the biggest earners before they split. Given the money and career clout at stake after their breakup, and the amount of media experience both parties have, many people agree that it seems odd that Calvin and Taylor would play out their disagreement so publicly.

Cynics have also wondered if Taylor’s new relationship with Tom Hiddleston is fake, according to Bustle.

Taylor’s media-mindedness was alive and well during the time she was dating Calvin. Sugarscape reported that Taylor Swift was terrified that Harris’ ex Rita Ora would release an album singing about what she and Calvin did in bed together.

“Taylor’s furious at the idea that Rita could show Calvin in a bad light. She has no idea what Rita is going to say – whether she is going to imply that Calvin was dishonourable or if it’ll reference things he and Rita did in bed… Taylor’s so worried it could ruin Calvin’s reputation – and then her’s, too.

[Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images]