When Jack Antonoff was asked about his role in Taylor Swift’s impending 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , he suddenly terminated a recent interview with the news agency NRC. The well-known music producer was speaking over the phone with a reporter from the Netherlands’ daily morning newspaper, NRC.
refuse to have a Take on jack antonoff hanging up on a reporter like a loser because at the end of the day he wrote this https://t.co/Rsf3Sp9hsC
— kathleen (@holdenfordfocus) March 27, 2024
As reported by Page Six , before abruptly ending the interview he said, “You know I don’t talk about that. If you’re looking for clickbait, you’ve come to the wrong place. Thank you for this conversation.” Antonoff was comparing the music he created for Swift and Lana Del Rey with that of his most recent project, Bleachers .
He said, “I don’t see it as producing. I create music with my friends. It comes as it comes. I’m not the kind of producer who likes to give commands from behind a mixing console.” Since their first collaboration on Swift’s album 1989 in 2014, Antonoff has been a longstanding member of her team. The producer collaborated on the first four of Taylor’s rerecorded albums, Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) , in addition to her next five albums, Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights.
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He further explained, “Success is a strange phenomenon. It distracts attention from the ordinary mechanisms that lead to good pop music. Being able to listen to each other well is one thing. The artists I work with trust that I can help them make their music better.” In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in February, he defended Swift against allegations that she doesn’t create her music. While taking her side, he said that questioning her skills ‘is like challenging someone’s faith in God. You just don’t go there.’
At the 2024 Grammy wins last month, Swift—who won two wins for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights—announced The Tortured Poets Society live. Antonoff was the recipient of the Non-Classical Producer of the Year award in addition to the Album of the Year honor.
She disclosed in her victory speech for Best Pop Vocal Album, “[The way I can celebrate] is by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the past two years, which is that my brand new album comes out April 19th. It’s called The Tortured Poets Department and I’m going to go post the cover right now backstage.”
Along with criticizing Kanye West , Antonoff remarked last month that he needed ‘his diaper changed’ in light of the continuing conflict between Swift and the controversial singer. Since West interrupted Swift’s victory speech at the 2009 VMAs, during which she won the Best Female Video award for You Belong With Me , the two have been at odds.
Over the last several weeks, West has refuted rumors that Swift had him ejected out of the Super Bowl for trying to ‘upstage’ her and instead said he has ‘been far more helpful to her career than harmful.’ As reported by Complex , Producer Antonoff, however, shot back, saying the rapper ‘just needs his diaper changed so badly’ in response to his ongoing outburst.