Music

Taylor Swift Is Being Sued for $42 Million for Allegedly Stealing "Shake It Off" Lyrics

Jesse Graham also wants his name added to the track as a songwriter.

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Complex Original

Taylor Swift’s "Shake It Off," another in a long list of T. Swift pop perfection that the world simply can’t help but consume with unabashed glee, is now at the center of a massive lawsuit. Jesse Braham, an R&B singer who goes by the stage name Jesse Graham, is reportedly suing Swift for $42 million after she allegedly lifted lines from his song "Haters Gone Hate" and used them in "Shake It Off."

Speaking with the New York Daily News earlier this week, Braham asserts that there’s simply "no way" Swift could have imagined the phrases "haters gonna hate," "players gonna play," or "fakers gonna fake" on her own. "Her hook is the same as mine," Braham claims. "If I didn’t write the song ‘Haters Gone Hate,’ there wouldn’t be a song called ‘Shake It Off.’"

Considering "Shake It Off" is the kind of gargantuan pop smash that warrants YouTube numbers like this:

This suit could certainly get dicey. For comparison, check both "Shake It Off" and "Haters Gone Hate" below:

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