The pop megastar, 27, is reportedly being sued by Sean Hall and Nathan Butler, a songwriting duo who originally wrote the 2001 hit for American girl group 3lw.
Hall and Butler, who have previously worked with the likes of Justin Bieber and Pink, are believed to be citing apparent similarities between the lyrics as a key foundation for their lawsuit.
The lyrics to their song include: “Playas, they gonna play/ And haters, they gonna hate/ Ballers, they gonna ball/ Shot callers, they gonna call.”
In contrast, Swift’s 2014 chorus states: “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play/ And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate / Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off.”
The 2001 song peaked at No.81 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and was listed at No.89 in a recent list of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. Swift’s Shake It Off, meanwhile, debuted in the top spot and went on to score three Grammy nominations.
Responding to the allegations, a spokesperson for Swift told TMZ that it was a “money grab”.
“This is a ridiculous claim and nothing more than a money grab. The law is simple and clear. They do not have a case”, they wrote.
source: nme