Is Katy Perry’s new single ‘Swish Swish’ about her nemesis Taylor ‘Swish’?

Katy Perry leaves The Peppermint night club

Do I even need to recap all of the drama between Katy Perry and Taylor Swift? Personally, I still believe Taylor “started” it. I think she and Katy had some low-level beef, possibly about John Mayer, but they were somewhat polite to each other. Then Taylor basically devoted her album 1989 to hating Katy Perry and their “Bad Blood.” Taylor said that another woman had basically tried to destroy her tour by “stealing” some of her dancers. Those same dancers later said that they were always Team Katy and that’s why they left Tay’s tour. Whatever the motivation, the bad blood has been brewing for years. Katy has done her part to stoke it too, often commenting on Tay’s words and actions.

Now that Katy has a new album out – her first since Tay’s 1989 – people have been wondering if she would respond to Taylor musically. She basically told EW that karma is coming for The Artist Formerly Known as Snake Emoji. And now karma has definitely come, in the form of Katy’s new single “Swish Swish,” which fans believe is really “Swift Swift.” Sample lyrics:

“A tiger / Don’t lose no sleep / Don’t need opinions / From a shellfish or a sheep / Don’t you come for me / No, not today / You’re calculated / I got your number / ‘Cause you’re a joker / And I’m a courtside killer queen / And you will kiss the ring / You best believe.”

[Via E! News]

I’m including the song below. “You’re about as cute as/an old coupon/expired” is perhaps my favorite cheeseball line. Like, I still find this beef amusing. If Katy did this to openly troll Taylor, I’m all for it, because Taylor takes herself too seriously. If Katy did this because she’s been simmering with rage, then it’s kind of sad because the song is not the best “diss track.”

Oh, and Taylor’s squad saw the Swifty Bat-Signal (an illuminated kitty face in the night sky) and Taylor’s friend Ruby Rose went on Twitter to bitch about Katy’s song. Like, shouldn’t the squad be “above” commenting on Twitter? Also: it’s a bit rich for Tay’s squad members to complain about Katy “going low.” TAYLOR DEVOTED BAD BLOOD TO HER BEEF WITH KATY. That was “low.” And Katy put her time and money into working with Hillary Clinton while Taylor couldn’t be bothered to give a sh-t about her own performative feminism while a fascistic misogynist rose to power.

swish

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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97 Responses to “Is Katy Perry’s new single ‘Swish Swish’ about her nemesis Taylor ‘Swish’?”

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  1. Clare says:

    Hey Ruby, you know what’s a bummer? Fighting Swift’s battles for her. Being a hypocrite. Performing feminism and then getting your claws out as soon as anyone hints at giving Swift a taste of her own medicine. If you’re so concerned about ‘everything happening in the world’ why the F aren’t you tweeting about THAT? Why are you tweeting about a pop song? I guess anything to stay in the news, right? Hypocrisy at its finest. These girls are straight up high school bullies. Grow the F up. All of you.

    Still waiting for Miss Taylor to say ONE WORD about ‘everything happening in the world’.

    + I really hope the song is just a joke, because if taken seriously, its a little lame.

    • Maria F. says:

      well said.

    • Becky says:

      She gets her squad to comment so she doesn’t have to. Same old.

      These 2 are both so petty.

      • hannah89 says:

        @becky

        AGREED. they are both horrible. katy is in her 30s and swift is almost there….they are acting like 13yo girls.

        no, thats an insult to 13yo girls. they are more mature than this probably.

    • Nicole says:

      I don’t know if this song is about Taylor so meh.
      But RR is hilarious…she’s defending the biggest mean girl out there like she has some moral ground.

    • Francesca Love says:

      Amen, Clare!!!!

  2. Ninks says:

    Grow up, ladies.

    • doofus says:

      my exact reaction.

      these people act like they’re in middle school.

      why do musical acts have to “beef” with each other, anyway? I’m reminded of Shinehead…”just like snakes, we’re always rattlin’, do you see rock and roll stars battlin’? NO! ‘Sucka MC’ this, ‘Sucka MC’ that, yo troops, when are we gonna stop this crap?!”

      GROW UP AND GET OVER IT.

    • Adele Dazeem says:

      Yup. This. How old are these women?? Ridiculous.

  3. CTgirl says:

    Nothing says all women must get along and nothing says that when they don’t that it’s news worthy.

    • Birdix says:

      And am I the only person in the world who didn’t know Bad Blood was about Katy Perry? I assumed it was about a dude.

      • CTgirl says:

        Nope. I didn’t know that either because I don’t really care about whether or not filthy rich women, who’s careers are based on publicity and who possess the emotional range of 17 year olds, are getting along or not.

  4. LucyHoneychurch says:

    Eh. The song sucks.

    • David says:

      +1000

    • Millenial says:

      The whole album (Witness) sucks. And the last album, Prism, was just okay — “Roar” was the only song I really liked, I hated “Dark Horse.” I think Katy’s game is slipping, tbh.

      • fiorucci says:

        I don’t like KP much but I enjoy chain to the rhythm. First time I’ve liked her song from the get go but her others just grew on me despite being turned off by her persona. Chained to the rhythm is a rip off of black mirror episode 1 in my opinion

    • Bridget says:

      The best revenge Katy Perry could have exacted was putting out a killer album, not this lame song.

    • Jeanette says:

      Yep. Could not finish it.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      I’m surprised she’s released her 3rd single already. So far, it seems like none of them are hits.

    • Belle Epoch says:

      LUCYHONEYCHURCH – THANK YOU for saying that! I couldn’t even listen to it. The lyrics are truly terrible, the “tune” is not good – the clubs can have it. Yechhhh

  5. Mildred Pierce says:

    I thought she was above this nonsense.

  6. Lora says:

    This is like highschool all over again 😂 Go ladys, entertain me

  7. Alleycat says:

    This is what bothers me about Taylor, her friends, and her fans. She can be petty all she wants…write rude blind songs, complaining about others in interviews, but the minute someone else does, they pout. No one in the public would have known about this feud if it wasn’t for Taylor. What does she have on these people for them to make idiots of themselves for her? Selena regarding BLM, Ed with the Nicki Minaj drama, now Ruby.

    • Clare says:

      Ruby Rose has done this previously as well. Personally I think their association with Taylor/Playing guard dog brings these B/C list celebs some media face time, and that’s why they do it. Why else?

      • fiorucci says:

        Why else? Obviously I don’t know but maybe they have an inside scoop on Katy doing something bad to Taylor and it’s worse than we know? What you said also makes sense to me

    • WeAreAllMadeofStars says:

      Amen! A video with a receipt in it? Yasss, I am so here for this! Summertime entertainment, here we come! I like the song way better than that pseudo sexy hot mess Bad Blood. And honestly, how good does a retort to that screeching mess really have to be? Summer pop songs are always the lightest of the light, even for pop music.

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        Yeah, it’s cheesy and I don’t like Taylor Swift or Katy Perry, but kind of love this .

    • mar_time says:

      I replied to a tweet by People with this “because bad blood wasn’t low?? eye roll” and one of her minions tweeted me back “Bad Blood is more about Taylor’s feelings rather than dissing anyone” they never see her for the 🐍 she is 🤷🏻‍♀️

    • fiorucci says:

      Selena has her own mis step or whatever with BLM. Can’t imagine Taylor touching BLM with a ten foot pole. She never mentioned the election in any meaningful way until the voting day basic tweet.

    • geekychick says:

      But Katy is more or less the same. Diplo’s comments about desirability of Swift whoile he was Perry’s boyfriend? Totally sexist and over the line and let’s not kid ourselves, it had everything to do with Katy who just stood back and stayed silent. I really don’t have a lion in this fight, but they are more or less the same, the only difference is that Swift’s songs hold better over time for me (or better said: Perry’s songs suck in the last two-three years).

  8. Va Va Kaboom says:

    Didn’t Nicki Minaj have minor beef with Swift too? Swish Swish, indeed.

    • fiorucci says:

      Taylor apologized and said she learned from it. Also seems like Taylor had the wrong impression from Nickis tweets in the first place so there’s no big “bad blood” there, it was a 1-2 day thing

  9. Krista says:

    What a crappy song.. I was hoping for something chart worthy

  10. jannab says:

    did perry even write this song? swift has her lyrically. say what you will about tay tay, but she can churn out a hit.

  11. akua says:

    Oh katy.. is the best she can do…you have 3 years and this is what you came up with. It makes Bad blood looks masterpiece compare to this thing. Am all for Taylor diss but this is not great. And what happened to “purposefull pop”

    • SM says:

      I agree. This song is crap. Swoft is a musical genius compared to this. If Katty somehow thinks that she is better or above the high school drama level then she is so wrong. It takes to to make a high school drama happen. Also I cought her on Ellen this week. It is probably the first video interiew I saw of her bit she seems off. I hope this is not a situation when we collectively laugh at someone being crazy and then that someone shaves their head or kills themselve

  12. Sullivan says:

    She should have aged-out of this silliness by now.

  13. Jeesie says:

    Honestly I like how Katy’s handled this whole ridiculous fued. She hasn’t backed down and taken it, but she also hasn’t fully bought into it. She’s just having fun with it.

    It’s a stupid song, but there’s humour in it. Bad Blood is idiotic too, but Taylor sings those overwrought lyrics so pathetically earnestly you’d think Katy literally stabbed her in the back.

    • Twink says:

      Totally agree! Your comment made me laugh, BB is so cringeworthy. This is just a fun song!

  14. Bee says:

    Ruby Rose just went from Cool Person to Uncool Person in the space of one tweet. SMH. Let’s just take a moment to remember these are all (supposedly) GROWN WOMEN. Because NONE of them are acting like it. I’m Team None Of Them.

  15. Serenity says:

    Really Ruby Rose?? Really? With everything going on?? Like Taylor Swift has ever taken a firm stand on anything political going on in the world right now. Or ever. We all know how Taylor operates by now – using feminism when and only when it suits her.

    And so, just wondering if “Bad Blood” was low or nah?? ……And was it low of Taylor to outright lie about the whole thing with Kanye or nah?? Take all the seats for this kind of righteous indignation. Hypocritical bish please.

    • Erinn says:

      Couldn’t you say the same thing about Katy? She only is using feminism when and how she likes. She says the buzzwords, says she’s going to do purposeful music – then the second single was about being taken like a buffet from some dude, and now an attempt at a diss track. On top of that she’s constantly appropriating other cultures, and joking about Britney Spears mental breakdown. She’s just as bad for using feminism and political activism as a way to sell a version of herself that her music still doesn’t manage to reflect.

      Her shade was fine – three years ago. But Katy is 32 years old, and she’s been jumping at every chance to shade Taylor for the last 3 years. Why is it cool to hate Taylor for being catty, and cool to congratulate Katy for it. Again – the first round of shade may have been well deserved. But it’s getting to be pathetic.

      • mellie says:

        Katy is 32? Oh my, I think back to what I was doing at 32, well, two of my three daughters were in elementary school at that time and I was most likely trying to teach them not to “mean girl” each other! This is ridiculous. Grow up.

      • WeAreAllMadeofStars says:

        So….do you apply the same standard to Taylor, who says absolutely nothing about all her pathetic staged romances until she releases a passive-aggressive album two years later and makes gobs of money in the process? It’s all about the $$$ and the attention for all of these people.

    • detritus says:

      Ahaha thats the part that killed me.
      Taytoe, the no show for the women’s march, no vote for Hil, non-partisan feminist-when-its-convenient, is getting this said as support? With not a tiny taste of irony?

      “I just think with everything going on in the world to go from rebranding as political activist only to ditch it and go low.. is.. a bummer.”

      I just cackled. Ruby, girl, get out of that damn glass house, because people are going to start throwing some major hypocrisy sized stones.

      • geekychick says:

        Can I offer a different perspective? For example, I think Swift is harmless and everyone knows that. I appreciate her flirting with feminism in her songs and messages in her last two albums, but without any political connotation. No one takes her political stances seriously, she’s a celebrity and that’s that.
        we’re not hating on Dwayne Johnson, or all the other celebrities who were not polticial in last few months, right?
        On the other hand, I’m tired of celebrities who need rebranding of the image, so they jump on any bandwagon that seems like it can yield results, of which the political one is one of the easiest to apply to. Few tweets, few videos, few donations and you’re there. Add a failed single promoted as very meaningful and political, although it’s just a jumble of cliche’s and tired frazes. I’m just tired of people profiting off of a real struggle and concern for many, by few cheap tricks.

    • Serenity says:

      Hey Erinn, I’m not putting Katy up on a pedestal. I’ve found a lot of what she has said and done problematic. But I cannot stand for the hypocrisy in Ruby Rose’s tweets. She was ripping into Katy Perry for being politically active and demeaning her for going on to sing ‘Swish Swish’. Okay but when has Taylor Swift even been the slightest bit politically active? Has she ever uttered anything on BLM, on refugees or on Trump? Taylor did not want to alienate her fan base in order to continue making a whole lot of money. So who is Ruby Rose to criticize Katy when at least Katy campaigned hard out for Hillary. The nothing-burger stood for something!

      And also, Katy isn’t the one making statements like ‘There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women’ and then giving interviews and making blind item songs that shit on other women (*ahem* Camille Belle anyone?).

      • Noname says:

        This feud is not only stupid, but old. I expect this out of Taylor, but Katy? And if you’re truly going to diss someone, wrote a good song! This song sucks. Makes Bad Blood look genius.

  16. What's Inside says:

    Katy Perry is on her way out….

    • Craven says:

      Good. Taylor is already waiting at the curb having been kicked there by 2016.Maybe they can share an uber to Boring Becky County.

      • Jegede says:

        “Maybe they can share an uber to Boring Becky County.” :)))

        OK. I laughed out loud in the office

      • fiorucci says:

        I don’t know why you think TS is boring – decent songs good style and comes off very intelligent and somewhat witty in her interviews. And how is she a Becky too ?

  17. Jessi says:

    The irony in the lyrics of the song when the one that’s on her way out is her.

    I don’t mind Katy singing about Swifty, but didn’t she say a few days ago that this album was all about her, and nobody else?
    Oh and how is this purposeful pop?

  18. Skins says:

    Not a big fan of either, but at least Swifty puts out a good song every now and then.

  19. Miles says:

    Katy Perry waits three years and THIS is what she puts out? Honestly the only one on the way out is Katy. Say what you will about Taylor but at least she knows how to write a hit song so even when the pop thing is over, she can just work with other artists and write music for them. Once the pop thing is over for Katy…it’s over. She has ZERO talent to be able to sustain a music career outside of this pop girl image.

    • Mary says:

      I agree and I’m kind of shocked how bad her songs are now. She had hit after hit and I loved some of her old songs.

  20. Jessie says:

    That song is whack but Ruby’s tweets are so embarrassing. She strikes me as not very smart.

  21. Shannon says:

    I don’t care for the song, I just found it kind of boring and quit listening halfway through. As for their beef, maybe it just shows I’m getting old, but it seems silly and trivial af and like they could both do some growing up.

    • fiorucci says:

      If you really want to be bored check out non apetit! (Leaving the typo because it fits!)

  22. chakliuk says:

    Katy Perry seems like a thoroughly unpleasant person

  23. OhDear says:

    I don’t care for Katy Perry all that much, but I think she’s trolling for various reasons. I mean the reason for the damn “feud” is so silly and Precious Princess TayTay takes herself so seriously no matter how hard she tries to prove otherwise. KP might as well let her petty flag fly and have some fun with it.

  24. Mary says:

    If only the song were good, but it sucks. I haven’t enjoyed a song from her in awhile. All of this is so silly and neither one of them come out looking good. Taylor looks ridiculous keeping up this feud and Katy just sunk down to her level. It’s another reason I don’t take Katy seriously when she preaches about women sticking together. She would have won this battle by not responding and letting Taylor look like the baby mean girl. And Taylor’s friends are not doing her any favors. Drawing more attention to it makes it worse.

  25. Otaku Fairy says:

    Since it was Katy Perry AND Nicki Minaj (and she alluded to rap beefs making her money in the song) I saw it as shade at both Taylor Swift and Remy Ma.
    And Ruby Rose, please don’t try to misuse Michelle Obama’s “When they go low, we go hi” (which has already been grossly and manipulatively misused and abused enough) to try to defend Swifty. “With everything going on in the world” (this must be like the second or third squad member of Taylor’s who’s pulled that card while defending her. Didn’t Selena Gomez and one of the Hadid sisters try it before?), shouldn’t you have more to concern yourself with than your rich, famous friend getting shaded in a pop song? Complaining about it gets her press though.

  26. I Choose Me says:

    Strupes. This so called diss track is yawn worthy. If you’re going to keep your feud with Swifty going Katy, at least make it more interesting than this.

  27. Bridget says:

    So Katy Perry makes a big deal about being above all of the pettiness, and then puts out a terrible song all about how awful Taylor Swift is. Gotcha.

    Can the both of these women just STOP? Bad Blood was terrible. This song is terrible. They’re both grating when they talk about each other. Move on, ladies.

  28. mew says:

    I think the song is not catchy, not good rhyming, too tryhard. It’s just not good or interesting.

  29. Twink says:

    Team Katy. At least she fights her own battles instead of the snake sending her minions. No wonder the dancers preferred to dance for KP. Also, this song over the mess that Bad Blood was.

  30. Ol says:

    Can we talk about why taylor and katy gets called out for writing these types of songs, while ed sheeran and Harry styles arent subjected to the same critisim when they write songs about celebrity women (respectively ellie goulding and taylor)?

  31. serena says:

    Another diss at Taylor? Honestly, this is boring. Both of them should move on already, or at least spare us.

  32. Erica_V says:

    This is a really bad song. Not even Nicki can save it.

    And I really need to disagree that 1989 was “devoted” to Katy that’s a big reach. She put one song about Katy on it. If that album is devoted to anyone it’s Harry Styles.

  33. vespernite says:

    Did you all ever stop to think that maybe Taylor didn’t comment about her political leanings because she knows she isn’t intellectual enough to join the conversation, at least not publicly. I can’t imagine the girl does anything but write sappy songs, shop and visit sick kids for photo ops. Tay-tay is not going to pick up a book or surround herself with the intellectual elite in order to glean even a wee bit of knowledge on world issues.

    • Marianne says:

      I think she probably doesnt talk about it because she doesnt want to alienate her fanbase either way. Which, I dont think thats a problem. She is a singer. Its not her job to talk politics.

  34. Marianne says:

    Ruby is definitely a hypocrite for bitching about the song considering Taylor started it first. However, I think both parties are equally immature. Like, how long is this beef going to be dragged out for? At some point you need to get over it and move on.

  35. Secret squirrel says:

    Dear Katy and Taylor (and Ruby by default)

    Nobody cares

    Signed,
    The World

  36. Magnoliarose says:

    Bland vs Blah about nothing. The song is terrible but I am not surprised.

  37. Maryscott O'Connor says:

    Does this actually sell albums (downloads, whatever)?

    That’s the only possible reason to do this if you’re over 14 years old. And even then… yuck.

    Then again, their demographic is teenaged girls, girls who live for stuff like this, so maybe it DOES sell music. I’m repulsed, but then, I’m old enough to be Katy Perrys mother, so…

  38. Loo says:

    Katy Perry’s new songs has been very not good. They aren’t even bad songs that are catchy, they’re just bad songs.

  39. Alexandria says:

    If Taylor was smart, she should do an Angelina and never comment and just do her own thing and no diss tracks. Sheesh. This feud is exhausting. And that includes telling her squad to shut up.

  40. bliss says:

    .

  41. Andrea says:

    Her songs were better with Russell Brand, just saying…

  42. MB says:

    This is just so unprofessional.
    If Katy and Taylor want to duke it out in public, thats one thing; They manage their own careers and dont really have to answer to anyone.
    Ruby relies on other people to employ her for acting work / DJ’ing etc. Honestly, I dont understand how a grown woman would think that getting involved in something like this would be a good idea.

  43. attackofthekb says:

    All this song did is remind me of the Remy Ma track ShEther which made me go buy that song. Katy Perry is once again a bore who has managed to drive me to other people’s music. Has Taylor even brought this up in years. Its like that episode of Seinfeld where George gets in the “jerk store” jab too late.