Taylor Swift Had Never Heard of 3LW Until “Shake It Off” Lawsuit
Look what you made her do: Taylor Swift is defending herself against plagiarism allegations.
The singer recently responded to a 2017 copyright lawsuit filed by songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler, who claimed Swift had lifted lyrics from the 3LW song “Playas Don’ Play,” which they penned, for her 2014 smash hit “Shake It Off.” Per court documents obtained by E! News, Swift refuted the accusation by writing in a declaration dated Aug. 6, “The lyrics to ‘Shake It Off’ were written entirely by me.”
“Until learning about Plaintiffs’ claim in 2017, I had never heard the song ‘Playas Gon’ Play and had never heard of that song or the group 3LW,'” she continued. “The first time I ever heard the song was after this claim was made.”
Though 3LW—originally comprised of Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams and Naturi Naughton—released several hits in the early aughts, Swift wrote that she “almost exclusively” listened to country music during that time and “did not watch the MTV show TRL” or go to clubs where mainstream music was played.
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