Lemonade?
Pleassssse.
As soon asTaylor Swift announced her music comeback Wednesday, many people drew comparisons to the hype and impact of Beyoncé‘s 2016 mega hit visual album Lemonade. And moments after a teaser from her new music video “Look What You Made Me Do” was released Friday, some immediately compared a key scene, showing her wearing a black leotard and fishnet stockings while performing with male backup dancers, to one from Beyoncé’s video “Formation,” included in Lemonade.
“Look What You Made Me Do” director Joseph Kahn is not having it.
“I’ve worked with Beyoncé a few times,” he tweeted Friday night. “She’s an amazing person. The #LWYMMDvideo is not in her art space. Love and respect to Bey.”
“Also there’s something to that ‘formation’ shot I painted out and you haven’t seen yet. Stay tuned Sunday 🙂 #LWYMMDvideo #SneakyAsian,” Kahn added.
He wrote hours earlier, “Before video release: Kahn copying Lemonade. After video release: Kahn copying obscure K Pop video made in North Korean prison in 2006.”
The video for “Look What You Made Me Do” is set to be released Sunday during the 2017 MTV VMAs. The single is Swift’s edgiest single yet, incorporating an electro-pop sound and themes of power and betrayal.
Many speculate it is about Kanye West. A feud between them began in 2009 after he famously interrupted her VMAs acceptance speech to declare that her award for Best Female Video should have gone to, yep, Beyoncé. They later reconciled, but renewed their beef in 2016 after he released the song “Famous,” which contains the lyrics, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous.”
In the teaser for the video, Swift is seen biting on diamond jewelry in anger while wearing multiple rings, including snake-shaped ones. Her critics have often branded her a snake and she used a video of one to tease her announcement about her new single as well as her new album Reputation, which will be released in November.
Kahn, who directed four of Swift’s past music videos from her 1989 album—”Blank Space,” “Bad Blood” “Wildest Dreams” and “Out of the Woods,” also defended Swift on Twitter Friday.
“A young self made woman works hard with talent and intelligence while staying grounded and polite to everyone,” he wrote. “Scandalous.”
Kahn later talked about the making of the “Look What You Made Me Do” video as the finishing touches were put on it.
“We started concepting and prepping it in January,” he tweeted Saturday morning. “Shot in May. Post production until tomorrow morning. You see it Sssssssunday.”
Kahn also teased more surprises.
“Only 5 shots in the video have been released,” he wrote. “You know nothing Jon Snow. :)”
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