Country music mega-star Taylor Swift may generate a lot of criticism with her latest single, "Shake It Off" - because there is nothing country at all about the blatantly pop song. But fellow country star Brad Paisley declares he isn't one of Swift's "haters."
The lyrics of the high-energy pure pop tune - co-written by Swift - prove that she knew her shift from country darling to pop princess would probably churn up some negative comments. The chorus she help pen proclaims:
'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
When E! News asked Paisley about his thoughts on the Swift switch, he made it clear that he is no hater.
"People are going to love it," he noted. "It's going to sell, and it already is [selling]. She has done a great job."
Paisley stated that Swift's talent and popularity have transcended the boundaries of Nashville-Music City USA. And that people need to accept that fact
"People are going to have to get used to it 'cause it's not the Taylor Swift obviously that you knew," he told E! News, adding that "she is a world famous superstar now. She is just not Nashville's, [and] we just have to kind of get used to that."
Not only does Paisley support Swift's foray into pop, he also admires how she confronts her detractors head on in her songs.
"All of us have the urge to do that, and I respect her for doing that. I have that urge to do that as well, because it gets old just taking it when you're in the public eye." He adds, "It gets old to sort of take it, and it's very noble to not say anything, but it's hard. It becomes a lot of fun to really steam now and again and challenge somebody who hates you. Because in the end, it's all very sort of unreal and not always accurate."
"Shake It Off!" is the lead single from Swift's new "1989" album. Written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback, the song definitely lives up to Swift's earlier explanation that it was inspired by late '80s pop music.
Country star Gary Allan hasn't weighed in specifically on "Shake It Off," but last year Allan told Larry King that he didn't think Swift or Carrie Underwood were country, Music Times reports. "I would say they're pop artists making a living in the country genre," said Allan.
Oh, and where the album's title, "1989," come from? The evolving superstar was born in 1989.
