Former BBC host Ken Bruce sparks backlash over Taylor Swift ban and says ‘they’re all the same’
Greatest Hits Radio presenter Ken Bruce has refused to play Taylor Swift songs and claimed they are all the same because they are about her ex-boyfriends
(Image: Greatest Hits Radio)
Former BBC Radio 2 personality Ken Bruce has stirred the pot by declaring his aversion to playing Taylor Swift tunes. The esteemed radio host criticised the international icon’s lyrical focus.
Now with Greatest Hits Radio, Ken ruffled feathers among Swift’s fans when revealing he’ll shun the pop star’s tracks on his programme until she diversifies her topics, as noted by the Express. Chatting with the Daily Mail, he expressed: “All her songs are the same. I’ll play her on my station when she writes something that isn’t about her ex-boyfriends. Great radio songs have three beats and then they’re straight into the song, not these long intros that she does.”
Taylor’s supporters quickly voiced their discontent with Ken’s remarks. One retorted: “Leave it to an old white man to be completely out of touch….. shocker.”
Amid her massively successful Eras world tour and a string of chart-topping hits and albums, Bruce defended his musical selections on Greatest Hits Radio based on its brand identity.
Swifties were unimpressed with Ken Bruce’s criticism of Taylor (Image: Getty Images)
His justification was: “We’re a 70s, 80s and 90s radio show as our core audience is older.”, reports Leicestershire Live.
Notwithstanding this rationale, Swift admirers objected to Ken’s initial assertion. A fan pointed out: “There’s literally so many songs that don’t have a romantic theme at all and so many more that revolve around a fictional romance NOT a personal one e.g. Cowboy Like Me, Gold Rush, Right Where You Left Me, Cardigan etc.”
A second commented: “Why does an old man who knows nothing about music get to be a radio presenter.”
Despite the criticism, Ken noted that Taylor Swift’s music does feature on Greatest Hits Radio – thanks to PopMaster. The popular quiz segment followed Ken from BBC Radio 2 to his new station last year.
Explaining the station’s musical choices, he remarked: “For our audience, we do 70s, 80s and 90s music. We do early noughties and 2010s not very many but we expect people to know things from recent and current music, only the biggest names though.”
