Todd Rundgren has made the controversial claim that Taylor Swift “ruined music”.
In a recent interview for Vulture, the musician-producer was asked if there was an artist he would poke fun at if he were producing an album in 2026.
“Taylor Swift, of course,” he declared. “There’s an argument to be made that she ruined music. It’s an understandable phenomenon. It’s just that, to me, Taylor Swift is the apotheosis of mediocrity. It’s the era of the female artists.”
Famously, Rundgren stated that he felt Meat Loaf’s 1977 album Bat Out of Hell was a parody of Bruce Springsteen’s music.
But the I Saw the Light star didn’t stop with his initial critique of the Opalite hitmaker, emphasising that he prefers the work of Lady Gaga and other pop stars.
“Lady Gaga, she’s a real musician. She’s a classically trained piano player,” the 78-year-old continued, before firing: “Taylor Swift doesn’t do anything particularly great except grow hair. She’s not a great singer. She’s not a great songwriter. She’s not a great dancer.”
However, Rundgren did concede that Swift is a “role model”.
“She’s a role model for what was a very young generation of women, and now for those women’s daughters as well, because it’s mothers and daughters going to Taylor Swift shows,” he added.
Representatives for Swift have not yet responded to Rundgren’s comments.
The Blank Space singer had a huge weekend, winning Video of the Year for The Fate of Ophelia at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Sunday night. She was also lauded with the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honor during the ceremony.
