Taylor Swift is reportedly being sued by a songwriter who claims he created a famous phrase she used in her 2014 hit “Shake It Off.”
According to TMZ, singer Jessie Braham claims the Swift song, which has been one of the most popular songs from the last year, borrows heavily from a song he wrote in 2013, titled “Haters Gone Hate.”
“Haters gone hate, players gone play. … Watch out for the fakers/they’ll fake you every day,” Braham sings in the song, which can be heard in the video below.
The singer claims he owns the phrase “haters gone hate” and alleges that Swift used it more than 70 times in her song, without giving him credit or asking for permission.
Swift’s song lyrics read, “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play, and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”
Graham is reportedly demanding Swift pay him $42 million, and he also wants to be listed as a contributor on future releases of the song.
Swift has not yet commented on the lawsuit.