In 2020, the Legends mural in Nashville raised a storm after Taylor Swift was removed from the painting. The mural is an iconic spot in the city, honoring legendary country artists including Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash. Needless to say, the Swifties didn’t sit still and expressed their outrage online, condemning the decision. However, the mural’s artist soon clarified why Swift was no longer a part of the mural.
Here’s everything we know.
Reason why Taylor Swift was removed from Legends Mural in 2020
Five years ago, the Legends Corner bar in Nashville made some major edits to its iconic mural celebrating country music legends. Although Brad Paisley was added to the mural, the bar covered up and took down Taylor Swift, causing outrage among Swifties. Within hours, “YOUNG TAYLOR RAN COUNTRY” began trending on X (formerly Twitter).
Shortly after, the mural’s artist, Tim Davis, broke silence on the matter, offering an explanation for this drastic decision. Speaking with USA Today, he announced that they decided to remove her from the mural due to the singer’s shift from country music to the pop genre. “I have heard many complaints here in Nashville about Taylor being on the wall with country legends since she is currently focused mainly on pop,” explained Davis.
He further clarified, “Some inebriated bar hoppers have spit on her image specifically, feeling betrayed by her venture from country. I guess this is to be expected, but by in large, the people of Nashville love her, as do I.”
However, Davis assured fans that the bar will construct a new mural completely dedicated to the “Shake it Off” singer. On December 28, 2020, Davis created a GoFundMe page to raise money for the new mural for Swift. “As a music powerhouse in her own right, and having introduced many to the country music genre, she should be featured on a prominent mural in Music City that showcases both her country roots, and her earned status as the queen of pop,” he penned in the description.
Taylor Swift entered the country music scene with a bang in 2006, releasing her debut lead single, “Tim McGraw.” Two years later, she released her second studio album, Fearless. It went on to achieve groundbreaking success, cementing her name as a formidable starlet in the industry. She continued this chart-topping success with her subsequent albums Speak Now and Red. However, she shifted to mainstream pop with the release of 1989. Swift continued to experiment with synth and folk pop sounds with her recent albums The Tortured Poets Department and Midnights.
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on ComingSoon.
