Taylor Swift’s team reportedly moved into rapid “damage control” mode during the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday night, when Swift’s acceptance speech for Album of the Year was criticised for its perceived lack of acknowledgement of presenter Céline Dion.
Industry insiders noted Swift’s lack of any mention of Dion or acknowledgement of her big presence at the ceremony.
According to Matthew Belloni, co-founder of the digital media business Puck, who attended the Grammys and covered the situation on his podcast The Town, Taylor Swift’s team swiftly recognised the possible consequences of the perceived error.
Belloni reported that Swift’s staff hurried to take a photo of Swift with Dion backstage, which they quickly shared to counteract the bad impact of the “Celine Moment.”
Indeed, photographs of Swift and Dion sharing grins and hugs backstage quickly appeared, clearly intended to dispel any perceptions of disrespect for the revered Canadian superstar.
Regardless of how Swift’s onstage statements were misinterpreted, these photographs were interpreted as a reassurance that the two ladies shared mutual respect and regard.
According to Page Six, Dion remained calm and did not let the altercation with Taylor Swift impact her demeanour.
Meanwhile, industry insiders pointed to another alleged public relations gaffe regarding Swift’s Grammy acceptance statements.
Matthew Belloni, co-founder of Puck Digital Media, discussed the incidents on his podcast with Bloomberg News entertainment correspondent Lucas Shaw.
They described Swift’s plan to publicize her impending album release during her victory speech for Best Pop Album as tacky.
Swift’s revelation, which revealed the album title The Tortured Poets Department and a release date of April 19th, elicited varied emotions from the audience.