Global sensations Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish are currently caught up in an online controversy.  Criticism ranges from concerns about environmental damage due to excessive vinyl production to allegations of attempting to outshine one another in the spotlight. Both artists are vying for the top position on the Billboard 200 list, set to be revealed on June 1, and the competition is fierce.

Taylor Swift’s latest album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ has held the coveted top spot on the Billboard 200 list for the past month. The album has set monumental streaming records and achieved historic sales figures. However, its reign is now threatened by Billie Eilish’s latest offering, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft,’ a 10-track third album released on May 17.

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Despite lacking any pre-releases, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ by Eilish has performed remarkably well. Since its release, all ten tracks have secured positions in the top 25 of Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart, each accumulating over a million streams.

The controversy ignited when Eilish criticized artists, in an interview with Billboard, for releasing multiple vinyl variants of an album solely for profit, contributing to environmental degradation. She expressed frustration with the practice of releasing numerous album variants with minor alterations in album art, color schemes, or track listings, deeming it harmful to the environment.

 

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Although Eilish did not explicitly mention any artists, fans of Taylor Swift assumed her comments were directed at Swift, known for releasing multiple album variants. Swift has previously released four versions of her ‘Midnights’ album and eight variants of ‘Folklore.’ In response to the accusations, Eilish clarified via an Instagram story that she was addressing a broader issue within the music industry, acknowledging her own involvement.

According to Billboard, Eilish has released nine vinyl editions of ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ to match the sales strategy of her previous album, ‘Happier.’

Tensions between the two escalated when Taylor Swift released three new editions of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ on the same day as Eilish’s ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ album drop. Eilish’s fans have accused Swift of trying to overshadow the release of Eilish’s album with her announcement. Swift has yet to address these allegations.