Smashing Pumpkins Singer Billy Corgan Defends Taylor Swift Album Length: 'How Is It a Bad Thing?'
"Taylor Swift is one of the most gifted pop artists of all time," said Corgan
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(L-R) Billy Corgan, Taylor SwiftTaylor Swift has one more person in her corner — Billy Corgan.
In an interview with The Irish Times published on Monday, June 3, the Smashing Pumpkins singer, 57, defended the length of Swift's 31-song double album, The Tortured Poets Department, and commended her artistic ambition.
"Taylor Swift is one of the most gifted pop artists of all time. How is it a bad thing that she’s releasing more music? I can’t follow that ... You can go on Spotify and just skip it," the rocker told the outlet.
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Smashing Pumpkins performing at Pine Knob Music Theatre on September 06, 2023Related: Taylor Swift Bares Her Tortured Soul — and Settles Scores — on Prolific New TTPD Album: Review
Corgan pointed to his band's own three-part album, Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts, while celebrating Swift's latest project.
“People complained about the length of my last album, Atum. I thought, Well, just go make your own playlist," he said.
"Just listen to the record one time – rag over the six or 10 songs you like and make your own record. Why is this such a strange concept? Have some sense of proportionality," continued Corgan. "This hyperbolic thing – ‘They ruined Star Wars. My God, this is all too much for me to process' – it’s all a bit childish."
Swift, 34, said the double album's length was a result of having "written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years."
"It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album. ✌️I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours. 🤍" she shared on Instagram in April.
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The singer announced that she would be releasing the project while winning the album of the year award for Midnights at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
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Taylor Swift performing in Lyon, France on Sunday, June 02, 2024Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Days later, during night one of her Eras Tour stop in Tokyo, she opened up about her everlasting passion for creating new music.
"Everyone asks, 'Why do you make so many albums?' It's like, 'Man, because I love it so much. I'm having fun. Leave me alone,'" she told concertgoers.
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