"She's making sure that an entire generation of new music fans understand what it means to actually play music live": David Draiman tells Disturbed fans to put some respect on Taylor Swift's name

David Draiman, Taylor Swift
(Image credit: Scott Legato/Getty Images | Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

Disturbed frontman David Draiman has once again expressed his respect and admiration for Taylor Swift, sharing his belief that the pop star "kicks ass", and telling naysayers, "Don't talk shit about Taylor Swift. She is for real."

As reported by Blabbermouth, Draiman made his remarks during a January 19 Disturbed gig in Peoria, Illinois. During his band's set, the singer welcomed two fathers and their two 12-year-old daughters Ava and Chelsea on to the stage, then addressed the girls saying, "I take it [the fact] that you came to the Disturbed concert, as opposed to the Taylor Swift concert, means that your parents are raising you on rock and roll." Mindful that this could be interpreted as a slight upon the 34-year-old pop superstar, Draiman then added, "Hey, don't forget: Taylor Swift still kicks ass." 

When this remark was met with boos from some sections of the audience, Draiman quickly leapt to the singer's defence.

"Don't you boo her," he admonished those booing. "You know what? I will stand up and applaud any pop artist that gets up on stage and sings live and plays a guitar live in front of a whole group of fucking thousands of girls and guys, young fans. Don't talk shit about Taylor Swift. She is for real. And she's making sure that an entire generation of new music fans understand what it means to actually play music live."

Back in August last year, during an interview with DJ Sara Parker on Philadelphia's WMMR radio station, Draiman was full of praise for Swift, telling his host that he would "love" to cover one of her songs, and hailing her as "one of the most prolific songwriters of our generation."

"I think she is insanely talented," he enthused. "I'd love to collaborate with Taylor if she ever wanted to, on any given day."

"I've said it before, I'll say it again: I think she's a brilliant woman. I think she's, like I said, one of the great songwriters of our time. I love her gumption. I love the fact that she gets on stage in front of tens of thousands of screaming young female fans and plays a real instrument and sings live, and is the real deal."

@vsprice7

Disturbed’s David defends Taylor Swift to his fans at tonights concert in Peoria, Il after bringing two 12 year olds up on stage to rock with them.

♬ original sound - Tori
Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.