Taylor Swift and Lorde, pictured at the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, found themselves in a "famous feud" with DJ Diplo in 2014. Photo / Getty Images
Taylor Swift and Lorde, pictured at the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, found themselves in a "famous feud" with DJ Diplo in 2014. Photo / Getty Images
Bad blood has bubbled to the surface again as international DJ Diplo recalls "huge beefs" with pop artists Taylor Swift and New Zealand's own Lorde in a new interview.
The DJ and producer has shared with tech, culture and gaming outlet Input how his sarcastic humour on social media ledto his famous feud with the pop stars in 2014.
"I don't take it that seriously. When I first started using social media, it was a big joke for me. On Twitter, I was an unabashedly crazy person. And I didn't realise that there was power in those words. I would make fun of other artists, and that really came back to hurt me in the end," the DJ, who has worked with the likes of Beyoncé and Justin Bieber, told Input.
"And I thought it was so funny, but you know, people hold you accountable for your Twitter in such a strange way. It's not real life. Sarcasm doesn't come through on social media."
He said that on Instagram, however, "I just try to be silly, because I don't really want to take selfies all day long and show off how cool I am."
He added: "Every day, I'm learning how to use my Instagram, to be honest."
Fans of Lorde and Swift will recall when Diplo tweeted in November 2014, "Someone should make a kickstarter to get Taylor Swift a booty" and shared a link to a Fundly page.
The DJ found swift criticism and Lorde responded: "@Diplo, should we do something about your tiny penis while we're at it hm."
In an interview with GQ magazine the following year, Diplo conceded the incident was "really dumb".
"And it's funny, because me and Lorde, we're actually friends, and it was a funny, in-jest conversation," he said. "So many tabloids used it to make it story, when it was not. Literally, it was such a tongue-in-cheek joke on both sides. I think Taylor Swift is such an impactful character, that it was because she was involved that it became really big."
As E! News reports, all appeared well again when Diplo shared an image of himself with Swift at the Grammy Awards the next month.
But by December that year, Diplo was telling British GQ Style: "All I know is, don't ever get into a feud with Taylor Swift.
"She has like 50 million people that will die for her. It's like an army that's worse than North Korea. You can't step into that arena. That was something I was never prepared for."