Music News with Taylor Swift, Echosmith and Aaron Carter

TAYLOR SWIFT SAYS SHE DIDN’T BACK A 2016 CANDIDATE BECAUSE TRUMP WAS ‘WEAPONIZING’ CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS: Taylor Swift is opening up about choosing not to endorse a presidential candidate in 2016, explaining in a new interview with Vogue that she feared she might actually do more harm than good. Swift said that in the last presidential election, “you had a political opponent who was weaponizing the idea of the celebrity endorsement.” Then-candidate Donald Trump, she explained without actually naming him, was “going around saying, ‘I’m a man of the people. I’m for you. I care about you.'” For this reason, Swift felt she “wasn’t going to help” by endorsing then-candidate Hillary Clinton. She added that another factor was that amid her feud with Kim Kardashian West, she was being attacked as “calculated,” “manipulative,” and a “liar,” as was Clinton. “Would I be an endorsement or would I be a liability?” Swift said she asked herself. “Look, snakes of a feather flock together. Look, the two lying women. The two nasty women. Literally millions of people were telling me to disappear. So I disappeared. In many senses.”

ECHOSMITH DRUMMER HAS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: Following the news that Echosmith drummer Graham Sierota had apologized to Alabama Barker, the 13-year-old daughter of Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, for messaging her online, the rest of the band and their parents have now issued a statement about Graham’s behavior. Alabama accused Graham, 20, of being “super creepy” because of his messages to her. But his family explains that Graham has Autism Spectrum Disorder and “has difficulty understanding social cues,” which led to those “deeply hurtful mischaracterizations.” The family’s statement explains that Graham “sees the world as the happiest place, where everyone is a potential friend, and he wants everyone to feel included,” adding, “Anyone who has ever met Graham will agree, he is the friendliest and most kind-hearted, welcoming person in the world.” The family notes, “We understand that his interactions were misinterpreted and misunderstood in the confusing world of social media, and we are deeply sorry. Graham certainly never meant to make anyone feel uncomfortable.” The statement was signed by Graham’s sister Sydney and his brother Noah, his bandmates in Echosmith, as well as their parents.

COPS VISIT AARON CARTER’S HOME FOR WELFARE CHECK: Authorities visited Aaron Carter’s Lancaster, California, home on Wednesday due to a family member’s concern TMZ reports. The family member voiced concern following Aaron’s break-up with girlfriend Lina Valentina. “We’re told the person who called cops was concerned Aaron was going to take his own life or hurt someone else. They also feared he was doing drugs and could overdose,” TMZ said. Law enforcement ultimately determined “everything was okay.” Sources close to Aaron suggest Lina might have had a hand in getting the cops sent to his home after she was kicked out. His attorney told TMZ that Aaron wants a smooth breakup, but threatened legal action against Valentina if she doesn’t back off.”