Taylor Swift releases pro-LGBT single You Need To Calm Down

Taylor Swift’s fans have praised her for releasing a pro-LGBT single, which includes the lyric “shade never made anybody less gay”.

The single, called You Need To Calm Down, is the second from her forthcoming seventh album Lover.

An upbeat song, Swift, 29, takes aim at homophobia, making references to abuse given to those in the gay community with lyrics such as “Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD? / Sunshine on the street at the parade / But you would rather be in the dark ages / Makin’ that sign must’ve taken all night.”

She sings in another line: “You just need to take several seats and then try to restore the peace / And control your urges to scream about all the people you hate / ‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay.”

Swift also plays on her lyrics with the word glad, changing it to “GLAAD”, the acronym for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in America.

Within hours of release, the rainbow-coloured lyric video for the track – released during Pride Month – had been viewed nearly half a million times.

The single comes after Swift broke a long-held silence on political matters earlier this month to urge listeners to send letters to their senators calling for them to back a pro-LGBT law in the US called the Equality Act.

The act would introduce laws to protect the LGBT community, by adding sexual orientation and gender identity as outlawed forms of discrimination.

Fans of the American singer-songwriter took to Twitter to declare their joy over the song, with one writing that it is a “freaking gay pride anthem”, adding: “A mainstream pop girl fed us with a pride song… I have no words.”

“YNTCD is not just a bop it’s a powerful message,” one wrote.

“This is what the LGBT swifties needed because you are all loved!!!! Your reactions to the song have made me so happy for you! Be proud of who you are because Taylor certainly is proud of you and so are we.”

Another said: “Know I was always going to say this but #YouNeedToCalmDown is amazing. Absolutely here for a Taylor Swift bop against hate.”

The song was released shortly after Swift revealed her new album’s name and that it will be released on August 23.

She broke the news with a post to her 118 million Instagram followers with a picture of the album cover.

She wrote: “Lover, album out August 23. Cover shot by the artistic genius that is @valheria123. Pre-add, pre-save, pre-order (all the pre stuff you feel like doing) Can’t wait for you to hear this.”

In April, Swift set her fans a challenge after confirming the title of her new album was contained in the music video for latest single Me.

Me, an upbeat track featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco, was Swift’s first new music since the 2017 album Reputation.