TAYLOR Swift has worked with Ed Sheeran, Haim and Zayn Malik on her hits over the years.
But I can reveal that she’s now gearing up for a much more surprising collaboration with rap superstar Drake.
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I learned that they had recorded a secret song together during the sessions for his 2017 album Reputation, although it was not made because it was considered too direct about their enemies at the time, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
However, they now risk rekindling the drama between them, as Taylor wants to include him when she re-releases the record as Reputation (Taylor’s Version).
She is in the process of re-recording her old albums, in a snub to music manager Scooter Braun, who bought the rights to her back catalogue, which she says was done without her knowledge or permission.
As such, she meticulously recreates the albums and includes tracks from her “vault” – like this one with Drake – that were never heard the first time.
A music insider said: “Taylor was focused on re-recording Reputation and she came across this song she did with Drake, which never saw the light of day.
“She knows everyone is going to think it’s about Kimye because it was her argument with them that got a lot of reputation.
“But this one is much more direct than the other songs, which is why they didn’t decide to release it in the first place.
“It’s no secret that Taylor and Drake had a rocky relationship with Kanye, so they didn’t shy away from recording.
“Obviously she’s totally on top of it all now, but that’s the one fans will want to hear.”
Taylor fell out with Kanye when he claimed “I made that female dog famous” on his 2016 song Famous.
After Tay expressed outrage, his then-wife Kim later leaked a recording of them chatting, although it was later revealed that Taylor was not told what he was actually going to rap about her.
Away from the drama of this situation, the Shake It Off singer has a brand new album, Midnights, to think about.
This is set to become his ninth consecutive No. 1 when released in three weeks, and then Reputation (Taylor’s version) is set to follow next year.
She doesn’t make things easy.
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ROMAN CAPITALIZED WITH £3M
DRINKS are on Roman Kemp as the Capital Breakfast host pocketed £3m in three years.
Latest accounts from the company he set up to manage his income, RHK Limited, show he made the fortune and paid a total of £535,764 to the tax authorities.
Along with his regular radio work, he’s done plenty of business since finishing third on I’m A Celebrity in December 2019.
He’s done a series of endorsement campaigns with everything from Volkswagen to HelloFresh food deliveries.
I think he’s one of the most entertaining guys on the air, and given that there are so many brands keen to work with him, it’s clear a lot of people agree.
JOANNA IS SO FABULOUS FOR HER CO-STARS
JOANNA LUMLEY returns to the big screen as a cancer patient.
The Absolutely Fabulous actress will star as Mrs Foster in the short film My Week With Maisy, which will be released in January.
Director Mika Simmons said at the BFI Luminous fundraising gala: “She is just very gracious, never frustrated and incredibly professional.
“Everyone on set loved him.
“She spoke to everyone and she made sure she knew all their names – a very old way of behaving.”
The film chronicles the unlikely friendship between a narrow-minded retiree and a know-it-all nine-year-old girl who meet in a chemotherapy ward treatment room.
Mika added, “Joanna made us all cry. She is so good.
CLOONS ARE THE TROPHY COUPLE
GEORGE CLOONEY and his wife Amal led the A-listers in their first Albie Awards for people who have dedicated their lives to standing up for justice.
Human rights lawyer Amal shone gold at the New York party hosted by the Clooney Foundation for Justice.
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Dua Lipa paraded in black, hours after photos of the singer kissing American host Trevor Noah were published and sparked dating rumours.
Bridgerton beauty Phoebe Dynevor delighted in a backless cream number.
Former supermodel Cindy Crawford was joined by her husband Rande Gerber.
Other guests included Dominic Cooper of Mamma Mia and his Eternals star girlfriend Gemma Chan.
The awards are named after South African barrister Judge Albie Sachs, who worked to end apartheid, and Ocean’s Eleven actor George said of Amal: “C It’s exciting to me when she’s able to get people wrongfully accused out. [of prison]. I couldn’t be more proud of my wife.
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SIZZLING CHRIS IS RED
BEAUTIFUL is the name of one of Christina Aguilera’s biggest hits – and with her look so beautiful, it’s hard to believe the track was released two decades ago.
The singer wowed in a red outfit at the Latin Billboard Music Awards in Florida, where she received the Spirit of Hope award.
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And three hours after Thursday night’s ceremony, she released an EP called La Luz, which is part of her Spanish-language album Aguilera.
With an English-language record due out next year, I’m excited to hear what else she has up her sleeve.
COPYCAT? YOU’RE OUT OF YOUR ED, PAL
WHETHER you like every second of Ed Sheeran’s output or not, you’d have to have lived on Mars for a decade not to realize he’s the most talented pop songwriter of his generation.
So can we put aside the endless claims that he “copied this” or “borrowed that”?
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Yesterday a US judge agreed Ed will have to defend a claim from an investment banker who owns part of Marvin Gaye’s back catalog – claiming his mega hit Thinking Out Loud is too similar to Let’s Get It On.
I’ve heard both tracks, of course, and I have no trouble telling the difference.
And no one else either. It’s downright absurd.
But the problem here is that it’s becoming an almost weekly occurrence in the music business – and only a handful of superstars like Ed have the financial clout to keep fighting them.
Many others are forced to settle out of court and hand over a large sum of money to make the problem go away.
The new copyright lawsuit was first filed in 2018, and it’s only been six months since Ed was rightly allowed to copy parts of another high-end, Shape Of You, by a little-known rapper.
The latest claim relates to the equally ridiculous sum of £90million and suggests that Ed and his co-writer Amy Wadge “copied and exploited, without permission or credit” from legendary soul star Marvin.
They’re both wonderful songs, but they’re clearly different — and prosecuting someone with such a long and proven track record of original hits as Ed’s is a complete travesty of the legal system.
As the British superstar said after the latest court case: “I hope this ruling means that in the future baseless claims like this can be avoided.
“It’s really detrimental to the songwriting industry. There are only a limited number of notes and very few chords used in pop music.
“A coincidence is inevitable if 60,000 songs are released every day on Spotify.
“That’s 22 million songs a year, and there are only 12 notes available.”
