"Of course he’s using the stolen version" - Fans react as Justin Bieber shares IG story featuring Taylor Swift's 'Bad Blood'

Fans are going crazy over Justin Bieber's most recent Instagram story as they believe that Bieber took subtle jabs at Taylor Swift. Swift's song Bad Blood was playing in the backdrop of the post, which included a blurry image of the moon. Swift fans were drawn to Bieber's choice to use the song's original 2014 version instead of Taylor's version, Bad Blood.

Scooter Braun's business, Ithaca Holdings, purchased Big Machine Records in 2019 and obtained the masters of Taylor Swift's first six albums. Since then, Swift has been outspoken about her fight to regain her songs. She has since set out to rerecord her albums, and her admirers are asking others to listen only to her version releases. It was perceived as disrespectful of Bieber to play the original Bad Blood instead of Swift's recently acquired version.

A Swift fan responded right away, commenting "Of course he’s using the stolen version"

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Swifties react to Justin Bieber's IG story

Justin Bieber's IG story divided fans. While some believe that Justin Bieber using Bad Blood (not Taylor’s Version) is a direct affront, some believe that it could just be a coincidence. A user commented,

"of course he’s using the stolen version…"

It didn't take a while for others to chime in

A few others expressed annoyance at the ongoing discourse, arguing that backlash isn't necessary.

"Y’all are damn annoying that’s just wow"- added a user

"why y'all making such a big deal outta this." - commented another

Another user expressed astonishment at discovering that Bieber and Swift had ever had a disagreement, demonstrating that not everyone was aware of their long-standing animosities.

"Wait I’m reading some comments on here Taylor & Justin had beef??? When? lol what’s tea?"

One user speculated that Bieber's tweet would mean that he and Swift have reconciled, particularly following his breakup with Scooter Braun.

"OH JUSTIN AND TAYLOR MADE UP. AFTER JUSTIN THREW SCOOTER IN THE BIN"

Another user, who recalled Bieber's previous stand in the Taylor-Scooter debate, remained doubtful despite the rumors of a reconciliation. A user commented,

"We still remember who you sided with..."

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A history of Bad Blood between Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift

Some fans think the story could have been a covert jab at Braun in addition to Swift. As a sign that their business split wasn't totally cordial, Justin Bieber, who had been handled by Braun for a long time, ended their partnership in 2023 and even unfollowed him on Instagram.

Swift openly chastised Braun in June 2019 for obtaining her masters without allowing her to buy them herself. She said she didn't find out about the transaction until it was made public and accused him of "manipulative bullying" for years.

Bieber said on Instagram in his initial defense of Braun in 2019,

"Scooter has had your back since the days you graciously let me open up for you. For you to take it to social media and get people to hate on Scooter isn’t fair.

He continued,

"What were you trying to accomplish by posting that blog? It seems to me like it was to get sympathy."

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Swift and Bieber have not responded to the rumors circulating about the Instagram story. The incident has rekindled conversations about Swift, Braun, and Bieber's long-running animosity, regardless of whether it was a deliberate dig.

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