DISTURBED's DAVID DRAIMAN: 'Don't Talk S*** About TAYLOR SWIFT. She Is For Real.'

DISTURBED singer David Draiman has once again praised Taylor Swift, saying the pop superstar "kicks ass" for actually performing her music live.

The 50-year-old Draiman, who has previously expressed an interest in collaborating with Swift, made his latest comments during DISTURBED's January 19 concert in Peoria, Illinois. After bringing two dads and their two 12-year-old daughters up on the stage, David said to the girls: "So I take it [the fact] that you came to the DISTURBED concert, as opposed to the Taylor Swift concert, means that your parents are raising you on rock and roll." But then he added: "Hey, don't forget: Taylor Swift still kicks ass." When some concertgoers started booing that remark, Draiman quickly fired back: "Don't you boo her. You know what? I will stand up and applaud any pop artist that gets up on stage and sings live and plays a guitar live in front of a whole group of fucking thousands of girls and guys, young fans. Don't talk shit about Taylor Swift. She is for real. And she's making sure that an entire generation of new music fans understand what it means to actually play music live."

Last August, Draiman told Sara Parker of Philadelphia's WMMR radio station that he "would love to cover a Taylor Swift song. I think that she is one of the most prolific songwriters of our generation," he explained. "I think she is insanely talented. I'd love to collaborate with Taylor if she ever wanted to, on any given day."

Draiman continued: "I've said it before, I'll say it again: I think she's a brilliant woman. I think she's, like I said, one of the great songwriters of our time. I love her gumption. I love the fact that she gets on stage in front of tens of thousands of screaming young female fans and plays a real instrument and sings live and is the real deal. I mean, there are a number of people within the pop genre that still do it the way that she does it — Pink is one of them; Lady Gaga is one of them. A lot of these people are just so gifted and so great at what they do, and she's certainly way, way, way up there. I have nothing but the utmost respect for her.

In May 2023, indie rock singer Phoebe Bridgers, who was the opening act for Swift on some of the shows on her "Eras" tour, caught Draiman's attention after she repeatedly walked out to DISTURBED's classic song "Down With The Sickness". When footage of her entrance went viral, Draiman shared the clip on his Twitter account and wrote: "Phoebe Bridgers this is absolutely amazing," with two hands raised emojis. He added: "Love it! You're welcome to come see our show whenever you want!" Draiman also tagged Swift's Twitter account and included the hashtag #TaylorSwiftErasTour.

DISTURBED's eighth studio album, 2022's "Divisive", includes the song "Don't Tell Me", which is an epic emotionally charged duet with HEART's Ann Wilson. The track marked the first time the band had included a guest feature on an LP.

DISTURBED kicked off the 2024 leg of its "Take Back Your Life" tour in Peoria. The band's 21-song setlist included the live debut of "Don't Tell Me", featuring a guest appearance by Moriah Formica of the opening band PLUSH.

Released in November 2022, "Divisive" was recorded earlier that year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.