Taylor Swift‘s American Music Awards performance had been making headlines long before she stepped onto the stage Sunday night due to a music rights battle she’s embroiled in with her former label Big Machine Label Group, Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun. But during the 2019 AMAs, Swift managed to have the final word on the feud without actually speaking a word about it. In classic Swift fashion, the singer clapped back through subtle easter eggs in her clothing and song choices.
To kick off her career-spanning medley, Swift appeared in a prison-like jacket covered in the names of the albums she does not legally own and sang the first few lines of “The Man.” It was a seemingly curious choice to open her performance considering the song isn’t even one of her singles (yet), but the lyrics seem to say it all: “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can /Wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man/ And I’m so sick of them coming at me again/ ‘Cause if I was a man, then I’d be the man.”
The 29-year-old then shed the jacket, revealing a gold body suit underneath, and launched into more of her well-known classics, including “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Blank Space,” and “Shake It Off” (featuring her tour buddies Camila Cabello and Halsey)—all of which could easily be taken as jabs toward Borchetta and Braun.
