Shane Lynch: Boyzone star accuses Taylor Swift of 'satanism' - what did he say?

Shane Lynch, former Boyzone star, has accused Taylor Swift of performing 'satanic rituals' live on stage during her Era's Tour. The 47-year-old Irish singer - who is outspoken about his Christian beliefs - made the claims during a new interview with Sunday World.

The committed Christian first shared his views on satanism and the music industry last year on a Premier Christian Radio podcast. The singer hit out at Sam Smith and Beyonce, labelling the artists 'demonic'.

This week, Lynch turned his attention to Swift, who is set to continue her sold-out Eras Tour concerts in Singapore on Saturday (March 2). He told Sunday World: “I think when you’re looking at a lot of the artists out there, a lot of their stage shows are Satanic rituals live in front of 20,000 people without them realising and recognising."

Lynch continued: “Even down to Taylor Swift — one of the biggest artists in the world — you watch one of her shows and she has two or three different demonic rituals to do with the pentagrams on the ground, to do with all sorts of stuff on her stage. But to a lot of people it’s just art and that’s how people are seeing it, unfortunately.”

It isn't the first time the Shake It Off star, 34, has been accused of 'promoting the devil'. Her signature horned hand signal has led to satanic conspiracy theories about the pop star's intentions. However, most fans understand it as a sign-language gesture for “I love you”.

As well as Swift, other artists in the music industry have found themselves part of a wider 'satanic panic'. In 2021, Lil Nas X was labelled a 'satanist' following the release of the music video to his single Montero (Call Me By Your Name).

In the video, Lil Nas X can be seen giving Satan a lap dance, before snapping the devil's neck and stealing his crown as ruler of the underworld. Some members of the Christian community voiced their outrage with the fictional scene, including a minister at the Harvest Praise and Worship Center in South Carolina, who said the video made him feel 'disgusted at the highest level'.