Taylor Swift slapped with $42 million lawsuit

Pop star Taylor Swift is being slapped with a US$42 million lawsuit over her chart-topping single Shake It off, released in 2014.

Swift is being sued by an R & B singer Jesse Graham who claims that Swift stole the words of his 2013 song Haters Gone Hate.

In the chorus of Graham's song the words: "haters gone hate, playas gone play, watch out for them fakers, they fake everyday" are featured.

Similar words are in the chorus of Taylor Swift's Shake It Off but there is no other lyrical or musical resemblance between the two songs. 

Despite this, Graham says he wants his name to be added as a writer on the track along with the hefty sum he is requesting.

He also believes that there is no way Swift could have written Shake It Off without listening to his song.

He also told the New York Daily News that he spoke to Swift's record label about the issue but was repeatedly dismissed.

He originally asked them to name him as a writer and also requested a selfie with the pop star but was granted neither of the two requests.

"At first I was gonna let it go but this song is my song all the way," Graham claimed.

Shake It Off, featured on Swift's latest album 1989 was a huge hit. The video for the song has been watched more than 1.1 billion times on YouTube.

The song also debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Swift's second number-one single in the United States and the 22nd song to debut at number one in the chart's history.

The song won Favourite Song at the 2015 People's Choice Awards, and also received nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2015 Grammy Awards.