State Champs lead singer Derek Discanio talks Taylor Swift, 5SOS

The State Champs members, Ryan Scott Graham, Tyler Szalkowski, Tony Diaz, Evan Ambrosio and their lead singer Derek Discanio, are currently on their full tour in the United States. Apparently, the pop punk singers are among Taylor Swift’s fans.

In a recent interview with MTV News, Discanio talked about their second album “Around the World and Back,” which was released on Friday, Oct. 16. Discanio discussed the Swift references in the album and also shared about their experiences performing with the Australian quartet 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS).

According to Discanio, he, Graham, Szalkowski, Diaz and Ambrosio are all huge fans of Swift, and they are not ashamed of it. Aside from the “Bad Blood” singer, the State Champs lead singer said they also love Justin Bieber and One Direction.

Discanio revealed that there are about three lines throughout the entire “Around the World and Back” album that lyrically and melodically reference Swift. However, he said the inclusion of the words “blank space” in the lyrics of their song “Secrets” was just coincidental.

On Oct. 27, 2014, Swift released her fifth studio album, titled “1989,” which refers to her birth year. “Blank Space” was among the 13 songs in the album, along with “Bad Blood,” “Out of the Woods,” “Welcome to New York” and “Style.”

In addition, Discanio said he and his band mates wanted to give back to their fans who actually knew about them before they were offered to do the Australian leg of the 5SOS tour. He said the seven 5SOS shows were sold out even before the State Champs were announced as openers.

Some people who wanted to see the State Champs during the 5SOS tour in Australia reportedly could not get tickets. This made the band decide to do back-and-forth shows, according to Discanio.

Meanwhile, the 5SOS members, Ashton Irwin, Calum Hood, Luke Hemmings and Michael Clifford, have announced their 2016 European tour dates. Prior to this, their 2016 shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland have already been sold out.

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