'There is absolutely no shade!' Charli XCX claims Taylor Swift tour jibe was taken 'out of context'

Charli XCX has responded to protests from Taylor Swift fans after saying performing on the US star’s world tour felt “I was getting up on stage and waving to five-year-olds”.

Her comments provoked anger on social media, with fans of Swift bombarding her with messages.

In a statement released on Twitter, Cambridge-born Charli, 27, said: “A few people have taken something I said out of context and I want to clarify there is no shade and only love here.

“As I have said before, I am extremely grateful to Taylor for inviting me to open for her. She’s one of the biggest artists of my generation.”

Charli, who rose to fame following her 2013 collaboration with Icona Pop titled I Love It, said her answers in the interview were “boiled down into one kind of weird sentence”.

She added: “Leading up to that tour I'd been playing a tonne of 18+ club shows and so to be on stage in front of all ages was new to me and made me approach my performances with a whole new king of energy.

The singer said she was "extremely grateful for the opportunity [she] was given" to open for Swift said it was "fun" to perform for a "new audience."

"Any tour I've been on with any other artist as an opening act has taught me so much. It's always wonderful to watch other artists do their thing, own their stage and speak their language to their dedicated fan bases - and this was especially true for the Reputation tour," she concluded.

Charli and Camila Cabello provided support for Swift's 53 date tour, which was her most successful to date and became the 13th highest grossing concert tour of all time.