Swift poses with fans at jury duty

Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California on Feb 28, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS

LOS ANGELES • Singer Taylor Swift, the most high-profile absence at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, on Monday happily took photos with fans after reporting for jury duty in Nashville.

The 26-year-old was photographed by other potential jurors as she was waiting to be selected as a jury member ahead of a trial in a Nashville court, according to Twitter user Tracy Bates (@Tracys- Activism).

Bates, who tweeted: "I am on jury duty with #taylorswift13", said the pop star's security personnel initially would not let her take a picture.

But later, she posted a video and numerous photos, including a selfie in the waiting room with Swift, who was wearing a simple black dress and smiling.

She said Swift was happy to pose with other potential jurors and she also posted an autograph from the pop star that said "so nice to meet you".

While Bates was happy to snap the star doing her civil duty, she said she did not consent to the media's use of her photos, saying they were not for sale.

Another user who posted a photo of Swift with her mother on jury duty made her account private.

Swift, named Forbes' top-earning female celebrity this year with US$170 million (S$231 million) in earnings, did not receive a single nomination at the Video Music Awards and did not appear at the New York show.

She was, however, mentioned on stage by rapper Kanye West, with whom she has a long-running feud, as he rambled on about asking her for permission to use her in an explicit lyric in his song Famous.

A representative for Swift did not respond for comment on the singer's jury duty or West's speech.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 31, 2016, with the headline Swift poses with fans at jury duty. Subscribe