Former Boyzone band member Shane Lynch has accused Taylor Swift of embedding evil messages in her music and performing Satanic rituals during her concerts.

The 47-year-old Irish singer and born-again Christian made the claims in a new interview with Irish newspaper 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,” he said. “You’ll see a lot of hoods up and masks on and fire ceremonies.”

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.”

He explained that that’s the reason he’s given up listening to several genres of music, including hip-hop.

“When it comes to a lot of the music that’s out there at the moment – more of the hip-hop side of things – there is a lot of hidden Satanic [imagery] and a lot of evil within them, including down to the beats. It’s very real,” he insisted. “Music attaches to your emotions. It has a connection to your spirit and how you feel.”

Lynch’s recent comments are similar to those he made during an appearance on a Premier Christian Radio podcast last year. At the time, he called both Beyoncé and Sam Smith “so demonic it’s unbelievable”.

The Independent has contacted Swift’s representative for comment.

This isn’t the first time that Swift, 34, has been baselessly linked to Satanism and witchcraft.

Earlier this month, the “Anti-Hero” singer, who’s currently wrapping up the Australian leg of her hugely successful Eras Tour, went viral for flashing a hand gesture that some interpreted as “the sign of the horns” – a Satanic symbol.

Meanwhile, last March, Tailah Scroggins, a minister and recording artist, reposted a TikTok video showing clips from Swift’s concert, in which the pop superstar recreated scenes from her “Willow” music video.

In the 2021 video, Swift and her backup dancers are seen wearing cloaks as they dance around a fire in a snowy forest.

“So tired of satanic imagery being shoved in our faces,” Scroggins captioned the post. “This is not normal, cool, or cute. It’s demonic