Pop star Taylor Swift is being sued by an R&B artist for $US42 million ($59 million) for allegedly copying the lyrics to her hit song Shake It Off.

Jesse Braham, 50, filed the suit claiming the chorus of Swift's anthem borrowed from his own work Haters Gone Hate and that there was "no way" she came up with the lyrics independently of his song.

Shake It Off includes the lines "cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play / And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate," while Graham's song contains the phrase "haters gonna hate, players gonna play".

Braham, also known as Jesse Graham onstage, told the Daily News that Swift's song had "the same hook as mine".

"If I didn't write the song Haters Gone Hate, there wouldn't be a song called Shake It Off," he said.

Braham said he had spoken to Swift's record label, Big Machine, four or five times about the issue.

He originally asked to be named as a writer, given credit for the song, and a selfie with the pop star, but was repeatedly dismissed and told his claim had no merit.

"At first I was going to let it go, but this song is my song all the way," he said.

Aside from the similarity in lyrics, there is little resemblance.

Swift's legal representatives have yet to officially comment on the case.

It is the latest legal battle for Swift, who last week demanded a trial against radio host David Mueller for allegedly groping her backstage before a show.

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