Taylor Swift has never been shy about her love of rock.
Like most artists, the singer has a Beatles connection.
“I look at Paul McCartney and I see how he’s had just this amazing career,” she explained to Time magazine in 2019. “He’s created just unparalleled art and probably been faced with more pressure than most people. He’s always been known to be kind to people, respectful, and also really selfless as a performer.”
The pop star holds similar reverence for Joni Mitchel, singling out the classic 1971 album Blue during a conversation with Rolling Stone.
“She wrote it about her deepest pains and most haunting demons,” Swift noted. “Songs like ‘River,’ which is just about her regrets and doubts of herself – I think this album is my favorite because it explores somebody’s soul so deeply.”
READ MORE: Taylor Swift’s Rock Resume: 15 Times She Honored Classic Stars
As a powerful female star, Swift has naturally been influenced by the ladies who came before her.
“Looking back, when I think of women who rock, I think of so many different artists — like Pat Benatar, Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, and Stevie Nicks — people who I can’t believe I’ve gotten to meet now,” Swift reflected to Entertainment Tonight. “So it’s unbelievable to look back on the music they created and the effect it had on my life.”
Still, there may be no one more impactful to Swift than Carole King, whom she inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
“I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Carole King’s music,” Swift declared. “I was raised by two of her biggest fans, who taught me the basic truths of life as they saw it: that you should treat people the way you want to be treated, that you must believe that you can achieve whatever you want to in life, and that Carole King is the greatest songwriter of all time.”
Check out our gallery below to see Taylor Swift hanging out with rock’s biggest stars.
