10 legends and rockstars who have heaped praise on Taylor Swift (2024)

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Billy Joel compared Taylor Swift's success to Beatlemania.

After attending the Eras Tour stop in Tampa, Florida, Billy Joel said Taylor Swift is on par with the most celebrated band in history.

"The only thing I can compare it to is the phenomenon of Beatlemania," he told the New York Times. (The newspaper itself said Swift's tour has inspired "a level of white-hot demand and media saturation not seen since the 1980s heyday of Michael Jackson and Madonna.")

The "Vienna" singer previously described Swift as the Beatles of her generation.

"Taylor is also a very talented girl and she's productive and keeps coming up with great concepts and songs and she's huge," he told USA Today in 2021.

"You have to give her high marks," he continued. "She knows music and she knows how to write. She's like that generation's Beatles."

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Stevie Nicks thanked Swift for writing a song that resonates with her grief.

During a recent concert in Atlanta, Stevie Nicks publicly praised Swift for writing "You're On Your Own, Kid," the fifth track on her newest album "Midnights."

Nicks said the song encapsulates "the sadness of how I feel" following the death of Christine McVie, her former Fleetwood Mac bandmate.

"Never an argument in our entire 47 years. Never," she said onstage. "When it was the two of us, the two of us were on our own, kids. We always were."

Nicks added: "And now, I'm having to learn to be on my own, kid, by myself."

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Paul McCartney said Swift inspired his own songwriting.

For their joint Rolling Stone cover in 2020, Paul McCartney dove into Swift's songwriting process for "Folklore" and praised the 14th track, "Peace," in particular.

He also said he'd planned to invite Swift for a duet of "Shake It Off" during his headline performance at Glastonbury, which was canceled due to the pandemic.

In fact, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer had already been a fan of Swift for several years. "Who Cares," a track from McCartney's 2018 solo album "Egypt Station," was actually inspired by Swift and the intimate connection she creates with her music.

"I was actually thinking about Taylor Swift and her relationship to her young fans and how it's sort of a sisterly thing," McCartney told the BBC.

"And I was imagining talking to one of these young fans and saying, 'Have you ever been bullied? Do you get bullied?'" he continued. "Then I say, 'Who cares about the idiots? Who cares about all this? Who cares about you? Well... I do.'"

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Another former Beatle, Ringo Starr, is a self-identified Swiftie.

Back in 2009, Ringo Starr listed Swift's "You Belong With Me" as one of his favorite songs, among classics like Bob Dylan's "When the Deal Goes Down" and Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel."

"I love Taylor Swift, that's just how I am," Starr told ABC. "I love her."

More recently, he called Swift "the biggest star in the world."

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Carole King honored Swift as a lyricist who transcends age and genre.

At the 2019 American Music Awards, Carole King presented Swift with the artist of the decade award.

"Over the years, I have known some great songwriters and I have also known some great singers and performers," King said. "It's rare to see all those talents in one person. Taylor Swift."

"She is one of the only modern pop artists whose name appears as the sole songwriter in her song credits," continued the iconic "Tapestry" singer. "Her lyrics resonate across all generations, her songs touch everyone and her impact around the world is extraordinary."

Two years later, Swift honored with a performance of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" that brought King to tears.

Later that evening, King thanked Swift for "carrying the torch forward."

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Dolly Parton named Swift as one of the women she admires in show business — "probably number one."

While accepting the hitmaker award at Billboard's 2020 Women in Music event, Dolly Parton took a moment to shout out "all of the wonderful women in show business that write all of these wonderful songs."

"Cindy Walker, who wrote some of the greatest songs ever and of course Loretta Lynn, wonderful wonderful songwriter," Parton said. "And this day in time, of course, Taylor Swift, she's just right up there, probably number one."

She added: "I think it's so important that we acknowledge the women that write and sing in country music. And I think it's also very important that they take control of their own business."

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Shania Twain has called Swift "incredibly brilliant."

Shania Twain threw her support behind Swift after she went public about her dispute with Big Machine Records and Scooter Braun.

"I'm a big supporter of Taylor. I think she's just incredibly brilliant," Twain told USA Today in 2019, adding that it's "ridiculous" for an artist not to own her music.

Three years later, Twain celebrated Swift for becoming the female artist with the most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Country Albums Chart, surpassing her own previous record.

"The baton is meant to be passed on to new generations," Twain wrote on Twitter, calling Swift "unstoppable."

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Bruce Springsteen hailed Swift as a "tremendous writer."

Following the release of "Midnights," Bruce Springsteen applauded Swift as "super talented."

"She's a tremendous writer," he told Howard Stern. "And I know her producer Jack Antonoff very well. They're making great records."

The Boss also said that his daughter is "a Taylor Swift fan to the max," and he enjoys watching her react to Swift's new music.

"There's a lot of great work going on, people still making great records," he added. "And people are finding a lot of joy in those records."

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Jon Bon Jovi praised her growth and longevity.

In 2020, Rolling Stone asked Jon Bon Jovi what he had been listening to during quarantine.

"I gravitate to the artists I know, but you do stumble onto someone and think the future of the music business is certainly in great hands," he replied, naming Harry Styles and The Chicks as two such musicians.

"Taylor Swift is going to be here for as long as she chooses to be," he added. "She's growing as a person. She's growing as an artist. This thing she did with that guy from The National, bravo to her for taking a shot like that."

Bon Jovi was referring to Swift's minimalistic "Folklore," which was largely produced by The National's Aaron Dessner.

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BONUS: Kobe Bryant gushed about Swift's talent and kindness.

Although Kobe Bryant was not a rockstar or Grammy-winning songwriter, he was a giant in his own field who admired Swift's work ethic, as well as her "sweet" personality.

During an appearance on "The Jordan Harbinger Show" in 2019, the late NBA star was unabashedly passionate about his respect for Swift.

"I think it's important to listen to people who do great things," he said. "Taylor has been at the top of the game for a very, very long time."

"It's a lot of pressure for her to follow up a No. 1 album with a better album," he continued. "I don't care if you like her music or if you don't like her music. Look at what she's doing. It's frightening stuff. It's unbelievable to be able to pull that off over and over and over. I try to learn from it as much as I can."

He added: "You can't have that level of consistent success and not be a killer. It's impossible."

The former Laker also commended Swift's kindness towards his daughters: "She was a sweetheart to my girls before she even blew up and became Taylor Swift. So that's why if she needs something, I'm always there."

Bryant had previously surprised Swift during the 1989 Tour to present her with a championship banner, celebrating her 16 sold-out shows at LA's Staples Center (now known asCrypto.com Arena).