Taylor Swift Said Some of Her ‘Best Friendships’ Started With Them Slamming Her Publicly
Getting criticized has led to some of Taylor Swift’s “best friendships.” Yes, really. The Grammy winner once explained how she became friends with celebs after they roasted her publicly. How did it work exactly? According to Swift, the criticism simply started a “conversation.”
Public criticism helped Swift make friends because it sparked ‘conversation’
In a 2019 Rolling Stone interview, Swift shared how a number of her “best friendships” started rather surprisingly—with public criticism. “Some of my best friendships came from people publicly criticizing me and then it opening up a conversation,” the now-35-year-old said.
Swift then name-dropped two fellow musicians, Hayley Kiyoki and Lorde. “Hayley Kiyoko was doing an interview,” Swift said. “And she made an example about how I get away with singing about straight relationships and people don’t give me sh*t the way they give her sh*t for singing about girls—and it’s totally valid.”
“Like, [real name] Ella—Lorde—the first thing she ever said about me publicly was a criticism of my image or whatever,” Swift added.
What Kiyoko and Lorde said about Taylor Swift
So, what exactly did Lorde and Kiyoko say about Swift that opened up the door to them becoming friends? For Kiyoko, it started with her March 2018 Refinery29 interview, per Elle.
“I’ve had several music industry execs say, ‘You’re doing another music video about girls?’” she told the outlet. “I literally looked at them and was like, ‘um, yeah…Taylor Swift sings about men in every single song and video, and no one complains that she’s unoriginal.’”
“I’m not over-sexualizing my music,” she added. “I make out with women because I love women, not because I’m trying to be sexy. That’s not to turn heads—that’s my life.”
Swift went on to defend Kiyoko against fan criticism on Tumblr, writing, in part, that “we should applaud artists who are brave enough to tell their honest romantic narrative through their art.”
As for Lorde, before she became friends with Swift, she described the “All Too Well” singer as “so flawless and so unattainable,” telling Metro in 2013, “I don’t think it’s breeding anything good in young girls,” per HuffPost. The then-16-year-old later clarified her comments online and now she and Swift have been friends for more than a decade.
Is Swift still friends with Hayley Kiyoko and Lorde?
While Swift hasn’t been spotted publicly with Lorde or Kiyoko in years, it seems the “Fortnight” singer’s friendships with her fellow pop stars are still going strong. However, it’s unclear just how close they are these days.
In 2023, Lorde shared a “kind” 2017 text Swift sent her following the release of her “Melodrama” album (via Page Six). In it, Swift said she pictured Lorde “in a rowboat with Annie Lennox floating down a river of cool cerebral ethereal dreams but don’t-f**k-with-me vibes all around you.” She also told the “Royals” singer that, in her opinion, “first week record sales singularly define a legacy.”
As for Kiyoko, she joined Swift onstage during the “Down Bad” singer’s Reputation tour in 2018. Swift was also, according to Kiyoko’s partner and Bachelor alum, Becca Tilley, one of the first people who learned they were dating (via People). Swift occasionally pops up on Kiyoko’s Instagram, like in snaps from a 2023 Grammy Awards after-party.
