It seems British rocker Yungblud has a soft spot for pop queen Taylor Swift, and he’s not shy about it. The 28-year-old artist, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, proudly declared his admiration for Swift on Bill Maher’s "Club Random" podcast this past Monday, October 6. "I love Taylor Swift, it’s weird," he confessed, repeating his sentiment for emphasis.
Podcast host Bill Maher, 69, found himself nodding along. He even sang praises for the "Life of a Showgirl" musician, calling her a "brilliant businesswoman." Maher shared that he had caught Swift on her fiancé Travis Kelce’s "New Heights" podcast. His takeaway? "She seemed genuine, funny, someone cool to hang out with," Maher said, noting he "never thought she wasn’t" any of those things. However, he admitted, "I just don’t understand the music and I never will."
Yungblud, in a spontaneous moment, broke into ‘Love Story.’ He then explained his deep connection to Swift’s work. His two younger sisters are huge fans of Swift’s 2012 album, Red. "Every time it plays, it transports me back to a time when I was in my mother’s car with my sisters and, honestly, I love it," Yungblud continued. He shared his frustration with "guys at the pub" who say they "don’t mess with" Swift’s music. He totally disagrees. "I love Taylor Swift," he stated once more.
This isn’t the first time Yungblud has shown his Swiftie colors. Back in September 2020, he famously covered Swift’s ‘Cardigan’ from her album Folklore. He even mashed it up with Avril Lavigne’s ‘I’m With You’ on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. Swift herself was thrilled by the tribute. She tweeted, "WELL, this took my breath away and I’m honored to hear ‘Cardigan’ intertwined with @AvrilLavigne’s wonderful masterpiece, ‘I’m with you’." She ended her message with a hearty "Bravo and thank you @yungblud." Yungblud responded simply on social media, writing, "Thank you for creating such a beautiful song. 🥺🖤"
Thank you for creating such a beautiful song. 🥺🖤
— YUNGBLUD (@yungblud) 29 de septiembre de 2020
Yungblud’s defense of Swift comes just days after the release of her twelfth studio album, i, on Friday, October 3. The new record has received mixed reactions from music critics. However, Swift seems totally unfazed by it all. She welcomes any chatter. "I welcome the chaos," she said during an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music on Tuesday, October 7. She explained the golden rule of the entertainment world: "The rule in show business is: if it’s the first week of my album’s release and you’re saying my name or my album’s title, you’re helping me."
Swift holds "respect" for "subjective opinions about art," especially when it comes to music. She isn’t here to police anyone’s taste. "I am not the art police," she continued. "That is to say, everyone can feel exactly as they want, and our goal as artists is to be a mirror." Swift often talks about albums as "a really, really crazy way to look at oneself." She previously mentioned that her latest work reflects the specific time in her life she’s experiencing right now.
"What you go through in your life is going to affect whether you identify with the music I release at any given time," Swift added. She also keeps "an eye on the legacy" as she creates new music. "I know what I did," she confirmed. "I know I adore it."
Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ features 12 songs. Fans have been busy cracking the lyrics since its Friday release. Swift is famous for hiding clues in her music. She has commended her followers for finding the truth in each track. However, she also pointed out that some theories are "totally wrong." "There are definitely theories that have absolutely nothing to do with reality," she said during Elvis Duran’s show on iHeartRadio on Friday. "But, you know what? There are some that are very fun when they discover them."