Taylor Swift said she feels “more loyal” to her country roots than ever during a Grammy Museum Q&A with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. on August 18, 2026.
Speaking about her journey from her debut single “Tim McGraw” to her current career, Swift reflected on how her Nashville songwriting foundation has remained central to her artistry across multiple genres. “I’ve loved and I think this can happen as you grow up—my country roots more and more,” she said. She added that as she has continued in her career, she has felt increasingly tied to and loyal toward the people who shaped her as an artist and writer.
Swift traced her connection to Nashville back to age 10, when she learned that Faith Hill had been discovered at the Bluebird Cafe. She set a personal goal to perform at the venue and taught herself instruments by studying the structures of country music she admired. That early immersion influenced the narrative storytelling that became a hallmark of her songwriting.
She noted that even as her music evolved through albums including Red (2012) and 1989 (2014), the songwriting principles she refined in Nashville remained foundational. Swift also discussed how producers Max Martin and Shellback transformed “I Knew You Were Trouble” from a sad piano ballad into a dubstep-influenced track, marking a significant turning point in her move away from country.
At the end of the conversation, Swift performed a piano mashup of “I Knew It, I Knew You,” “August” and “All Too Well” using the same piano from her Eras Tour acoustic section.
Source: Billboard
