Superstar Taylor Swift was just named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year. In the cover story, the singer talks about nearly everything from her new relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce, to her career… even the good and bad moments.
Swift, 33, recalled the aftermath of the infamous phone call leak involving herself, Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian. The incident, which took place in 2016, had a profound impact on Swift’s life and career, leading her to take a step back from the spotlight and even relocate to what she referred to as a “foreign country.”
The leaked phone call revolved around West’s controversial song “Famous,” in which he included derogatory lyrics about Swift. The incident sparked a public feud between the two artists, with Kardashian entering the fray by releasing a recording of the phone conversation on social media. This move resulted in Swift facing severe backlash and being subjected to public scrutiny. Speaking on that situation Swift did not hold back. She said, “Make no mistake—my career was taken away from me,” she told TIME. “You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar. That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before. I moved to a foreign country. I didn’t leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls. I pushed away most people in my life because I didn’t trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard.”
To note, Kim previously denied editing the footage back in 2020 and also tweeted “To be clear, the only issue I ever had around the situation was that Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that ‘Kanye never called to ask for permission…’ They clearly spoke so I let you all see that. Nobody ever denied the word ‘bitch’ was used without her permission.”
Despite that unfortunate situation, Swift eventually made a triumphant return to the music scene, releasing critically acclaimed albums and reclaiming her narrative.
Further speaking on her journey with TIME Magazine, Swift said:
“It’s not lost on me that the two great catalysts for this happening were two horrendous things that happened to me,” she said. “The first was getting canceled within an inch of my life and sanity. The second was having my life’s work taken away from me by someone who hates me.”
Swift added, “Nothing is permanent. So I’m very careful to be grateful every second that I get to be doing this at this level, because I’ve had it taken away from me before. There is one thing I’ve learned: My response to anything that happens, good or bad, is to keep making things. Keep making art.. But I’ve also learned there’s no point in actively trying to quote unquote defeat your enemies. Trash takes itself out every single time.”
“I’ve been raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion so many times in the last 20 years,” Swift said. “I’ve been given a tiara, then had it taken away. It feels like the breakthrough moment of my career, happening at 33. And for the first time in my life, I was mentally tough enough to take what comes with that.”
I know that’s right!